Click here to view the
2009 Business on Board with Childcare! Awards photo gallery.
West Virginia in the Bottom Ten on Four Indicators of Child Well-Being
State Ranks 43rd in the Nation in Casey Foundation Report
According to the 21st annual National KIDS COUNT Data Book, West Virginia ranks 43rd in the nation overall in child well-being and in the bottom 10 states on four of the 10 indicators, including the percent of low-birthweight babies (46th), children living without secure parental employment (45th), children in poverty (43rd) and the child death rate (42nd). There was some good news for children in West Virginia: The state has improved on four of the 10 measures affecting child well-being since 2000 (infant mortality rate, child death rate, teen death rate and percent of children in poverty). However, in two measures (percent low-birthweight babies and percent of children in single parent families), conditions for West Virginia children have worsened; in two others(teen birth rate and percent of teens not in school and not high school graduates), conditions have remained unchanged; and two of the indicators are not comparable to previous years.
Margie Hale, Executive Director of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund, noted, "We are especially concerned about our being in the bottom 10 states on four of the 10 indicators. We all agree that West Virginia's children deserve a better start in life. So, we must begin to make the significant investments in young children that we know will make their lives better. That's why KIDS COUNT is continuing to advocate for new state funding for a childcare quality rating and improvement system. Research clearly proves that improving the quality of childcare will pay big dividends in child well being and economic development."
Why a High Quality Early Child Development System is So Important
From the moment they are born, children are profoundly shaped by the world around them. Their earliest interactions with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and all other caring adults lay the foundation on which their futures will be built.
The fact is 64,000 West Virginia children under age six spend a large part of their day in the care of someone other than their parents because their parents are working, and there is currently no good way to measure the quality of that care.
We need better public structures to ensure that every West Virginia child can benefit from a high-quality, early child development (ECD) program. According to Marshall University, for every dollar West Virginia invests in this high-quality ECD system, we will earn a $5.20 return through outcomes such as higher academic achievement and adult earning power and lower juvenile delinquency and dropout rates.
About KIDS COUNT
For 20 years, KIDS COUNT has been West Virginia's most trusted source of information about the well-being of children and a leader in the effort to educate parents, policymakers and the public about what children need to thrive and achieve.
Our vision is to create a culture that values, nurtures and realizes the potential of our youngest children.
KIDS COUNT's recent work has been focused almost exclusively on the importance of improving access to and the quality of early child development programs. For example, the organization has played a major role in the development of standards for West Virginia's pre-kindergarten (pre-k) program, fought to save the pre-k program from legislative cuts, studied the importance of early literacy, educated business leaders about the economic impact of ECD programs, launched a multi-county campaign to improve early literacy practices, and spearheaded a successful effort to improve the quality of the state's childcare system by advocating for a childcare quality rating and improvement system.
more >>