KIDS COUNT News
2009 West Virginia KIDS COUNT Data Book
January 27, 2010
2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book: Most Indicators of Child Well-Being Show Solid Improvement Statewide
Low Birth-Weight Babies, Children Approved for Free and Reduced Price Lunches |
Indicators
|
2000 Rate/Percent
|
2007 Rate/Percent
|
2007 U.S. Rate/Percent
|
Better/
Worse
|
|
Percent low birth-weight babies
|
8.4%
|
9.6%
|
8.2%
|
13.7% worse
|
|
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
|
7.9
|
7.5
|
6.6
|
4.8% better
|
|
Child death rate (age 1-14 per 100,000 children)
|
24.5
|
22.9
|
19.1
|
6.7% better
|
|
Percent eligible children served by Head Start (ages 3-4)
|
59.5%
|
73.4%
|
NA
|
23.4% better
|
|
Indicators
|
2000 Rate/Percent
|
2007 Rate/Percent
|
2007 U.S. Rate/Percent
|
Better/
Worse
|
|
Percent children approved for free and reduced price school meals (K-12)
|
49.4%
|
53.6%
|
38.8%
|
8.4% worse
|
|
Child abuse/neglect rate (per 1,000 children)
|
NA
|
19.6
|
10.6
|
NM
|
|
Teen birth rate (ages 15-19 per 1,000 females)
|
46.3
|
42.3
|
42.6
|
8.7% better
|
|
Percent births to unmarried teens (ages 10-19)
|
9.6%
|
9.6%
|
9.0%
|
0.0%
|
|
Percent high school dropouts
|
16.4%
|
17.0%
|
NA
|
3.7% worse
|
|
Juvenile delinquency case rate (ages 10-17 per 1,000 youths)
|
30.6
|
25.0
|
NA
|
18.2% better
|
|
Teen injury death rate (ages 15-19 per 100,000 teens)
|
67.5
|
62.0
|
NA
|
8.2% better
|
|
Percent births to mothers with less than a 12th grade education
|
19.4%
|
18.3%
|
NA
|
5.5% better
|
The 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book can be downloaded free at www.wvkidscountfund.org. In addition to a statewide profile of child well-being, the publication also includes county-by-county profiles and rankings and key facts related to early child development in West Virginia. Often, these early child development (ECD) facts highlight the need for greater investment in young children, for example, the number of children under six who need childcare (64,000) versus the number of accredited childcare centers (29).
The ECD facts from the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book are:
Number of children under age six - 126,493
Percent of children under age six with all available parents
in the labor force - 50.6%
Number of registered family day care homes - 1,938
Percent of family childcare providers who are graduates
of the Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist program - 5.3%
Number of family childcare facilities - 100
Number of licensed childcare centers - 367
Percent childcare centers that are accredited - 7.9%
Percent four year olds enrolled in Pre-K - 50.6%
Traditionally, KIDS COUNT includes an essay as part of its Data Book, but, this year, the KIDS COUNT Data Book Essay, “The Kids First Communities Campaign: A Playbook for Early Child Development Policy Change,” was published separately and is available for free download from the KIDS COUNT website at www.wvkidscountfund.org/publications.php.
More News
- 7/28/2009
- West Virginia Experiences Significant Improvement in National Ranking of Child Well-Being
- 6/11/2009
- KIDS COUNT Launches Business on Board with Childcare! Award Program
- 1/28/2009
- 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book: Only 8% of West Virginia Childcare Centers Meet the National Gold Standard for Quality
- 9/18/2008
- Statewide Celebration Will Honor Childcare Providers
- 6/12/2008
- West Virginia 44th in the National in Child Well-Being
- 3/20/2008
- Statewide Effort to Build Support for New Investments in Childcare Quality Under Way
- 2/19/2008
- 2007 Data Book Released Today



