[Kids Count Study] Child poverty is lowest in N.H.

From Foster's Daily Democrat

By MARCUS WEISGERBER
Democrat Staff Writer

CONCORD — New Hampshire has been ranked the top state in America in the latest national survey dealing with child poverty and child well-being trends.

Although the study shows child poverty has increased in the Granite State and nationwide, the state ranks far better than the national average in more than a dozen categories ranging from teen birth rates to low birthweight babies.

The survey is part of the Kids Count study conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization that works to foster public policies, human-service reforms and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families.

Maine finished seventh overall in the survey.

Despite an increase in the number of children in poverty by 33 percent between 2000 and 2003, New Hampshire still has smallest child-poverty rate in the country at 8 percent of the 304,000 children in the state, the survey said. The national rate is 18 percent.

Following New Hampshire was Vermont, Minnesota, New Jersey and North Dakota, rounding out the top-five. The worst state was Mississippi followed by Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia and New Mexico. Massachusetts finished sixth.

New Hampshire also ranked best in the nation in child death rate, down 14 percent; teen death rate, down 38 percent and teen birth rate, down 13 percent. Results for these categories were reported between 2000 and 2002. The state finished fourth in the nation for its infant mortality rate, which decreased 12 percent from 2000 to 2002.

Only 6 percent of children in the state lack health insurance and 89 percent of young children receive immunizations.

In 2003, more than one in four children lived in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment. Also, 7,000 children lived in households where no adult had worked in the prior 12 months and 21,280 children lived in homes where the head of the household did not finish high school. The number of children in single parent households decreased four percent between 2000 and 2003.

Educationally, the percentage of teens age 16-19 in New Hampshire who are high school dropouts fell 22 percent from nine to seven percent; however, the percent of teens ages 16-19 not attending school or working rose 20 percent from five to six percent.

In fourth grade testing, 40 percent of New Hampshire students scored at or above the proficient reading level and 43 percent scored at or above the proficient math level in 2003. The national averages was 30 percent and 31 percent respectively.

In eighth grade testing, 40 percent of students scored at or above the proficient reading level and 35 percent scored at or above proficient math level in 2003. The national averages were 30 percent and 27 percent.

In 2004, 74 percent of children in New Hampshire lived in married couple households, 19 percent in single-parent households and seven percent in cohabitating couple households.

New Hampshire has ranked in the top two for the past four years, said Ellen Shemitz, president of the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, which conducts survey information and acts as the New Hampshire arm of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Despite New Hampshire ranking high, funding issues and financial security have contributed to the rise in poverty of children in New Hampshire, Shemitz said.

"The trend is going in the wrong direction," she said.

Shemitz said there is talk of taking federal money that goes toward lowering the birth rate and putting it towards abstinence programs.

In Maine

Maine finished first in the country for its infant mortality rate, which lowered by 10 percent between 2000 and 2002, according to the survey.

Educationally, the state showed the percentage high school dropouts among teens age 16-19 increased 40 percent from 5 to 7 percent between 2000 and 2003. The national average is 8 percent. The number of teens the same ages not attending school or working also rose 25 percent.

Testing in fourth grade showed, 36 percent of Maine students scored at or above the proficient reading level and 34 percent scored at or above the proficient math level in 2003. In eighth grade testing, 37 percent of students scored at or above the proficient reading level and 29 percent scored at or above proficient math level — 2 percent higher than the national average — in 2003.

The child death rate fell 5 percent, teen death rate fell eight percent, teen birth rate fell 14 percent, the number of children with both parents not holding full time jobs decreased 9 percent. The child poverty rate did increase though 8 percent.

Seven percent of children in the state lacked health insurance in 2002 and 84 percent of 2-year-olds were immunized in 2003. In 2001, Maine and New Hampshire each had 13,000 children with special health care needs that limited the employment of a family member.

In the United States

Nationally five of 10 indicators used to track a child's well-being worsened over the past few years. The nation experienced low-birthweight babies, infant mortality, teen deaths and child poverty, as well as a lower rate of children with securely employed parents.