Ohio children are healthier and better educated than they were a few years ago.
But many of their families are doing worse economically. And on average, Ohio children are faring, well, about average, ranking 24th out of 50 (with 50 being the worst) on a composite index that measures economic status, education, health, and family and community factors.
That’s the takeaway from the release today of the Kids Count Data Book, an annual measure of children’s well-being published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with considerable input from the Children’s Defense Fund. The Data Book contains facts and figures covering all children and the figures below are for all of Ohio. But the Casey Foundation makes clear that for many minority children, rates of “negative outcomes” linked to poverty are a persistent problem that the nation needs to face.
Here are some specific numbers and rankings from the report, obtained by the Casey Foundation and the Children’s Defense Fund from agencies including the Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Education:
Ohio Children in Poverty: Twenty-four percent of Ohio children live in poverty. That is much worse than the 19 percent figure in 2005, but the decline is hardly isolated to Ohio. In fact, Ohio’s rate for child poverty tracks closely with the national rate of 23 percent – which means 16.4 million children live in poverty nationwide.
Three- and Four-Year-Olds Not in Preschool: While still far from great, Ohio’s 56 percent rate from 2010 through 2012 – remember, this is the rate of children not attending pre-school — is a tad better than the 58 percent from 2005 through 2007. But it is still 2 percentage points worse than the national rate, as it was five years ago, too.
Fourth Graders Not Proficient in Reading: Reading proficiency by fourth grade is considered a “crucial marker in a child’s educational development,” according to the Kids Count report. By that measure, 63 percent of Ohio fourth graders are not doing well, based on reading-proficiency data from 2013. Yet that figure is an improvement over the 66 percent non-proficiency rate of 2005. Ohio’s fourth-grade reading proficiency also happens to be 3 percentage points better than the national average. The Casey Foundation calls the national rate “alarming.”
Low Birth-Weight Babies: Babies born with a low birth weight – under 5.5 pounds – are more likely to have developmental problems and a greater risk of dying in their first year. Ohio’s low-birth weight rate is improving only slightly, going from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 8.6 percent in 2012. The state is still behind the national rate, which is 8.0 percent.
Children Without Health Insurance: This statistic does not count the effects of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, but the report shows that only 5 percent of Ohio children lacked coverage in 2012 — and that was an improvement over the 7 percent rate in 2008. The nation lags Ohio, with the national rate at 7 percent in 2012 and 10 percent in 2008.
Teen Births: Teens who have children have a higher risk of delivering low-birth weight and pre-term babies, and the babies are more likely to live in homes with a parent or parents who have limited educations and economic resources, the Casey report says. Ohio’s teen-birth rate in 2012 was 30 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19. This was a dramatic improvement over the 39-per-1,000 rate in 2005. The national rate is 29, which again is a big improvement over the national rate of 40 teen births per 1,000 in 2005.
Click here to read more of this story. To read the full report, click here.
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