Last Monday, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT released its 10th annual Factbook, a comprehensive listing of statistics about more than 50 aspects of kids’ lives – from birth to adolescence.
The Factbook charts improvements and declines in the well-being of children throughout Rhode Island.
There is usually a mix of good news – and bad.
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This year is no exception.
For example, there is increasing evidence that Rhode Island is doing a solid job in making sure children have access to health care.
“We have lower rates of teen deaths and child deaths than we did a decade ago,” said Elizabeth Burke Bryant, KIDS COUNT executive director. “More women are receiving timely prenatal care and fewer teens are having babies. Rhode Island has the lowest rate of uninsured children in the country. … More children have access to the health care and early education that is so critical to success in school and in life.”
The Factbook also shows that there are now more after-school learning programs available to school-age children – increasing from 6,692 licensed child-care slots in 1996 to 14,236 in 2002.
But there are alarming statistics, as well. And they tell us that despite improvements, we have a long way to go in caring for our children.
For example, Rhode Island has the highest percentage of single-parent families, the highest teen dropout rate and the highest percentage of teen mothers of any New England state.
In Rhode Island there are 5,060 grandparents who are financially responsible for their grandchildren, making up 4 percent of all family households with children. Nearly half of those grandparents who are financially responsible for those grandchildren have been so for three or more years.
According to the Factbook, Rhode Island has the second-highest rate of handgun homicide of victims under 18 years of age. Of the 36 gun deaths between 1998 and 2002 in Rhode Island, 83 percent were to teens ages 15 to 19 and 17 percent were children under the age of 15.
So why are these numbers so important?
They are important because they are real. They speak to bigger issues – issues that cost lots of money – like education and health care. They speak to tax dollars and where they are best spent. And they speak to economic development, in the form of building a work force for tomorrow.
That’s one reason the annual release of the Factbook has become such a big deal – one of those things that creates a buzz in political and business circles every year.
It’s a credit to Burke Bryant and her dedicated staff that the information is so well received – and with each year, has become more and more comprehensive.
“We add just a couple of issues each year,” said Burke Bryant. “Our pledge is to keep it so you can put a copy of it in your briefcase.”
I asked Burke Bryant why the Factbook has been so embraced, particularly by the business community.
“The business community cares about rock solid data and objective information,” she said.
She is right. When business members decide to take a stand on something, to step out of their offices, and perhaps testify at the State House or advocate for a cause at some public hearing, they like to be prepared – to be armed with information. The Factbook provides that information.
The numbers allow Burke Bryant and advocates for children the opportunity to demonstrate to all of us that when it comes to the welfare of children, economic issues are tied closely to issues of education and health care.
This year, Burke Bryant sees some good things in the numbers. They tell her – and us – that the investments in health care programs for children are paying off.
“We hope that’s a real incentive to stay the course,” she said.
But the numbers also speak to the depth of the problems our most vulnerable citizens are facing.
The numbers tell us that poor kids in Rhode Island are poorer than most poor kids in New England. They tell us that ethnic disparities not only exist, but are rampant – that if you grow up in the inner city, you are facing real obstacles to achieving success.
The statistics remind us that 17 percent of Rhode Island children live below the poverty line. And no matter how you look at, that number is simply too high.
There are real lessons in the KIDS COUNT Factbook. It’s not an easy read. But it’s an important one.
So if you have never seen the KIDS COUNT Factbook you ought to get a hold of one. Call KIDS COUNT at 351-9400 or visit www.rikidscount.org.
Burke Bryant promises that it will fit in your briefcase.
