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Georgia 2006 KIDS COUNT Key Findings
Georgia
ranks 44th in the nation,
according to the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book--a state-by-state
study on the well-being of America's children published by the Annie
E. Casey Foundation. The positive news is that overall trends for
child and family well-being are improving. Yet in many communities
across the state, children continue to lag behind.
Nationally,
three out of 10 child well-being indicators have worsened since
2000.
In Georgia, three national indicators are worse, one indicator is
stagnant, and six indicators improved.
Worsening
Indicators
Three indicators worsened since 2000. Georgia mirrored national
trends with these:
1)
Percentage of children living in poverty: 21 percent of children
live in poverty. Georgia ranks 36th in the nation.
2)
Percentage of low birthweight babies: 9 percent of infants weigh
less than 5.5 pounds at birth. Georgia ranks 41st in the nation.
3)
Percentage of children living in families where no parent has full-time,
year-round employment: 35 percent. Georgia ranks 29th in the nation.
Stagnant
Indicator
Infant mortality rate: 8.5
per 1,000. Georgia ranks 43rd in the nation.
Improving
Indicators
Georgia
has made improvements in six indicators:
- Teen
birth rate: (53.3/1000). Georgia ranks 41st in the nation for
teen birth rate to girls ages 15 to 19.
- Percentage
of high school dropouts: 12 percent of teens are high school dropouts
(ages 16 to 19) for 2004, as compared to 8 percent nationally.
Georgia ranks 48th in high school dropouts in the nation.
- Percentage
of teens not attending school and not working (ages 16 to 19):
11 percent, compared to 9 percent nationally. Georgia ranks 42nd
in the nation.
- Percentage
of children in single-parent families: 35 percent, compared to
31 percent nationally. Georgia ranks 41st in the nation.
- Child
death rate: 23 per 100,000, compared to 21 per 100,000 nationally.
Georgia ranks 29th in the nation.
- Teen
death rate: 74 per 100,000, compared to 66 per 100,000 nationally.
Georgia ranks 30th in the nation.
What
do long-term trends show in Georgia?
While
long-term trends show improvement, Georgia continues to lag behind
national averages. Areas of Georgia, particularly the southern half
of the state, lag behind state averages.
The
overall teen birth rate continues to decline in Georgia but the
southern part of the state continues to have high rates of teen
birth.
Teens
in Georgia lag behind national averages in graduating from school
and being employed; however, both the status dropout rate and the
cohort graduation rate show improvement since 2000.
Georgia has experienced an economic downturn over the past four
years and poverty has continued to rise. This data is consistent
with the trend nationwide.
How
can Georgia make greater improvements in indicators of child well-being?
- Evaluation
data has shown that in counties where Family Connection county
collaboratives focused on reducing teen pregnancy, the rate of
teen pregnancy declined faster than in counties that did not focus
on teen pregnancy reduction. Thus, focusing on improving a particular
indicator at the local level appears to have impact. More than
100 counties in Georgia address teen pregnancy in their strategic
plans.
- Work
toward achieving a 10-percent
improvement in indicators, for example by reducing one
infant death per county or having 34 more students per county
complete high school.
- Link
data outcomes with decision-making in terms of policies, budget,
and/or priorities.
- Fund
local efforts to improve outcomes; target programs or promote
policies that appear to be achieving results (e.g., home visitation,
performance learning centers, early intervention, and juvenile
diversion).
- Improve
the community assessment process to identify and prioritize the
needs the community must work toward in making progress for children
and families.
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