Tennessee sees overall improvement in child welfare

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy students hold red balloons to support mentoring in Hamilton County on Tuesday at the Highland Park school. The event was sponsored by the United Way, Mayor Andy Berke and 68 nonprofits and schools.
Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy students hold red balloons to support mentoring in Hamilton County on Tuesday at the Highland Park school. The event was sponsored by the United Way, Mayor Andy Berke and 68 nonprofits and schools.

Tennessee children have experienced an overall improvement of their well-being, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The annual Kids Count Data Book ranks children's well-being in each state according to 16 indicators that are broken into four categories: economic well-being, education, community, and health and family. Tennessee ranks 35th overall, up from 38th in 2016. Georgia and Alabama ranked 42nd and 44th, respectively.

Economically, Tennessee ranks 35th, up from 42nd in 2016. The percent of children living in poverty is down from 26 percent in 2010 to 24 percent in 2015, and the number of teens not in school and not working was down to 7 percent in 2015 from 10 percent in 2010.

Linda O'Neal, executive director for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, said two factors contribute to the improvement of economic well-being. One is fewer parents lack secure employment - down from 37 percent in 2010 to 31 percent in 2015 - and if parents have secure employment, they're able to pay for housing, which has led to a decrease of children living in households with a high housing cost burden - down from 37 percent in 2010 to 30 percent in 2015.

By the numbers

Economic well-beingChildren in poverty: 2010 - 26 percent, 2015 - 24 percentChildren whose parents lack secure employment: 2010 - 37 percent, 2015 - 31 percentChildren living in households with a high housing cost burden: 2010 - 37 percent, 2015 - 30 percentTeens nor in school and not working: 2010 - 10 percent, 2015 - 7 percentEducationYoung children not in school: 2019/11 - 59 percent, 2013/15 - 61 percentFourth-graders not proficient in reading: 2009 - 72 percent, 2015 - 67Eighth-graders not proficient in math: 2009 - 75 percent, 2015 - 71 percentHigh school students not graduating on time: 2010/11 - 14 percent, 2014/15 - 12 percentHealthLow-birthweight babies: 2010 - 9 percent, 2015 - 9.2 percentChildren without health insurance: 2010 - 5 percent, 2015 - 4 percentChild and teen deaths per 100,000: 2010 - 31 percent, 2015 - 30 percentTeens who abuse alcohol or drugs: 2009/10 - 6 percent, 2013/14 - 5 percentFamily and communityChildren in single-parent families: 2010 - 37 percent, 2015 - 37 percentChildren in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma: 2010 - 13 percent, 2015 - 12 percentChildren living in high poverty areas: 2008/12 - 14 percent, 2011/15 - 15 percentTeen births per 1,000: 2010 - 43 percent, 2015 - 31 percentSource: 2017 Kids Count profile for Tennessee

However, while there are fewer children living in poverty, there are more living in high-poverty areas.

"The children who do live in poverty are more likely to live in concentrated areas, such as neighborhoods, where 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line," O'Neal said.

"Economic development and educational opportunities are important in improving outcomes for children, because they improve opportunities for parents to have jobs and education," she said, adding that better opportunities for parents means they can better provide for their children.

In education, children improved in reading and math, and more high school students graduated on time in academic year 2014-15 than in 2010-11. However, 61 percent of children ages 3 and 4 did not attend school between 2013 and 2015, a rise from 59 percent between 2009 and 2011.

After-school programs and summer reading camps are contributing factors for the improved reading and math proficiencies, as well as better graduation rates, said O'Neal.

Children in Tennessee saw an overall improvement, though small, in health, with the exception of low-birth-weight babies, which saw an increase from 9 percent in 2010 to 9.2 percent in 2015. Nationwide, the percentage stayed the same at 8.1.

Contributing factors to low birth weight are not adequate prenatal care, children born too close together, and multiple births, O'Neal said.

Children without health insurance decreased to 4 percent in 2015 from 5 percent in 2010. O'Neal said this is the lowest it has ever been in Tennessee and nationally, which is due to the availability of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

"We are very concerned about the changes at the federal level and how the impact could affect children," said O'Neal of President Donald Trump administration's efforts to repeal and replace the ACA.

Another area that has seen improvement is the number of teen births. In 2015, 31 births out of every 1,000 were to teen mothers, compared to 43 in 2010.

Rachel Schukson, executive director of A Step Ahead Chattanooga, an organization that provides women with long-term, reversible birth control methods, said that, although her organization primarily serves older teens and women in their 20s and 30s, she believes younger teens delaying sex, having access to effective birth control and better education has played a part in reducing pregnancies in younger teens.

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.

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