For the complete Montana KidsCount data book, go to www.montanakidscount.org
Daphne Herling, director of Montana Kids Count, a yearly statistical analysis of Montana children conducted by the University of Montana, said Friday she is concerned how recent gains for Montana's poor children will hold up as the nation enters tougher economic times.
“It is worrisome to think about how that trend will go given the economic recession many economists say we're in,” she said. “We need to be mindful that we're watching these indicators and we don't let some (children) slip back.”
Montana Kids Count, a project funded by the private Annie E. Casey Foundation and run out of UM's School of Business Administration, released its annual “data book” this week. It looks at a wide variety of statistics regarding Montana children. Using information from 2007, the latest available, the report shows:
The number of children in some kind of state custody has fallen 17 percent between 2006 and 2007.
The percentage of children living in moderate to severe poverty fell 7 points from 2000 to 2007, down from 49 percent seven years ago.
American Indian women are significantly less likely to seek prenatal care early in their pregnancies than other Montana ethnic groups, and less likely to have adequate prenatal care throughout their pregnancies. Yet birth outcomes among Montana's American Indian mothers are very similar to those of mothers of other ethnic groups, suggesting Indian families and communities are able to compensate for the lack of medical care in expecting women.
Finally, reform of the Montana juvenile justice system begun in 2005 has reaped results: The number of Montana child offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections or placed in some kind of out-of-home disciplinary placement has fallen since 2005.
But Herling said there are also some warning signs: The number of children in extreme poverty has almost doubled since 2000, up to 7 percent in 2007 from 4 percent in 2000.
Also, the percentage of children classified as “fully vaccinated” by age 2 has fallen by double digits in the last seven years, down to 81 percent in 2007 compared with 92 percent in 2000.
Herling said some of that drop can be attributed to additional vaccinations added to the definition of “fully vaccinated,” including a new regimen for hepatitis. Some parents are also choosing to stagger out their child's vaccination schedule, she said. Those children will likely be “fully vaccinated” at some point, she said, but not by their second birthdays. Finally, some religious communities do not vaccinate their children until the children enter public education.
The figures also show what many young parents already know: Montana, like the nation, is in the midst of a “baby boom.” While the number of children overall has fallen since 2000, the number of children under age 5 has gone up by almost 5,000.
That figure makes it more difficult for parents of all income levels to find quality child care, Herling said.
The relatively large percentage of children living in moderate to severe poverty will likely have consequences for the state's future, Herling said, and its economic well-being.
“It means that many of them will not be able to access higher education,” she said, “which has ramifications for their ability to earn and the types of jobs they will be qualified for. It means that many of them will have to leave the state and it means that the state's economy as a whole would probably suffer.”
On Missoulian.com
To read the complete Montana KidsCount data book, go to this story on Missoulian.com.
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