Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
California improves in children's health but slips to 49th in financial security
Listen
• 0:50
File photo: The latest KIDS COUNT report ranks California second to last among states when it comes to the economic well-being of its children.
(
Deepa Fernandes/KPCC
)
The annual KIDS COUNT report on the welfare of the country's children tells a mixed story of how California is faring in providing for its kids.
Looking at all measures, the report gives California a relatively low ranking of 38th among 50 states for child well-being, taking into account measures in such areas as health, education and poverty.
The state improved in its health ranking, moving to 14th from 26th place, in part because of the expansion of Medi-Cal under the Affordable Care Act, according to the report.
But California ranked next to last — 49th out of the 50 states — for economic well-being as measured by children in poverty, parents with secure employment, high housing costs and teens not in school and unemployed. The state placed 46th in that category two years ago and 48th last year.
Support for LAist comes from
California's latest near-bottom ranking is troubling, said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, the Oakland-based nonpartisan research and policy organization serving as the umbrella group for children's advocates.
“We have more children living in poverty, and more parents lacking secure employment than we did in 2008,” said Lempert in a news release. There are 2.1 million children living in poverty, and that number has grown by 5 percent since 2008, the start of the recession, the report stated.
As one of the wealthiest states in the country, California “can and should aim to be number one in supporting kids and families,” Lempert said.
According to Children Now, the economic recovery “sidestepped communities of color, leaving African American and Latino children particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of poverty, including diminished school performance and poor health conditions.”
In the area of education, California saw the percentage of children not in preschool grow to 4.4 million in the years 2011 to 2013. It showed improvement in 4th-grade reading proficiency, 8th-grade math proficiency and high school graduation measures.
The group said to improve its ranking in health and other critical areas, California needs to support and expand quality programs that help children thrive.
KIDS COUNT - California and U.S. Profiles
Support for LAist comes from
Source: KIDS COUNT Data Book, Annie E. Casey Foundation
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist