Study indicates needs of Missouri's children are growing substantially

According to an annual report, the needs of Missouri's children are growing, especially in Dunklin County.

The Kids Count in Missouri Public Education Project, conducted by the Citizens for Missouri's Children (CMC) reported in their latest Kids Count in Missouri Data Book that children in the state are "facing increasing challenges brought on by higher levels of poverty, lack of affordable health care, and a lack of high-quality educational opportunities for all Missouri's children."

The report, which is produced through a collaborative effort between the CMC, the Children's Trust Fund, and more than 30 public and private organizations from across the state, records the status of children from all 114 counties in the state, as well as the city of St. Louis, Mo., and ranked Dunklin County as the next-to-worst county in the state. The worst ranking went to the city of St. Louis.

Saint Charles County, a St. Louis suburb, was ranked as the state's most kid-friendly area, based on a composite of all Kids Count measures.

For the two reports prior to the 2008 report, Dunklin County was ranked 113, just ahead of Pemiscot County.

"By reviewing annually the status of Missouri's children, we hope to educate the public about whether our children have the resources and supports needed to develop into healthy, well-rounded adults," said CMC Executive Director Scott Gee. "Together as a community we can work to develop policies to ensure that our state's children do count."

"The southeast region of the state, especially deep in the Bootheel, has continually scored poorly," said Bob Fulton, a Patton resident and member of the CMC Board of Directors. "The data shows that this region has major challenges in finding the necessary resources to address children's needs. But it is important to find ways to put the needs of our children first."

According to the report, the number of students enrolled in free and reduced lunches, the births to mothers without high school diplomas, the number of infants with low birth weights, the infant mortality rate, the out-of-home placement entries, the annual high school dropouts, the number of births to teens between the ages of 15-19, and the number of violent deaths for teens between the ages of 15-19 have all gotten worse in the last five years.

The only thing the report indicated Dunklin County has improved upon is the deaths in children between the ages of 1-14 and the number of child abuse and neglect reports.

The current report shows the percentage of children receiving food stamps in Dunklin County is 65.3 percent. Sixty-three percent are enrolled in MC+/Medicaid.

According to the report, 212,369 children currently live in poverty in the state. No current breakdown was given for Dunklin County.

The report uses 10 primary indicators of child well-being to assess how children in the state are faring. The latest report shows improvements in six categories for the entire state: Child abuse and neglect, violent teen deaths, child deaths, out-of-home placement, births to mothers without high school diplomas, and infant mortality.

The report says the state as a whole has declined in four categories, including: Student enrollment in free and reduced lunches, births to teens, annual high school dropouts, and low birth weight infants.

"The percent of students enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program is a strong indicator of a family's poverty status," Gee said. "We've also seen a 2.9 percent increase in the number of children receiving food stamps since 2003. As families struggle to make ends meet, it becomes harder for them to fulfill basic nutritional needs for their children, as well as to provide basic necessities such as health and dental care, quality child care and early education, and a safe and secure place to live."

The CMC hopes that by providing the information to the public, as well as the new interactive Web tool, located at www.mokids.org, the citizens of the state can work together to help the children.

"Together as a state we can work to develop policies to ensure that our children do count," Gee said.