TOPEKA
– Today, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2017 KIDS COUNT
Data Book. The new report
shows that of the 16 child well-being indicators analyzed, Kansas has
improved in 12 key areas, among them, childhood poverty. The report also
demonstrates that more parents are working.
“Everyone
agrees that our children deserve a path out of poverty, and that’s why
I’m heartened that childhood poverty has decreased in Kansas every year
since 2012, said Governor
Sam Brownback. “Working to make Kansas the best state in America to
raise a family, we created programs like the Kansas Reading Roadmap to
help at-risk students learn to read, and began welfare-to-work reforms
to encourage the dignity of work.”
According to the report, Kansas ranks 15th overall in the country, a significant improvement from last year’s overall ranking of 17th
in the nation. The
state ranks seventh in the nation for economic well-being. Kansas
improved in all four of the indicators that are analyzed by the
foundation when compositing childhood well-being.
The
four indicators that are analyzed include the number of children in
poverty, children whose parents lack secure employment, children living
in households with a high housing
cost burden and teens not in school and not working. Four-thousand
fewer Kansas kids are living in poverty compared to last year’s report.
The
Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) assists low-income
families through a wide range of programs and services. In recent years,
with legislation such as the
Kansas HOPE Act, programs such as food, cash and child care assistance
have increasingly incentivized employment over dependence.
“We
hear success stories every day from clients who walk through our doors
feeling helpless, but with encouragement, employment training and
skills-building instruction, they
are obtaining careers to support their families,” said DCF Secretary
Phyllis Gilmore.
Since January 2011, 42,231 new employments have been reported among cash assistance clients.
The
other area in which Kansas excelled in all four indicators was the
Child Health ranking. The 2017 report revealed a 3 percent increase in
the number of children with health
insurance and a 3 percent decrease in the number of teens who abuse
alcohol and drugs. Also, the number of child and teen deaths per every
100,000 in Kansas dropped from 33 to 26.
In
addition, the number of Kansas children in single-parent families
decreased, while the number of high school graduates graduating on time
increased. With the exception of
Nebraska, no other neighboring state ranked as high as Kansas.
Compared to the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Kansas has improved in nearly every area assessed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
DCF
serves as the State social service agency, providing oversight for the
well-being of children and their families. DCF focuses on child
protection and strengthening families
by working to reduce the number of children in State care, providing
needed services and a safety net for the most vulnerable Kansans.
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