Thursday, July 23, 2015

California ranks 38th in kids' well-being : : KIDS COUNT 2015

California ranks 38th in kids' well-being
Daily Democrat: 7.21.2015 by Sharon Noguchi

Parents struggling to earn a living, the effects of poverty and astronomical housing costs all drag down California's children to the point that an annual national survey ranks the Golden State 38th in the nation in overall child well-being.

And, the benefits of the economic resurgence aren't evenly filtering down, leaving the state's children 49th in the nation in economic well-being, according to the 2015 Kids Count Profile released late Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

"That's really alarming for the future of our state," said Jessica Mindnich, director of research for the Oakland-based advocacy group Children Now, which analyzed California data for the survey.

Nearly one in four children, or 23 percent, lives in poverty. And the toll may be even higher in Silicon Valley. Even three minimum-wage jobs together would fall $10,000 short of what it takes to support a family of three in the valley, said Dana Bunnett, director of the San Jose-based advocacy group Kids In Common.
California's ranking
-- 38: overall among all states
-- 49: in economic well-being
-- 38: in education
-- 14: in health
-- 42: in family and community

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