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
