A new study ranks North Carolina 34th in the nation in the overall well-being of its children. The 2012 Kids Count survey results were released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Laila Bell, Director of Research and Data for Action for Children North Carolina, says that the results are mixed. She says that North Carolina fares about average in education and health, but falls to the bottom third of states for economic well-being and family and community. Bell says that's cause for concern, because 25% of North Carolina's children now living in poverty.
"And we know that growing up in poverty is strongly associated with bad outcomes for children," she says. "So programs that help mitigate the negative impacts of living in poverty, those that help prevent infant mortality and low birth weight, or education programs like NC Pre-K and Smart Start, are very important because they help those children have access to the resources they need to successfully make the transition to adulthood."
North Carolina was among the top 20 states in two education-related indicators: fourth-grade reading proficiency and eighth-grade proficiency in math. Action for Children will use the survey results to help open discussions on the state and local level about smart investments today to improve the future for children in North Carolina.
To view the full report, visit the Kids Count website.
