The Newberg Graphic
| Report: Children suffering in state |
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| 2008 Report Card on Status of Children shows a D overall grade, failing grade in health |
| By Amanda Newman Oregon is still faltering in terms of child well-being: Children First for Oregon's annual Report Card on the Status of Children, released last month, issued the state's second consecutive "D." The overall rating reflected low marks across the board, from the C- received in both "family financial stability" and "youth development and education" to the failing grade dealt in the "health" category. The state received a D+ in "child welfare" and a D- in "early care and education." Modest improvements were made in several categories, particularly in child welfare, where the rate of child abuse and neglect declined for the first time in 10 years. Early care and education's D- might sound like a disappointment, but was an improvement from the F received last year. A Children First press release attributed the improvement directly to a $39 million investment, approved by the 2007 Legislature, to expand the Head Start Program. "A solid foundation for our state depends on strong families and communities," Robin Christian, executive director of Children First for Oregon, said in the release. "We've made smart investments for children over the past couple of years. We must continue this momentum for positive change, particularly as more and more families struggle to make ends meet." Other areas of improvement on the report card include teen pregnancy rates, which are at an 18-year low, and in increase in the amount of families able to afford child care. Negative trends include an increase in child poverty and infant mortality and the decline of eighth-grade reading and math scores. The failing grade in health was caused in part by the large number of uninsured children throughout the state: more than 100,000 children (12.6 percent of those under age 18) are without health coverage, a number Children First expects to increase due to the weak economy. "If we ever want Oregon to earn an A in child well-being, we've got to finish the job and cover all the kids," Christian said. With the release of the 2008 report card, Children First announced a new initiative, "Vision 2020: Moving Oregon to an A," which will focus on raising the state's grade in child well-being. The organization intends to accomplish that end by opposing ballot measures such as this November's 59 and 61, working to achieve widespread child health care coverage, and continuing to improve the child welfare system. For more information, visit www.cffo.org. |