Study: California 41st In Nation For Well-Being Of Children
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For a second consecutive year, California was among the lowest-ranking states in the nation for children's well-being, a study has found.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual "Kids Count" study ranked California 41st overall in children's well-being, as measured across 16 indicators of child well-being in the areas of education, health, family and community, and economic well-being.
Calif. 41st In Nation For Kids
KNX 1070's Jim Thornton and Diane Thompson spoke with Laura Speer, Associate Director for policy reform and data with the foundation.
"The state was 41st last year, however there were quite a few areas where there was improvement," Speer said. "Across the board in the educational domain there were improvements for California kids."
A greater number of young children are attending preschool and improvement in high school graduation rates. the study found. Speer also cited fourth grade reading levels and eighth grade math levels, up from five years ago.
Indicators in the area of health have also improved, Speer said.
California scored particularly poorly in the area of economic well-being, with the report finding that 23 percent of California children were living below the poverty line in 2011.
