“Examining the Critical Issues for Children and Families in North Dakota” Helen Danielson,...

“Examining the Critical Issues for Children and Families in North Dakota”

Helen Danielson, Coordinator North Dakota KIDS COUNT!

October 14, 2003 Fargo, ND

Overview

Background– Annie E. Casey Foundation and North Dakota

KIDS COUNT!

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota– Overview of North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Website

and Fact Book• Six Indicators

Rural Initiatives Conclusion

“CHILDREN do better when their families are STRONG…And families do better when they

live in communities…that help them to SUCCEED.”

Annie E. Casey Foundation and North Dakota KIDS COUNT!

Annie E. Casey Foundation and North Dakota KIDS COUNT!

The North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book is available online at www.ndkidscount.org.

Annie E. Casey Foundation and the national KIDS COUNT program

The national KIDS COUNT Data Book is available online at www.aecf.org.

North Dakota ranks 7th in overall child well-being!

Annie E. Casey Foundation and North Dakota KIDS COUNT!

Three premises are essential to successful family outcomes:

1. Creating the opportunity to earn a decent living and building assets.

2. Building close ties with family, neighbors, kin, faith communities, and civic groups.

3. Having reliable services close to home.

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota

Currently, North Dakota KIDS COUNT! collects and reports county-specific data for six indicators.

In addition, trend-line data at the state, regional, and county level are available.

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota

The North Dakota KIDS COUNT! web page and 2003 Fact Book are organized into the following six themes:

1. Population

2. Family Composition

3. Economic Condition

4. Child Care

5. Education

6. Children At-Risk

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Population

“Children are all foreigners”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

(1803-1882)

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Population

Urban and Rural Population Distribution in North Dakota: 1900 to 2000

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Pop

ulat

ion

Urban

Rural

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Family Composition

“A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men,

women, an occasional animal, and the common

cold.”

-Ogden Nash(1902 - 1971)

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Family Composition

Percent of Women With Children Ages 0 to 17 Who Are in the Labor Force: 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1970 1980 1990 2000

North Dakota

United States

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Economic Condition

“North Dakota continues to have one of the highest

multiple job holding rates in the nation.”

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Economic Condition North Dakota continues to have one of the highest multiple

job holding rates in the nation. Indicators of economic condition as reported by North Dakota

KIDS COUNT! include, but are not limited to:

1. Children living in poverty

2. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid recipients

3. Free and reduced price lunches

4. Eligible food stamp recipients

5. Median family income

6. WIC Program participants (Women, Infants, and Children)

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Child Care

“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From

this almost mystic affirmation there comes

what may seem a strange conclusion: that education

must start from birth.”

-Maria Montessori(1870 - 1952)

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Child Care

Licensed Child Care Capacity as a Percent of Children Ages 0 to 13 in North Dakota: 2001

Cass

Dunn

Ward

Grant

McLean

McKenzie

MortonStark

Stutsman

Williams

Wells

Barnes

Slope

Kidder

Walsh

McHenryMountrail

Sioux

Benson

Divide

Burleigh

Burke Cavalier

Emmons

Bottineau

PierceRamsey

Richland

Logan

Dickey

Traill

Mercer

Billings

Nelson

Adams

TownerRolette

Bowman

Pembina

LaMoure

Eddy

Hettinger

Steele

Oliver

Grand Forks

Sargent

Sheridan

Renville

Ransom

GriggsFoster

McIntosh

GoldenValley

Less than 15%15% to 19.9%20% or more

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Child Care

Licensed Child Care Capacity as a Percent of All Children Ages 0 to 13 in North Dakota: 1998 to 2002

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Education

“Students learn what they care

about, from people they care about and

who, they know, care about them…”

-Barbara Harrell Carson, 1996, Thirty Years of Stories

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Education

Emotionally Disturbed Children as a Percent of Total Special Education Enrollment in North Dakota: 1993 to 2001

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Children At-Risk

“Children have more need of models than

critics.”

-Joseph Joubert(1754 – 1824)

Child and Family Well-Being in North Dakota:

Children At-Risk

Percent of Teens Ages 16 to 19 Not Enrolled in School, Not High School Graduates, and Not in the Labor Force: 1980, 1990, and 2000

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

1980 1990 2000

North Dakota

United States

Rural Initiatives

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has recognized a “rural disparity” among data.

– A partnership between Kids Count organizations in South Dakota, Nebraska, and North Dakota was formed as a result.

Rural Initiatives

A report titled “A Rural Road: Exploring Economic Opportunity, Social Networks, Services, and Supports that Affect Rural Families” was released in December of 2001.

– This report is available online at www.ndkidscount.org.

Rural Initiatives

The three kinds of connections identified as most critical include:

1. Economic Opportunity (e.g., jobs, wages, and cost-of-living)

2. Social Networks (e.g., churches, schools, and recreation)

3. Services and Supports (e.g., medical, child care, and shopping)

Conclusion

And why do KIDS matter?

OUR CHILDREN.OUR FUTURE.

OUR PLAN.

A lasting thought…

“CHILDREN do better when their families are STRONG…And families do better when they

live in communities…that help them to SUCCEED.”

Contact Information:

Helen Danielson, CoordinatorHelen Danielson, Coordinator

North Dakota KIDS COUNT!North Dakota KIDS COUNT!

P.O. Box 5636P.O. Box 5636

Fargo, ND 58105Fargo, ND 58105

Phone: (701) 231-5931Phone: (701) 231-5931

FAX: (701) 231-9730FAX: (701) 231-9730

Email: ndkidscount@yahoo.com

Webpage: www.ndkidscount.org