Good and Bad News for Utah Children

None by KCPW

2006 Kids Count Survey

(KCPW News) In broad strokes, Utah's children are doing well compared to other states. The Beehive State is ranked 6th by a national Kids Count report that looks at ten indicators for child well-being, including teen pregnancy and drop out rates. But dig into the details, and Voices for Utah Children spokeswoman Terry Haven says some troubling trends emerge.

"Things like the immunization rate and the percentage of low-income families that spend their income on housing . . . those figures aren't used to rank states," says Haven. "So some of the things we worry about the most aren't used in the rankings."

Only 75-percent of children in Utah are fully-immunized, compared to 84-percent nationally. Infant death rates are down nationwide, but up in Utah. Nearly 100-thousand children in the state are living in poverty, which is a 30-percent increase since 2000.

"We're talking a lot of children in poverty," says Haven. "And it's also worrisome because that can affect the other indicators. For example, children who live in poverty are at risk for teen pregnancies, for dropping out of school, those kinds of things."

Utah's teen pregnancy and drop out rates are better than the national average. Yet, Haven worries rising poverty will reverse those trends and ultimately topple Utah from its traditionally strong top-ten ranking on the annual Kids Count report.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW