The state ranked 40th in 2005.
"The declining trends in child well-being are simply inexcusable," said Barbara Bradley, executive director of Action for Children North Carolina. "While the 1990s saw persistent, across-the-board gains for children, this report shows that our state is leveling off and in some cases regressing. North Carolina must realize that more children are growing up poor and facing serious challenges, but that cost-effective solutions -- like child care subsidies -- are critical supports for thousands of working families."
Much of North Carolina's drop in rank was due to a 16 percent worsening in child poverty, according to the report. North Carolina fell from 34th to 41st on this indicator.
Twenty-two percent of all North Carolina's children grew up poor in 2004, compared to 19 percent in 2000. This rate is even worse -- 25 percent -- for North Carolina's youngest children (under the age of six), the report said. Median income in North Carolina is 15 percent below the national median ($43,000 versus $50,800 in 2004, respectively). "Child poverty is a huge issue facing our state," Bradley said. "Broad statewide efforts must be made to combat this problem. Otherwise, our children, our families, and our future are at dire risk."
Early care and education is the focus of this year's KIDS COUNT Data Book. Special data analysis shows that the state's young child population (ages 3 to 5) is growing 57 percent faster than the general child population (11 percent vs. 7 percent, respectively).
More than 3 out of 5 (61 percent) of North Carolina's young children have both parents in the workforce. Part of the solution to ensure quality care for young children of working families is child care subsidies, a news release said. These subsidies, which defray a portion of child care costs, are an important tool to help low-income working parents afford safe, reliable child care.
Without subsidies, quality child care is out of reach for too many working parents, the report said. Currently, more than 30,000 children and families are on a waiting list to receive child care subsidies in North Carolina.
"The value of quality early care is clear," said Bill Jamieson, Chair of Action for Children's Board of Directors. "While North Carolina is nationally recognized for improvements in early care and education (through Smart Start and More at Four), the funding for quality programs has been strained and recurrent funds are insufficient to meet the on-going demand for child care subsidies. North Carolina must recognize the crisis the state is facing with regard to child care. We must take action."
Base-year data used in the KIDS COUNT Data Book is 2000, with current-year data being from 2003 or 2004. Only Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi ranked worse than North Carolina.
"Our state has a great deal of work ahead on behalf of its children and families," Jamieson said. "By working together to make concerted, thoughtful steps to improve each area of child well-being, North Carolina can become a better state to be in and raise a child. Our children deserve no less."
This is the 17th annual KIDS COUNT Data book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It examines key indi10
cators of child well-being across all 50 states and Washington D.C. The indicators include infant mortality, child and teen deaths, births to teens, teen dropouts and child poverty.
