Kern County has earned some mixed results when it comes to children’s welfare. That’s according to a new report released Tuesday by Children Now, a nationwide child advocacy group.
The report ranks 28 different indicators of children’s well-being, ranging from the care of newborns to school performance.
According to the report, Kern County ranks in the bottom third of performance on 14 different indicators, the middle third on ten indicators and the top third in four indicators that measure children’s well-being.
Out of the worst indicators, 11% of children ages zero to three experience recurring neglect or abuse. 10% of kids do not have a usual source of health care. 37% of kids are not at a healthy weight. And 27% of 12th graders do not graduate on time.
The report also highlights the stark differences in children’s welfare from low income rural areas compared to high income urban areas.
Among the best ranking counties were Marin, Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties. Among the worst were Imperial, Glenn and Kern Counties.
In a touch of good news, Kern County is improving on 13 of the 28 indicators.
Some of the best improvements include 7th graders meeting or exceeding state math standards improved by 83%. 3rd graders reading at or above grade level improved by 37%. And children living close to grocery stores and farmer’s markets improved by 91%.
To see the scorecard results,
http://scorecard.childrennow.org/2012/
