| | |
|---|
|
The welfare of Connecticut's children was ranked 12th best in the country, according to the study by Kids Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In a 1990 survey, the private children's charity ranked Connecticut second best overall. In the new report, which uses data from 1996, Connecticut met or beat the national average in all 10 measurements _ child poverty, single-parent households, underemployment, teen delinquency, high-school dropouts, teen pregnancy, teen deaths, child deaths, infant mortality and low birth-weight babies. But the state has nevertheless lost ground nationally. "As you look at the pattern and you look across all 10 indicators, what's even more troubling is Connecticut's gotten demonstrably worse on half of them in a 10-year period," said Paul Gionfriddo, executive director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services, which runs local projects through the Casey Foundation. The study showed more Connecticut children are living in poverty, even though the state continues to have the highest per-capita income in the country. Between 1985 and 1996, the percentage of Connecticut children in poverty increased 42 percent, while the nation as a whole saw a 5 percent decrease. However, the study showed that 17 percent of Connecticut children are living in poverty, compared with 20 percent nationwide. Gionfriddo said the cause for the increase has bedeviled child advocates. Economic problems or the unemployment rate of past years cannot be the most significant cause of the increase, because neighboring states that went through similar bad times have not seen the same result. The cause of child poverty also is linked to a change in the state's economy from well-paying manufacturing jobs with benefits and overtime wages to lesser-paying service jobs that offer no benefits, said Janice Gruendel, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. "If you were making $20 an hour and now you're making $6 an hour, you and your children are going to be living in poverty," she said. Connecticut also lost ground on some factors that may be related to poverty. The percentage of single-parent families increased from 21 percent in 1985 to 27 percent in 1996 _ earning the state a rank of 27th in the country on the issue. Also, the percentage of children living with parents who do not have full-time, year-round jobs increased 2 percentage points in Connecticut while it declined nationwide. Rep. Mary Mushinsky, cochairwoman of the Legislature's Select Committee on Children, said single-parent families and a shortage of affordable housing are big factors in child poverty. A mother trying to raise children on her own, may be able to work only one minimum-wage job as she cares for her family and tries to get a better education, said Mushinsky, D-Wallingford. "One minimum-wage salary's not enough to pay for rent. Without subsidized rentals for a person like that, they're really stuck," she said. At the time of the study, an epidemic of crack and cocaine use took its toll on many families, she said. Connecticut ranked second best in the nation when it comes to high school dropouts, with 5 percent of teens dropping out compared with 10 percent nationwide. While the average dropout rate is very low, it is much higher in the cities and in poor communities, Gionfriddo said. Overall, four of the five other New England states ranked higher than Connecticut in the study. Rhode Island ranked 17th and New York ranked 33rd. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT |
Study: Connecticut ranks 12th nationally in well-being of children