KIDS COUNT: STUDY SHOWS SOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR MISSOURI'S CHILDREN

Bootheel counties of Pemiscot, Mississippi and Dunklin remain the worst in Missouri for children for another year, with only St. Louis City ranking below in conditions for children.

Annually, the Kids Count report documents the status of children across the state by examining infant deaths, babies born to teen-age mothers, annual high school drop out rates and seven other factors that affect the quality of life and safety of Missouri's children. The report is a project of Citizen's for Missouri's Children.

Poverty, the report says, is the single biggest factor in determining the well-being of children.

And those Bootheel counties have demonstrated poverty. In Pemiscot county, 44.2 percent of school age children live in poverty. The unemployment rate is nearly 9 percent, and the per capita income is $14,371.

Pemiscot was ranked 114 of Missouri's 115 counties.

Mississippi County, ranked 113, has 39.2 percent of children living in poverty. The unemployment rate is 8.3 percent and the per capita income is $15,732.

Dunklin County, ranked 112, has 38 percent of children living in poverty. The unemployment rate is 6.8 percent and per capita income is $16,102.

On the other hand, Perry County was ranked 18. In Perry County, 12.1 percent of school age children live in poverty. The unemployment rate is 4.2 percent and the per capita income is $16,943. Perry County is the highest ranking Southeast Missouri county.

Cape Girardeau comes in at 25, and Bollinger County at 35, rounding out the top three from this region.

Elizabeth Griffin, executive director of Citizens for Missouri's Children, said, "The ranking of the counties in the book suggests that some counties are able to provide more resources and safety nets for children than others."

Poverty, she emphasized, is often a determining factor in a child's well-being.

"Those kids who are born into families with steady incomes and high wage jobs, and those who have stable support systems in their communities from families and other community organizations are better able to grow and develop into self-sufficient and productive adults."

Statewide trends show some improvements.

The infant mortality rate continues to improve, as it has over the past five years.

However, the number of infants who died before their first birthday in 1996 was 558, enough to fill 25 Missouri kindergarten classrooms in 2001.

The teen birth rate decreased 15 percent between 1992 and 1996.

The teen violent death rate improved for the first time after almost a decade of growth.

Several measures continue to worsen. The number of abused and neglected children who entered out-of-home care has increased 14 percent between 1992 and 1996. In 1996 alone, 6,600 children entered foster homes or facilities.

"The critical question is how to address what is happening in these broken families," said Susan Scribner, Kids Count project director.

"The problems are complex -- poverty, stress, substance abuse, mental illness, poor parenting skills, a history of being abused themselves," she said. "We can't afford to turn our backs on these families or their children."

Missouri's minority children continue to face higher risks than their Caucasian peers. For three measures, out-of-home placement, child abuse and teen violent deaths, the rates for minority children worsened, while the rates for Caucasian children improved. One notable change was the teen birth rate for minority teenaged girls, which decreased by 25 percent.

The same trend wasn't evident in Pemiscot County, which has the state's highest rate of births to teens, although the number shows improvement over last year.

The county also has the second highest rate of child abuse. The trend for child abuse is getting worse.

Perry County is ranked 11 in the state concerning child abuse, and the trend there is improving.

Cape Girardeau County saw improvements in the areas of free and reduced lunch enrollees, mothers without high school diplomas, low birth weight infants, infant mortality, probable cause child abuse, high school dropouts and births to teens.

However, child deaths, out-of-home placements and violent deaths for teens changed for the worse.

Scribner said that while the report provides good data, knowing the trends isn't enough.

"The best gift we can give Missouri's children at this holiday season is a commitment to make a difference in our own communities and to work for laws and policies that positively affect children and their families."

She suggests that communities hold town meetings and candidate forums to talk about issues relating to children. Individuals, she said, can write to legislators to express their concerns.

The entire report can be accessed on the Internet at www.umsl.edu~/(tilde)cmc/