MAKING KIDS COUNT

Surveys, studies and rankings bombard the American public. The topics are as wide-ranging as the growing numbers of people who poll for a living.

The abundance of polls has caused most of us to merely take the findings and comparisons with a grain of salt. Of course when the findings are favorable, we are more apt to take notice. Such was the case with the second "Kids Count of Missouri" report that was released a wee ago.

The report ranked counties on the basis of the best place for children to the worst. One was the best ranking, 115 the worst. Four area counties found themselves in the top 25 in terms of children's well-being. Bollinger County ranked 19th in the state; Stoddard finished 22nd, followed by Ste. Genevieve, 23, and Perry County, 25.

A number of factors are measured in the rankings, including the unemployment rate, median income, child populations, minority children and one-parent families.

Bollinger County should feel proud that it earned such a high ranking. Its 2,861 children account for 26 percent of the population. It is an admirable distinction.

Several poverty-stricken counties of Southeast Missouri found themselves at the bottom of the rankings, including New Madrid County (106), Dunklin County (112), Mississippi County (113) and Pemiscot County (114). Rounding out the bottom of the list was the city of St. Louis at 115.

But let's put the rankings in perspective. Many fine families with wonderful children come from these Southeast Missouri counties near the bottom of these rankings. That is the problem with statistics: The human factor is often overlooked.

Cape Girardeau County finished 73rd in the rankings. That isn't great, nor is it awful.

It ia best not to let these surveys degenerate into a finger-pointing match of "I'm better than you." Instead, such reports can inform about statewide trends. In its overall findings, the report found small, but important, victories for Missouri's children.

-- The state's infant mortality rate has dropped 24.3 percent since 1986. That's a significant number.

-- The percent of births to single teen-agers has decreased 21.9 percent since 1990. That number reflects a lot of hard work and education by hundreds of agencies statewide.

But the report sounds some statewide alarms as well, especially in the area of child safety in the home and community.

-- Child abuse and neglect have increased 15.1 percent since 1990.

-- Violent teen deaths have increased 11 percent.

-- And greater numbers of teen-agers are dropping out of school. The high school completion rate is 76.9 percent.

These are disheartening trends. But they are real numbers that can be combated by tangible programs and services.

Other interesting statistics from the report:

-- There are 1.4 million children in Missouri, which accounts for 25.8 percent of the population.

-- About 19.5 percent of children are in one-parent families.

-- Some 17.4 percent of children live in poverty.

The executive director of Citizens for Missouri's Children, Beth Griffin, calls the report a compass pointing to specific directions that Missouri needs to go to invest its energies and resources to improve the lives of children.

Her point is well taken. Legislators and government officials should consider these and other report findings as they work to improve conditions for children. But the bureaucrats can't do it alone. Every Missourian has a stake in the future of the state's children. A helping, caring hand in the local communities can make all the difference in terms of lasting change.