Posted: 6/20/06
Children's issues concern advocary advocacy group.
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
How are children faring in Houston County?
There are a lot of answers to that broad question, but the news isnít good, according to the Childrenís Defense Fund (CDF).
Three CDF staff members from Minnesota came to Caledonia on June 9 to present a ìKids Count Coffeeî at the Four Seasons Community Center.
They spoke to about 15 local people, most of them Head Start and Early Childhood Family Education teachers.
Minnesota Kids Count provides county-by-county data on the well-being of Minnesotaís children and families.
Statewide, the statistics are bleak. Andi Egbert, CDF resource director, laid out many of them during a 45-minute discussion.
Families are working harder than ever and using a greater share of their income to provide basic needs, Egbert said.
Ten percent of Minnesota children under age six live below the poverty level, which is $20,000 for a family of four, she said.
The lack of health insurance is another big worry. ìWe certainly see weíre going in the wrong direction,î Egbert said. For example, there was an 81 percent increase in the number of uninsured children between 2001 and 2004, she stated.
That comes at a crucial period of accelerated brain growth, immunizations, and the need for well-child checkups, she added.
An estimated 68,000 Minnesota children are without health care coverage.
Egbert and several people in attendance also lamented the child care situation. Karen Meier-Binde, Houston County Human Services supervisor, said foster care families canít participate in Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program. ìWe donít pay our child care providers nearly enough,î Meier-Binde added.
When families canít afford child care, the quality of that care may suffer, said Kelly Paino, the Houston County Early Childhood Initiative coordinator for the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
Parents sometimes drop child care for financial reasons, Sharon Ropes, the state president of the Minnesota Parent Teacherís Association, said. The PTA works with schools to provide before-school and after-school care programs, Ropes said.
Regarding Houston County, Egbert said there is a lot to be proud of. The Kids County Minnesota summary states that the county has a very low birth rate and lower-than-average rate of arrests for serious crimes.
Meier-Binde questioned the birth rates statistics, which state that four children were born to teen mothers in 2004. Meier- Binde said she has knowledge of more cases than that. Egbert said itís possible that people are missed.
Meier-Binde also disagreed with the children abused or neglected figure of seven. Social services has had reporting problems in that area, she said. Egbert agreed with that, and called the figure a moving target.
Paino, who helped organize the event, said she thought the program was very informative. She called the statistics somewhat amazing, especially that there are 1,100 child care providers who quitting and 5,000 families on waiting lists for child care assistance in the state.
ìI was pleased with the turnout, but always wish we could have even more people who are outside of the early childhood spectrum, as this affects all of us,î Paino told The Argus.
About Kids Count
Minnesota Kids Count releases periodic reports and an annual data book to provide a statistical profile of Minnesotaís children and suggestions for action on their behalf.
Copies of the 2006 data book, The Wonder Years: Early Childhood in Minnesota, are available on line at www.cdf-mn.org/kidscount.htm. Hard copies can be obtained by calling 651-227-6121.
The book examines the health, safety, economic security, and education of Minnesotaís young children using more than 15 national and state-level data sources. The book also provides an updated county-by-county profile of how Minnesotaís children under age 18 are doing using 10 data indicators. Additional information is provided about how each area affects childrenís lives, as well as demographics, data sources, and resources to learn more.
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