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Missourinet

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You are here: Home / Archives for Annie E. Casey foundation

Report stresses importance of early childhood education

November 5, 2013 By Mike Lear

Authors of a report focused on the first 8 years in a child’s life say not enough Missouri children are in preschool. The latest Kids Count report also says nationally, not enough is spent on early childhood programs.

Kids CountAnnie E. Casey Foundation Associate Director for Policy Reform Advocacy, Laura Speer, says in Missouri, 63 percent of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds in low-income families are not in preschool.

“Fifty percent of those children overall in the state, between birth and 8, are living below 200-percent of the poverty level so they’re low-income families and we know that attending preschool can really make a huge difference for these children.”

Speer says programs that include visits to parents in the early years of a child’s life and that help pay for early childcare have been shown to have a good return on investment.

“Making sure that (parents) have help as they negotiate through the infant years, the preschool years and into kindergarten and the early years of elementary school can make a big difference in helping both the parent and the child transition through that period.”

Speer also advocates the implementation of developmental screenings for all children.

“There are a few states that have actually come pretty close with this in terms of making sure that everyone, especially those children who might be in low-income families … all get developmental screenings, either through their early childhood providers or through doctors, because that can identify places where intervention can be done quickly and relatively cost efficiently.”

Read “The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success” here.

Filed Under: Education, News Tagged With: Annie E. Casey foundation, Kids Count

Missouri drops one spot in annual evaluation of kids’ quality of life

June 25, 2013 By Mike Lear

An annual study comparing the 50 states based on quality of life for children shows Missouri losing ground slightly, overall. This year’s Kids Count report has Missouri slipping from 26 to 27.

Policy Director for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Laura Speer

Policy Director for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Laura Speer

Policy Director for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Laura Speer, says of areas Missouri lost ground in, most concerning is that 22 percent of children are living in households with incomes below the federal poverty line.

“[That is] about $22,000 for a family of four, and that’s in 2011 and it was an increase over 2005. So there continues to be difficulties for families. They really haven’t recovered with the economy.”

Missouri performs well in some health categories. Child and teen deaths per 100,000 are down from 2005, as well as the number of teens who abuse alcohol and drugs. Speer says a concerning factoid is that the number of low-birthweight babies born in 2010 was up from 2005 to more than 6,200, an increase of 8.2 percent.

“The reason why that’s troubling is at the national level we actually saw a slight decline in that indicator.” Speer says low-birthweight babies are more likely to have developmental challenges difficulties once they reach kindergarten.

The number of children that lack health insurance in Missouri has held steady since 2008 at about 95,000. Speer says the rest of the country has improved. Much debate this year in Missouri has focused on Medicaid expansion, but Speer says that hasn’t been the difference between Missouri and other states in that category.

“What we’re seeing here really is the expansion of the children’s health insurance program across the country as well as states where employers continue to provide health insurance for kids. There’s been better coverage across the country.”

Missouri moved up from 24 to 21 in education. Speer says the state showed improvement in all four areas that the Foundation monitors.

“The percent of children attending preschool, fourth graders reading, eighth grade math and high school graduation all went in a positive direction.”

See the 2013 Kids Count data book here, and see the Missouri profile hereĀ (pdf).

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Annie E. Casey foundation, Kids Count



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