OHIO State does better on kids' well-being

Progress, however, is threatened by the high cost of being poor.
Ohio has improved in seven of 10 areas regarded as barometers of child well-being, but despite the improvements, the state has dropped in national ranking from 22 to 28 since 1990, according to the 14th annual Kids Count Data Book.
The 2003 book, made public today, rates states according to criteria ranging from teen birth rate to child poverty.
Pennsylvania, rates 13th nationally.
The top five states, are Minnesota, New Hampshire, Utah, New Jersey and Iowa. The bottom five are New Mexico, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
"While we are encouraged by the progress in the quality of life for Ohio's children, a ranking of 28 tells us we have a lot more work to do in this state to ensure we leave no child behind," said Eileen Cooper Reed, director for the Children's Defense Fund-Ohio, a private, nonprofit research and advocacy organization.
"In both child-care and early education, Ohio is behind the national average of enrolled kids, and we are concerned state budget cuts will leave us even further behind if legislators aren't careful," Reed said.
Since 1990, 58,000 fewer Ohio children are living in poverty, but the state dropped in national rank in this category from 24 to 27. The percentage of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-around employment decreased by 4 percent; but again, Ohio dropped from 28 to 30 nationally.
Threats to progress
Despite positive trends nationally, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which produces the book, says progress is threatened by the "high cost of being poor."
While more than 2.5 million parents have moved from welfare to work in the past decade, these and other low-income working families have to pay more for basic goods, hindering their efforts to build financial security for their children.
"Children who grow up in poverty face tough odds. Data show they are more likely to drop out of school, become parents while still teenagers, and repeat the cycle of poverty," said William O'Hare, coordinator of the Casey Foundation's Kids Count project.