A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that California has over 2 million children (ages 0- 17) living in poverty.

According to 2010 estimates, 22% of the child population in California lives in poverty, up from 19.9% in 2009. In 2010, California alone accounted for 12.7% of all children in poverty in the United States.

Data also indicate racial and ethnic disparities in poverty persist in California. Data show that 32.2% of Black children and 30.2% of Hispanic children live in poverty, as compared to 19.9% of white children and 12.4% of Asian children.

Kidsdata has relevant data, including:

• The percentage of children in poverty:
  • by City and County (250,000+ Residents) and by Race/Ethnicity, as single-year estimates
  • by City, School District, and County (20,000+ Residents) and by Race/Ethnicity, as 3-year estimates
  • by City, School District, and County (10,000+ Residents) and by Race/Ethnicity, as 5-year estimates
  • by Legislative District (10,000+ Residents) and by Race/Ethnicity, as 5-year estimates
• The amount of money it takes for a family to be self-sufficient, by county and family composition
• The percentage of students eligible to receive free or reduced price meals, a proxy measure of child poverty.
• Ratings of the adequacy of family income to meet basic needs

Posted by kidsdata.org

It cost California families on average $11,276 to enroll an infant in a licensed child care center in 2009; in some Bay Area counties, these average annual costs totaled $15,000 or more.

What’s the impact of those costs on a family budget? It’s heavy for many families, as $11,276 comes to about 15% of median family income in California ($67,038 in ’09), which also must cover other essentials such as housing, food, medical expenses and transportation.

Lower-income families feel the tightest pinch; $11,276 is more than half the income for a family that lives below the federal poverty level, which was $21,756 for a family of four in 2009. According to 2009 data, about 20% of California children lived in families below the federal poverty level, up from 17% in ’07.

These days, too, less governmental assistance is available in the form of subsidies or other programs. According to a June analysis from the California Budget Project, state budget cuts could translate to an estimated 60,000 children statewide losing access to child care and preschool due to cuts in funding for several programs and reductions in the income eligibility for child care services.

Just yesterday, the Sacramento Bee reported that if state revenue forecasts released this week are $1 billion below this summer’s budget assumptions, child care funding, among other programs, will be slashed by $23 million, on top of the $412 million in child care reductions from this summer.

More information on policy implications related to child care are available on kidsdata.org.

Posted by kidsdata.org

What’s the most common cause of death for children and youth in California? Suicide? Cancer? Homicide? It’s actually unintentional injuries – accidents. Among all the leading causes of death, accidents consistently are the top cause of death for California children and youth ages 1-24 – and unintentional injury death rates are highest for 15-to 24-year-olds.

Over the past decade, from 2000 to 2009, 17,430 of California’s children and youth ages 1–24 have died as a result of accidents.

It’s not just a California issue, of course. In the U.S., the leading cause of death for children/youth also is unintentional injury. More specifically, drowning is the national leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1-4, but among older children and youth (those ages 5-24), it is being an occupant in a motor vehicle crash. Homicide, suicide, cancer, heart disease, and congenital abnormalities also make up the leading causes of death for 1- to 24-year-olds.

The newly updated child death data on kidsdata.org point to some encouraging signs. The unintentional injury death rate declined from ’96-’98 to ’07-’09 for child/youth age groups in the state, except for 20-to 24-year-olds. But according to the most recent data, accidents remain the leading cause of death for children/youth. In 2009 alone, nearly 1,400 California children and youth ages 1-24 died as a result of accidents, a number that highlights the need for continued public education and policies to reduce preventable deaths. For more information on what can be done, see the California Injury Prevention Network and SafeKids USA. Kidsdata.org also offers Policy Implications related to child deaths overall, as well as listings of websites and key reports.

Posted by kidsdata.org

At Kidsdata, we have been fascinated with Forbes’ method of displaying migration data in the United States.

Utilizing data from IRS returns, the map charts increases in migration in red and decreases in migration in blue.

Interested in seeing how counties compare in California? Click around to see the differences from rural counties, where people often migrate to surrounding counties and often no further, to suburban/urban counties, where people often migrate around the country.

Posted by kidsdata.org

A few weeks ago, Anna McGarrigle, a student at Palo Alto High School, came to our foundation’s office to inquire about data related to local child poverty. Her resulting opinion piece for the high school’s Campanile newspaper does a nice job of framing this issue for her fellow Silicon Valley students. Her article is a good example, too, of how data can be used to promote action, in this case encouraging students to volunteer to help area families that are less fortunate.

We thought others would appreciate seeing what Anna wrote:

Palo Alto Should Use Large Resources to Fight Poverty

Posted by Andy Krackov

Before this month draws to a close, we wanted to be sure to note that National Prematurity Awareness Month is in November. This month presents an opportunity to raise awareness of preterm births and the health complications associated with low birthweight and infant prematurity. According to the March of Dimes, there are nearly 500,000 babies born preterm each year in the U.S. These infants are at an increased risk of long-term health disabilities, such as mental retardation, chronic respiratory problems, cerebral palsy, childhood psychiatric disorders, hearing and vision impairments, and autism.

About 12% of pregnancies in the United States result in preterm birth, and 10% of infants in California were born prematurely in 2009, according to data just published on kidsdata.org.
See the percentage of infants born preterm in your county>>

Prematurity Awareness Month highlights not only the risks to preterm infants, but also the healthy practices mothers-to-be can adopt in order to give their babies the best possible chance of reaching full-term gestation. Receiving proper prenatal care and not smoking are two key precautions pregnant women are urged to take.

Learn more low birthweight and preterm births in California>>

Posted by kidsdata.org

We took notice of a recent e-mail from Jean Ross, the executive director at the California Budget Project (CBP), in which she gave thanks to all the people and resources involved in CBP’s work, and we thought it was a good time to send out a message to our readers, too.

We are thankful for:

• The dozens of data sources with whom we work to obtain vital data about the health and well being of children

• The national movement to make data from government sources even more accessible to a broader range of audiences
• Efforts in communities statewide to use data to better understand children’s health issues
• Those of you across the state who spread the word about the data our foundation makes available through kidsdata

• Great ideas on how to improve kidsdata that we hear as we travel around the state.

• Growing public interest in displaying data in engaging ways

Most importantly, we want to thank the nonprofits, research organizations, elected officials, media, parents, advocates, and concerned citizens across the state who help advance the health and well being of California’s children.

Happy Thanksgiving from our team to your home!

Posted by kidsdata.org

In the spirit of family time defined by Thanksgiving, we are providing some data from our foundation’s 2010 California Parent Survey that relate to this holiday season.

Family Time

According to this survey, 71% of children have parents who report that they are satisfied with the amount of time they spend with their family. Parents of 18% believe that they do not have enough time with their family, and parents of 11% think they have too much family time.

Children in single-parent families, however, are significantly more likely to have parents who report that their family does not have enough time together (25%). Similarly, children with household incomes above $100,000 also are more likely to have parents who report feeling they do not spend enough time with their family (23-29%).

See more parent survey key findings>>

Adequacy of Income to Meet Needs

This same survey also found that about one-quarter of California children have parents who believe their family income is not adequate to meet basic needs, such as food, clothing and shelter. About half of children (52%) had adequate household incomes, and 21% had more than enough family income, according to parents.

During this holiday season, it is important to recognize, in particular, the 9% of California children whose parents report that their income is “not nearly enough” to meet their family’s basic needs and to note, too, the racial/ethnic disparities that exist in parent responses.
See more data on family income and poverty>>

Posted by kidsdata.org

Is life ever the same for families and friends following a loved one’s suicide?

Suicide is a tragic event whose effects ripple out and linger on as surviving friends and family members are left to sort out the confusion and pain.

The National Survivors of Suicide Day, which takes place tomorrow, Nov. 19, is a day to recognize the bereavement of families in the wake of a permanent loss of a loved one. Through remembrance and reflection, the day aims to help communities come together to cope with and heal from grief.

Data recently posted to Kidsdata.org show that California’s youth suicide rate has declined to its lowest level in more than 10 years. The rate, which was 6.6 suicides in ’07-’09 per 100,000 youth ages 15-24, was about 30% lower than the rate of 9.4 in ’95-’97. In 2009, there were 407 suicides among 5-24-year-olds in California, which is fairly consistent with previous years.

Kidsdata.org’s indicators on youth suicide and self-inflicted injury include rates of suicide by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as self-inflicted injury hospitalization rates. See a printable fact-sheet of suicide and self-inflicted injury data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers information on youth suicide, attempted suicide, and suicide prevention. More >>

Posted by kidsdata.org

Today, November 17th, is the American Cancer Society‘s Great National Smokeout.

Related to this event, self-reported data are available by school district on youth who smoke cigarettes, as are data on children who are affected by second-hand smoke.

As you may know, smoking cigarettes is the primary cause of preventable death in the United States. It causes cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness. Take action today by finding resources for you – and for youth across California – on smoking cessation.

Also, visit our Research & Links section for reports and information related to Alcohol, Tobacco, and other drugs.

Posted by kidsdata.org