National 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Released
Georgia
Mired in Low Birthweight and Child Poverty, Combating Juvenile
Injustice
The
national 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks Georgia
40th in the nation for the overall well-being of children.
Georgia was ranked 41st in 2007. One in five children in
this state lives in poverty, and the rate of low-birthweight
babies, and the percentage of children having babies, are
still among the highest in America.
The
report, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, reveals
that despite improving on six of the 10 key indicators of
child health and well-being, Georgia ranks below the national
average on all 10-and in the bottom 10 states on five of
the indicators:
- 45th
in the percentage of children living in single-parent families
- 43rd
in the percentage of low-birthweight babies and the teen
birth rate
- 42nd
in the infant mortality rate
- 41st
in the percentage of high-school dropouts
"We're
alarmed about slipping in the percentage of babies born
at low birthweight," said Gaye Morris Smith, executive director
of Georgia Family Connection Partnership, the Georgia KIDS
COUNT grantee. "Low-birthweight is a primary predictor of
other indicators down the road."
The
number of babies born in Georgia weighing less than 5.5
pounds increased from 8.6 percent in 2000 to 9.5 percent
in 2005. Black infants (14.5 percent) were more likely to
be born at low birthweight than white infants (7.4 percent)
or Hispanic infants (6.1 percent). The national average
rate was 8.2 percent, the highest reported rate since 1968.
"When
so many babies are born at unhealthy weights, that reveals
something about lack of access and education in Georgia,"
said Smith. "Recent research points to the importance of
preconception health of women. Chronic issues produce a
domino effect, and low birthweight is a measure we can use
to evaluate the overall health of the community."
The
child poverty rate in Georgia increased by 11 percent between
2000 and 2006. The rate of child poverty exceeds 20 percent
in 114 of Georgia's 159 counties. Georgia ranks 36th in
the nation on this indicator.
The
most significant improvement for Georgia was in the percentage
of teens who are high school dropouts. The high-school dropout
rate for teens ages 16 to 19 improved by 44 percent, decreasing
from 16 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2006. However, Georgia
lags behind the national rate of 7 percent. The percentage
of teens not attending school and not working also decreased
by 36 percent, going from 14 percent in 2000 to 9 percent
in 2006.
The
state's highest national ranking (27th) is the child death
rate for children ages 1-14, which was 22 per 100,000 in
2005. Georgia also showed improvements in the infant mortality
rate (4 percent decrease), teen death rate (7 percent decrease),
and teen birth rate (16 percent decrease).
The
2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book also examines our nation's
juvenile justice systems, which are poised for a fundamental,
urgently needed transformation. Juvenile justice has suffered
glaring gaps in recent decades between what is known and
what is most often done. According to the Casey Foundation,
the result of this approach has been increased crime, needless
endangerment of young people, and billions in wasted taxpayer
dollars. Georgia's estimated daily count for detained and
committed youth in custody was 2,631 in 2006. The rate of
detained and committed youth ages 10-15 in custody that
same year-145 per 100,000-is higher than the nation's rate
of 125 per 100,000.
"The
code is written for adults, not children," said Bryan County
Juvenile Court Judge C. Jean Bolin. "Juveniles are not little
adults. Punitive measures don't work and our children are
too important to get lost in the juvenile justice system.
When families aren't equipped to provide guidance, structure,
boundaries, or protection for their children, it is left
up to the courts. The role of the juvenile court is to provide
these deprived children with supervision, rehabilitation,
restoration, and hope. Yet, if the juvenile code limits
the court to punishment, children are set up to fail."
The
good news is that knowledge about the causes and cures of
delinquency is vastly expanding. We're moving toward a more
effective, efficient, and just approach.
"In
Bryan County we know that effective community-based initiatives
and alternative programs can make a difference for unruly
youth," said Bolin. "Our diversion program engages schools,
churches, courts, the community-and the family-in making
juvenile justice decisions that will offer children an opportunity
to make good choices and see the consequences of their actions."
KIDS
COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort funded by
the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization
dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged
children in the United States. KIDS COUNT tracks the status
of children, provides a broad annual summary of state indicators
of child and family well-being, and monitors changes in
these indicators over time.
Download
the Georgia State Fact Sheet (Word
document)
Download
the 2008 KIDS COUNT Briefing (PowerPoint presentation)
View
the 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book (PDF)
View
the 2008 KIDS COUNT essay, "A Road Map for Juvenile Justice
Reform" (PDF)
SAVE THE DATES 2008 Georgia KIDS COUNT Tour
The
decisions we make today affect the growth and vitality of
Georgia's children and communities tomorrow
Georgia
Family Connection Partnership, the KIDS COUNT grantee in
Georgia, is hosting a series of community forums beginning
later this summer in nine locations statewide.
Georgia
KIDS COUNT provides current information on 45 measures of
child and family well-being to state and local decision-makers,
policymakers, and interested citizens. The data, tracked
over time, highlights trends and disparities and serves
as a resource to guide planning, budget, and policy decisions
that impact the future of Georgia's children, families,
and communities.
Come
to one of the Tour sites to receive tools and learn to understand
and interpret data. Explore best practices at work in communities,
and initiate dialog on how you can make a difference. Engage
in hands-on activities that calculate what it takes to make
improvements in your communities. And when you leave, take
home the 2008 Georgia KIDS COUNT Data Book to use as
a resource. You are invited to attend the 2008 Georgia KIDS
COUNT Tour site in a city nearest you:
Aug.
21 ATLANTA
Loudermilk Center |
Sep.
17 STATESBORO
Ogeechee Technical College |
Aug.
26 ROME
Forum Civic Center |
Oct.
9 MACON
Macon State College |
Aug.
28 GAINESVILLE
Gainesville State College |
Oct.
21 AMERICUS
South Georgia Technical College |
Sep.
10 TIFTON
University of Georgia Tifton Campus |
Oct.
23 AUGUSTA
Peter S. Knox Conference Center |
Sep.
11 WAYCROSS
Okefenokee Technical College |
|
For
more information and to register, visit gafcp.org
in July.
2008 Education Policy Forums
Beginning June 2 and running throughout the month, the
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the
Georgia School Boards Association are cosponsoring a series
of education policy forums for state legislative and local
school board candidates. Both incumbent and new candidates
are encouraged to attend.
Schedule of sites and dates follow:
| Thursday, June 12 |
12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
Central Georgia Technical
College, Macon |
| Monday, June 23 |
12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
North Metro Technical College,
Acworth |
| Tuesday, June 24 |
12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
Athens Technical College,
Athens |
| Wednesday, June 25 |
12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
Sandersville Technical
College, Sandersville |
| Thursday, June 26 |
12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. |
Savannah Technical College,
Savannah |
| Friday, June 27 |
8:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. |
Heart of Georgia Technical
College - Dublin |
Visit www.gpee.com or call 404-223-2280 for more information.
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Collaborative Webs Basic Training
Register now for this one-day, hands-on workshop that
covers the basic skills necessary for populating and maintaining
Collaborative Webs.
Workshop
Information
Date: June 24 or 25 (select one)
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Cost: Free
Lunch: Please bring your own lunch or see the restaurant
list in the registration packet. The lunch break will be
45 minutes.
Location: Macon State College Learning Support Center
Who
Should Attend?
Space is limited to 20 participants per day,
so preference will be given to new coordinators with a hire
date after April 1, 2007 or those who will maintain the
Web site for the new coordinators. Others may attend, space
permitting.
Registration
Information
Sonya Hope, Public Affairs and Policy assistant,
is the registrar for this training. To register for this
workshop, click
here to complete the registration form and return it
by June 2 to Sonya at sonya@gafcp.org.
What the Presidential Candidates Are Saying about Our
Kids
How do different Presidential candidates stand on issues
that affect America’s children? What do they see as government’s
role in supporting children and their families? The Child
and Family Policy Center recently launched a Web site to
inform Iowa voters on where presidential candidates stand
on child and family issues. While these policy issues are
critically important ones, the Web site notes, they often
can be overlooked in campaign literature, candidate forums
and debates, candidate issue statements, and press conferences.
The Web site provides a wealth of information about presidential
candidate positions on child policy issues. The Web site
is a one-stop source of information on child policy issues
and the 2008 election:
- Presidential candidates' responses to a survey exclusively
on child policy issues.
- Presidential candidate statements on child policy issues
on their own Web sites
- Presidential candidate responses to other organizational
surveys on child-related issues
- Information on key child policy issues facing the president
and Congress
- Information on how to make voices speaking for children
heard in the Iowa Caucuses
Go to www.itsaboutourkids.org.
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2008 Georgia Health Disparities Report
Community Conversations
Department of Community Health
Office of Health Improvement
Georgia Health Equity Initiative
What are the OHI Community Conversations?
The Community Conversations is a series of meetings that
will be held in various cities throughout Georgia to share
information and obtain feedback about the 2008 Health Disparities
Report that was released on April 18, 2008. This inaugural
report was developed and presented by the Georgia Department
of Community Health (DCH), Office of Health Improvement
and its Minority Health Advisory Council (MHAC).
The report, Health Disparities Report 2008: A County-Level
Look at Health Outcomes for Minorities in Georgia, is
an account of the health status of Georgia's minority populations
by county. It aims to identify inequality in health care
and outcomes, and to encourage action towards health equality
for all Georgia.
The report may be accessed at www.dch.georgia.gov.
Or you may email: gahealthequity@dch.ga.gov
to request a copy.
Who are we talking to?
- Local Government Leaders
- Health Care Providers/Professionals
- Community Organizations
- Chamber Officials
- Business Leaders
- Concerned Citizens
- Others
What are the objectives for the conversations?
- Does your county understand the issue
of health disparities and how it affects the community?
- What do people think about their county
scores and how they fared?
- Are there reasons for success or failures
in their various communities?
- In what ways can communities address
the reduction and elimination of health disparities? Are
they interested in forming local health equity coalitions?
- How can we engage non-healthcare advocates
on the issue?
Community Conversations locations and dates:
|
Cordele
June 3
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cordele Community Club
Albany
June 4
10:00 a.m. - 12:00p.m.
Phoebe NW
Waycross
June 5
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
TBD
Brunswick
June 6
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Southeast GA Health Systems
|
Fort Valley
June 11
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
FVS- The Pettigrew Center
Athens
June 12
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
TBD
Valdosta
June 19
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Gainesville
June 24
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
DHR-Thompson Bridge Office
Atlanta
TBD
Morehouse NCPC
|
For more information, visit http://aaddpolitical.blogspot.com/2008/05/community-conversations.html.
100 Best Communities for Young People
Bibb County Named One of the Nation’s 100 Best Communities
for Young People by America’s Promise Alliance America’s
Promise Alliance (the Alliance), the nation’s largest alliance
dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital
One, recently announced that Bibb County has been named
a winner of its 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People
(100 Best) competition.
The 100 Best competition recognizes the 100 outstanding
communities across America—large and small, rural and urban—that
are the best places for young people to live and grow up.
More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied for the
honor this year. The 100 winning communities span 37 states.
Bibb County was named as a 100 Best community in large
part because of the great progress the county has made on
behalf of its young people. We have incredible groups of
volunteers and nonprofit partners and collaborative groups
that are dedicated to improving the lives of children in
our community. These groups and countless volunteers work
everyday in our community. Groups such as Big Brothers,
Big Sisters and the Mentor’s Project are providing caring
adults for children form single-parent families. The United
Way of Central Georgia is working to improve the quality
of early childhood education in its community. Bibb County
Government has allocated millions in support of youth program
with more than $3 million going to a new library. These
are just a few examples of the real change agents in our
community,” said Gigi Rolfes, executive director of Volunteer
Macon.
All communities that completed entries in the 100 Best
competition were required to submit detailed information
to the Alliance on existing community programs and initiatives
that help deliver the Five Promises—resources identified
by America’s Promise as being critical to the development
of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places;
healthy start; effective education; and opportunities to
help others; to their young people. Applicants were also
asked to describe how different sectors of their community
come together to deliver the Five Promises and specific
efforts and programs developed to ensure that their young
people graduate from high school prepared for college and/or
the workforce.
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