Georgia continues to lag behind in child well-being

By Misty Williams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The number of Georgia kids living in poverty climbed to nearly 570,000 in recent years with the state ranking among the worst in the country for overall child well-being, a new study shows.

Despite improving in some areas, the Peach State remained at No. 42 for the third straight year in the 2011 Kids Count Data Book, which measures critical indicators of child well-being such as infant mortality rates and the number of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment.

Georgia lagged behind the national average on each of 10 key measures, according to the report by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Baltimore-based private charitable organization. The state ranked 46th in the country for low-birth-weight babies; 41st for children in single-parent homes and 42nd in infant mortality. Meanwhile, it’s childhood poverty rate jumped by 22 percent between 2000 and 2009.

Nationwide, the number of kids in poverty climbed to 20 percent -- essentially erasing the gains made in the 1990s, said Laura Speer, the foundation’s associate director of policy reform and data.

“Basically, we’re back to where we started,” Speer said.

While New Hampshire topped the list, Mississippi ranked the worst with other Southern states -- including South Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana -- joining Georgia in the bottom 10.

The recession made things far worse, but it isn’t to blame for all of Georgia’s problems, said Gaye Smith, executive director of the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. The state has been among the 10 worst states almost every year since the annual report started two decades ago, Smith said.

Georgia has made progress in some areas -- rising to 38th in the country for teen birth rates, Smith said. The state’s school drop-out rate has also fallen by more than 50 percent since 2000, she said.

Still, Georgia hasn’t improved as quickly as other states, she said. A study of persistent poverty by the University of Georgia identified 240 counties in the South-- 91 of those in Georgia -- that had three generations of poverty, Smith said.

“That was a huge eye opener,” she said. “We have deep-rooted poverty that has lasted for generations, and that takes a lot to turn around.”

A rise in low-birth-weight babies in the last couple of years has been particularly concerning, Smith said.

The tough economy may have contributed to the problem by limiting access to prenatal care, said John Carter, a clinical assistant professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Living in poverty can also lead to stress and poor nutrition for expecting moms, Carter said.

Cuts to public health outreach programs may also have contributed to the increase, said Smith, whose organization is working with health officials on ways to tackle the problem.

Though the downturn has forced states to cut critical programs, Smith said it could also spur people to get more creative and maximize resources.

“I’m hopeful,” she said.