Georgia’s ranking slips in Kids Count report

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It’s tough being a child in Georgia.

A new report by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Georgia is slipping when it comes to looking after its young. The state’s overall ranking fell from 40th to 42nd, according to the 2009 Kids Count Data Book, which gives a national and state-by-state glance at how well children are faring. New Hampshire tops the list, with Louisiana and Mississippi in the bottom two spots.

“Georgia still has a long way to go,” said Laura Beavers, the Kids Count coordinator.

The state has made some improvements since 2000 when it ranked 44th. The report is based in part of census data and looks at year-to-year trends from 2000 to 2006, or 2007 in some cases. Georgia remained in the lower 10 on five of the major indicators.

The number of babies born at low-birth weight continues to rise, from 8.6 percent in 2000 to 9.6 percent of all Georgia births in 2006. The infant mortality rate decreased from 8.5 percent in 2000 to 8.1 percent in 2006, but it still remained higher than the national average of 6.7 percent per 1,000 live births.

The study shows the importance of continued investment in the area of health insurance coverage and access to pre-natal care, Beavers said. They also “serve as placeholders for kids who are going to require more investment over the course of their lives,” she said. “These are the kids who will face more difficulty when they get to school, who are more likely to drop out of high school and more likely to have developmental delays.”

The report also illustrates what many community leaders have long experienced.

The Rev. Michael Harris, pastor of Wheat Street Baptist Church, said the report is an indication that “more attention needs to be given to those things that affect our youth because they represent us for tomorrow.”

“They are our future,” he said.