Helpline specialists deal daily with children’s issues that were measured in the 2014 Kids Count Profile, released this week.
Florida’s state rank of 38th remained unchanged in the “Data Book,” which details the results of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual evaluation of children’s economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
“Few of our callers are under 18, but many are adults whose reasons for calling directly affect the quality of life for children,” said Libby Donoghue, 2-1-1 Brevard executive director.
“They’re parents and grandparents seeking help for their families.”
Some examples from the Kids Count report on Florida:
• 25 percent of children – or 1,001,000 – lived in poverty in 2012.
• 61 percent of fourth-graders were not proficient in reading in 2013.
• 11 percent of children were without health insurance in 2012.
• 13 percent were in families where the head of household had no high school diploma.
Find a summary of the national and Florida findings here.