BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
Child well-being rankings released by the Florida Policy Institute rate some local counties much higher than others.
St. Johns ranked highest for child well-being in Florida, while Santa Rosa and Clay counties were ranked second and third, respectively.
The three counties with the lowest rankings were Putnam (65th), DeSoto (66th) and Hendry (67th).
Just above them was Bradford County in 58th position. Union County was ranked 41st.
Florida Policy Institute describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians. The institute used data on health, family, education, the economy and childcare to calculate the rankings.
The point was not simply to rank counties best to worst but to show where investments can be made to improve the lives of children as well as their future success.
According to Florida Policy Institute, “The policy choices we make today should lay the foundation for children to become thriving adults who will join the workforce and contribute to their communities. Smart investments will help cultivate strong families who — in turn — will raise strong, healthy children.”
This year, the institute highlighted the disproportionate amount families spend on childcare. In the costliest counties, families are spending nearly a quarter of their income on childcare costs.
“Though Florida has made investments in early education, accessing quality care for young children remains out of reach for many parents. This causes tremendous hardship and economic instability for families across the state. Childcare is among the largest household expenses, costing nearly $9,000 on average per child in Florida and rivaling the cost of housing.”
“The outcomes in communities are not accidental,” according to the institute. “Counties with higher rankings tend to be well-resourced places, where families can afford to invest in things like high-quality childcare, education and other opportunities for their children. Counties that rank near the middle tend to have a mixture of well-resourced and less well-resourced areas, such as some larger counties with a combination of big cities and suburban and rural areas. Counties with lower rankings tend to be places that have borne the brunt of the state’s disinvestment in public services and where people face historic barriers to economic opportunity.”
Florida Policy Institute uses the report in its advocacy. It has a Roadmap to Shared Prosperity, which includes:
—prioritizing child well-being and quality of life by preserving and expanding basic household supports like nutrition, housing and income assistance.
—nurturing children by investing in affordable, quality early learning, thriving public schools and well supported teachers.
—building a stronger workforce by expanding access to higher education and job training.
—ensuring all Floridians have access to affordable, quality health care.
Local rankings
Each county has a statewide ranking based on the rankings received in the five categories: health, family, education, the economy and childcare affordability.
Clay County was ranked third statewide, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. It’s ranking for health was 10th, with the concerns including nearly 31% of first, third and sixth graders being overweight or obese, and 25% of highschoolers using drugs or alcohol in the prior 30 days. Only 6.4% of children were uninsured, however, and incidents of low birthweight was at 8.5%.
Family and community ranking was eighth, with more than 27% of children being from single-parent families. Verified maltreatment of children was around 10 per 1,000, and juvenile justice contact was around 3 per 1,000.
Education ranking was sixth. 39% of fourth graders were not proficient in English language arts, and 30% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. More than 50% of 3- and 4-year-olds were not enrolled in school. Only 10% of highschoolers were not graduating on time, however.
Clay’s highest ranking was economic well-being, which was third in the state. At just over 12%, it has a low child poverty rating, and unemployment was 2.6%. Only 5.4% of teens were not in school and not working. The study also looks at high housing cost burden. Around 23% of households spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Childcare affordability was Clay’s lowest ranking. The ranking was 53rd in the state, with more than 19% of income on average spent on childcare.
Union County was ranked 41st in the state, but its child health ranking came in at 48th. More than 52% of first, third and sixth graders were overweight or obese, and 22.4% of highschoolers had used drugs or alcohol in the prior 30 days. Only 4.7% of children were without health insurance, however, and low birthweight was under 8%.
Its family and community ranking was high — 12th in the state. While just over 32% of children were in single parent families, only 4.44 in 1,000 were subject to maltreatment and 6.15 in 1,000 had contact with juvenile justice.
Union was 46th in education. 50% of fourth graders were not proficient in English language arts, and 36% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. Nearly 69% of 3- and 4-year-olds were not enrolled in school, and more than 22% of highschoolers were not graduating on time.
The economic well-being ranking was 27th, with 24.3% of children living in poverty. Overall unemployment was 2.9%, but more than 16% of teens were neither working nor in school. 15.58% of households were on spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
Finally, the childcare affordability ranking was 10th, with households spending on average 14.6% of income on childcare.
Bradford was 58th out of 67 counties. The county was 60th in child health. More than 48% of first, third and sixth graders were overweight or obese, and 24% of high school teens had used drugs or alcohol in the prior 30 days. 8.6% of children are uninsured, and 12.4% are born with low birth weight.
At 13th, Bradford’s family and community ranking was one of its highest marks. While more than 32% of children were from single parent families, less than six per 1,000 were subject to maltreatment or had contact with the juvenile justice system.
Education, on the other hand, was quite low, at 64th in the state. 50% of fourth graders were not proficient in English language arts, and 65% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. More than 71% of 3- and 4-year-olds were not enrolled in school, and nearly 24% of highschoolers were not graduating on time.
Economic well-being was 52nd in the state. 24.8% of children were living in poverty, and almost 30% of households were spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs. The unemployment rate was 3.1%, and 11.3% of teens were not in school or working.
Bradford’s highest ranking was in the category highlighted by Florida Policy Institute — childcare affordability. The county was eighth in the state, with the average family spending less than 15% of its income on childcare.
