2009 North Carolina Children's Index  

Action for Children North Carolina's 2009 North Carolina Children's Index offers a wealth of child and youth well-being data that demonstrate the state's public policy successes as well as missed opportunities. The report shows that important investments in children's services pay off, that sound research enhances the ability to build effective programs and that, despite progress in addressing children's needs, geographic and racial disparities persist.

The Children's Index, which is published biennially, presents a comprehensive snapshot of how children are faring in North Carolina. The report monitors key indicators that address seven issue areas: health, safety, economic security, early care, education, child maltreatment and delinquency prevention.

"The Children's Index shows where North Carolina is making the grade in terms of addressing child well-being and where it is coming up short," said Barbara Bradley, Action for Children North Carolina's President and CEO. "Our state has demonstrated that it is a leader through health programs such as Health Choice and Kids' Care and early education programs like Smart Start and More at Four. But in this time of economic insecurity, we must continue to invest in effective public policies to ensure that our children have the resources they need to grow and thrive."

Successes highlighted in the Children's Index include:

• Nearly one million children in North Carolina receive preventive care and other treatment through enrollment in public health insurance. Children with health insurance coverage are less likely to get sick and miss school days. As families continue to lose employer-based health coverage, it is important that North Carolina fully funds Health Choice and implements N.C. Kids' Care.

• More than three of every four children in North Carolina have a medical home according to a recent survey. A medical home is a primary care provider who is accessible and gives continuity of care. This means better health outcomes for children and lower costs for primary care, which is not dispensed in emergency rooms.

• In 2007, almost 56 percent of children whose families received childcare subsidies were enrolled in high-quality childcare (4- and 5-star centers). As working families struggle to make ends meet, childcare subsidies help ensure that their children are learning and developing in safe and caring environments.
  

Missed opportunities highlighted in the Children's Index include:

• Despite research showing that the juvenile justice system is more developmentally appropriate for children under the age of 18, North Carolina is one of three states to treat 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in all aspects of their contact with the criminal system. In fact, more North Carolina youth were processed as adults than as juveniles in 2004.

• In North Carolina, only one of every four high school freshmen graduated in four years by 2007. Graduating from high school provides an average of $6,613 more in annual earnings for North Carolinians. High school dropouts are more likely to live in poverty and have negative health and social outcomes.

• Significant disparities continue to exist for North Carolina's children of color. Youth of color are four times more likely to be in the juvenile justice system than white youth. And, black infants are nearly twice as likely as their white counterparts to be born with low birthweight. North Carolina's systems must serve all children better in order for the state to be economically competitive in the long run.