NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

October 12, 2000

Fact Book Reviews Five Years of North Dakota Child Well-Being

The "1999-2000 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book," released Sept. 14, looks back over the past five years at trends affecting North Dakota children and discusses key concerns for the future of North Dakota children. "Publication of similar child well-being data over this time period enhances the opportunity to spot developing problems at the earliest point," according to Ann Lochner, Director of North Dakota KIDS COUNT!. Data in the 1999-2000 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book suggest differences in child well-being across North Dakota counties, and significant state trends that warrant attention.

September’s edition of the Population Bulletin released from the North Dakota State Data Center at North Dakota State University presents selected indicators from the 1999-2000 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book, a publication released annually by the North Dakota KIDS COUNT! project. For a copy or more information regarding North Dakota KIDS COUNT! reports, contact Ann Lochner at 701/777-4086 or ann_lochner@mail.und.nodak.edu.

Examples of state trends signaling the need for vigilance:

• The declining child population in North Dakota over the past two decades threatens the future growth of North Dakota communities.
• Child poverty is 63 percent greater in rural farm counties than in urban counties, pointing to the need for policies tailored to the unique needs of rural families.
• Some 22,000 North Dakota children are medically uninsured, signaling the importance of efforts to enroll and retain children in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Eligibility requirements should be adjusted to ensure basic health care standards for all North Dakota children.
• Average daily membership in North Dakota schools declined by more than 4,000 students since the 1992-93 school year, with an expected decline of an additional 12 percent during the next five years. Statewide planning is necessary to maintain a high standard of education for which North Dakota is known.
• Licensed child care is currently available for one-fourth of the children under age 14 who potentially need care. Making quality, affordable, accessible child care available to families is an investment in long-term developmental success throughout childhood and beyond.
• Juvenile arrests for liquor law violations increased 26 percent between 1995 and 1998, indicating the challenge to provide healthy alternative activities for youth across statewide communities.

The hope of providing annually-updated child well-being data is to increase public awareness about the needs of children across the state and to encourage better decisions on their behalf.

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Source: Richard Rathge (701) 231-8621
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629

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