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Washington County Coalition for Children

Washington County Coalition for Children. Recent Forbes Magazine Study: South County Listed Among 20 Best Places to Raise Family. No Surprise to Those of Us Who Live Here!. We have Pristine Beaches. Scenic Farms. Serene Rivers and Ponds.

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Washington County Coalition for Children

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  1. Washington County Coalition for Children

  2. Recent Forbes Magazine Study: South County Listed Among 20 Best Places to Raise Family

  3. No Surprise to Those of Us Who Live Here! We have Pristine Beaches . . .

  4. Scenic Farms...

  5. Serene Rivers and Ponds...

  6. Strong Schools... Safe Neighborhoods Beautiful Parks... Quaint Towns...

  7. Most People in Washington County Unaware • Poverty exists in pockets of Washington County • The rural character of the county makes accessing needed services challenging for families • Many needed services are simply not available to Washington County families

  8. Children Living in PovertyAges 0-17 1990 & 2000 39 % Increase During the Past Decade

  9. More families struggling to make ends meet • Area food pantries reporting record numbers of residents seeking food Since 2001: • Food Stamps enrollment is up 16.2% • Free/Reduced School Meal Program enrollment is up 25%

  10. Children Receiving Food Stamps/SNAPOctober 1, 2001 & 2008

  11. Children Enrolled in Free/Reduced School MealsOctober 2001 & 2008

  12. Are Our Children Healthy?

  13. Are Our Children Healthy? Births to young Washington County Moms: • Births to Young Teens (Age 15-17) has declined significantly from 12.1 (1996-2000) to 7.1 per 1000 girls from 2003-2007, but rate in Westerly remains high! (Westerly rate 15.2/1000 teens from 2003-2007) • While from 2003-2007 the Births to Teens (Ages 15-19) rate was 11.8, the rate was 31.5 per 1000 girls during this time period in Westerly

  14. Births to Young Teens, Ages 15-17

  15. Births to Teens, Ages 15-19

  16. #of Births with Delayed Prenatal Care 2003-2007 11.1 % 8.3 % 7.8 % 8.0 % Data Source: 2009 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook

  17. Westerly Delayed Prenatal Care Rates Data Source: RI Dept. of Health

  18. Housing Affordability • Housing costs higher than 1/3 of a family’s income are considered unaffordable • As of June 2008, to “afford” the lowest median selling price house (Richmond $234,500) in Washington County, a family has to earn $75,428/year Data Source: Housing Works RI

  19. Is There Housing for Our Children? • The 2008 HUD Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-BR apt. in Washington County was between $956 - $1,005 per month  Rental housing costs in Washington County far exceed what minimum wage earners can afford – 2.5 wage earners are needed to afford the 2-BR FMR apt. • 200 Washington County children under age 18 were homeless in 2008 up from 116 in 2000 Data Sources: Out of Reach 2009, National Low-Income Housing Coalition South County Community Action, Inc

  20. Known Homeless Children

  21. Home Foreclosures 2008

  22. Are Our Children Safe? In Washington County: More than 875 indicated cases of child abuse & neglect recorded in last 5 years In 2007, children were present during 127 domestic violence arrests 143 children were in out-of-home placements as of May 2009

  23. Indicated Child Abuse & Neglect Investigations 2004-2008

  24. Children Witnessing Domestic Violence

  25. Out-of-Home PlacementsWashington County – 2002 & 2009

  26. Youth Placed at RI Training School Relatively few Washington County youth get into trouble with the law

  27. Who is Caring for Our Children? • Family child care home slots are down 58% since 2001 • Child care center slots for children 0-3 are up 50% since 2001 • School age slots fell 9% between 2001 and 2009 • Only 5 (7%) of the County’s 75 child care sites are accredited by NAEYC or NAFCC

  28. Child Care Center Slots 0-3

  29. Child Care Center Slots 3-5

  30. Family Child Care Homes <6

  31. School-Age Child Care

  32. Full-Day Kindergarten • Full-Day K associated with better school outcomes • Full-Day K enrollment has increased 180% since ’01-’02

  33. Do Our Children Have Access to the Services They Need to Thrive? Significant strides re: affordable housing • Development projects are underway to create more affordable housing • Towns clearly more sensitive to need for “work force housing” • Launch of HousingLocaterRI, a website to help people find housing • Greater focus on “Supportive Housing” • to reduce homelessness

  34. Do Our Children Have Access to the Services They Need to Thrive? Linking families with needed services • DHS offering some Saturday office hours for Food Stamps/SNAP applications in Westerly • URI Food Stamps/SNAP Outreach efforts at local food pantries/agencies helping families access needed benefits

  35. Do Our Children Have Access to the Services They Need to Thrive? Children’s Mental Health Services • State budget cuts and recent overhaul of children’s mental health system resulted in loss of local programs, i.e. closure of pediatric partial hospitalization program, South Shore School, etc. • Children’s Intensive Services (CIS) revamped, services limited and now administered by managed care companies as a plan benefit

  36. Do Our Children Have Access to the Services They Need to Thrive? Incidence of disability among children reflects the rest of the state • Few community-based services available to support these children and families, such as respite, HBTS, socialization opportunities, child care, after-school programs, etc.

  37. Do Our Children Have Access to the Services They Need to Thrive? In Washington County: • Available parenting education and support services are limited • Transportation poses a major barrier in accessing needed services

  38. . . . and how ARE the children?

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