An In-Depth Look at Weight, Poverty, Special Ed, and Foster Care/Child Abuse
Kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, has just posted Data Briefs on four key topics in children’s health. Each brief includes:
- Recent California/local data
- A description of the importance of the issue
- Links to related research
- A summary of high-level policy implications
These Data Briefs also include printable fact sheets on each topic.
Data recently posted to kidsdata.org show declining rates in California of both substantiated (verified) cases of child abuse/neglect and of first entries into foster care, both of which are important measures related to child welfare.
In almost every California county, the percentage of public school students eligible for the free or reduced price meal program increased from 2008 to 2010. More than 3.4 million California public school students in 2010 were eligible for this program, which is a proxy measure for poverty.
In California, the percentage of public school students meeting all six state fitness standards has improved over the last decade for 5th, 7th, and 9th graders. Despite these improvements, nearly 40 percent (38%) of 5th, 7th, and 9th graders in California were overweight or obese in 2010, and this prevalence largely held steady between 2005 and 2010.
About one in 10 California public school students was enrolled in special education in 2010 (11%), similar to recent years. Among the state's 680,164 students in special education, learning disabilities and speech or language impairments are the most common disabilities.
Share These Briefs with Friends and Colleagues
Those who work to improve the health and well being of children often require assistance in making their case. As a foundation devoted to bringing attention to key children's health issues, we want to make sharing up-to-date, reliable data as easy as possible. Please forward this announcement to your friends and colleagues who work on behalf of kids. |
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