Topeka ? An advocacy group gave Kansas a better grade this year for how its children are faring but worries that budget problems will lead the state to make harmful cuts in education and social services.

Kansas Action for Children gave the state an overall grade of “B,” an improvement over the “C plus” grade the state received last year.

The group released its report card Tuesday and staged a Statehouse rally with about 150 schoolchildren present. Many held signs with slogans such as “Kids first” and “Read to me.”

Executive Director Gary Brunk said Kansas Action for Children wanted to raise the awareness of children’s issues and make sure they’re discussed when legislators and Gov.-elect Kathleen Sebelius discuss the budget next year.

“The well-being of kids is coasting on the well-being of the economy of Kansas,” Brunk said after the rally.

The state faces a projected deficit of $255 million on June 30 for its $4.4 billion budget, something legislative leaders expect to force spending cuts.

The overall grade is an average of grades in five categories:

l Safety and security, which considers violent crime, the number of child abuse cases and the number children in poverty. The state went from a “B minus” in 2001 to a “B.”

l Health, which covers early prenatal care, percentage of low birth-weight babies, infant mortality and immunization rates. The grade slipped from an “A minus” to a “B,” because of an increase in infant mortality.

l Education, where the state scored an “A,” as it did last year.

l Teen years, where the state continued to score a “C minus.” The grade is for the rates of teen births, substance abuse and violent deaths.

l Child care, which jumped from a “D” to a “B,” largely because of an increase in referrals for child care information.