These aren’t the best of times for Kansas children.

According to a new national survey, more than one out of every seven children in the state lived in households at or below the federal poverty guideline in 2003.

“This is not good news for kids,” said Gary Brunk, executive director of Kansas Action for Children.

For a single parent with two children, being under the poverty guideline in 2003 meant living on less than $1,235 a month.

The survey, conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, also found:

¢ 26 percent of the state’s children lived in single-parent households.

¢ 27 percent lived in families in which neither parent had full-time, year-round employment.

¢ 10 percent lived in families in which one or more parents had not finished high school.

“What’s troubling,” Brunk said, “is that many of these indicators are going in the wrong direction. They’re worsening.”

Though six of the 10 measurements cited in the annual Kids Count survey were considered setbacks, Kansas ranked 15th best in the nation. Iowa and Nebraska ranked eighth and 12th, respectively.

Sophia Henry, 2, left, tries to get a peek around Camden Collins, 2, and early education classroom co-leader Johanna Mallamo, as the three watched the rain outside the Ballard Center, 708 Elm St.

Other surrounding states fared considerably worse: Colorado, 26th; Missouri, 33rd; Oklahoma, 38th.

Wages, seat belts

Brunk attributed most of the state’s shortcomings to a struggling economy.

“Keep in mind, these are 2003 numbers – a time when there were some major layoffs going on in Wichita and in some other places,” Brunk said. “And we’ve seen several indicators that show that even though parents are working, they don’t make enough to pay their bills.”

That’s evident in Lawrence, said Chip Blaser, vice president at Ballard Community Center, 708 Elm.

“We continue to see families having trouble maintaining adequate employment,” Blaser said. “The cost of child care is a significant issue, as are car trouble and child sickness.”

He added, “We don’t see parents who don’t want to work; we see parents who have difficulty finding and maintaining good jobs because of the many issues going on in their lives.”

The state’s worst showing was its child mortality rate – 25 deaths per 100,000 children between ages 1 and 14 – remaining steady while those in 24 states declined.

Kansas and three other states – Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee – tied for 38th in child mortality.

Booster seats

Cindy D’Ercole, senior policy analyst with Kansas Action for Children, pinned the poor showing on the state’s not-so-stringent seat belt laws.

“The biggest factor in the child mortality rate is automobile accidents,” D’Ercole said.

In Kansas, she said, children up to age 4 have to be in infant seats. Children between 5 and 14 have to be in seat belts.

“Best practice says kids between 4 and 8 should be in booster seats, not just in seat belts,” D’Ercole said.

Studies have found that 89 percent of teenagers killed in Kansas car accidents weren’t wearing seat belts.

Not all the Kids Count findings were negative. Kansas’ strengths included:

¢ Only 7 percent of the state’s children lacked public or private health insurance. The national average was 12 percent.

¢ Only 5 percent of the students between ages 16 and 19 had dropped out of high school. The national average is 8 percent.

¢ Students’ proficiencies in reading and math exceeded the national averages.