Transcript Document

Keeping Children on the Path to School
Success: How is Connecticut Doing?
Frances Duran
Early Childhood DataCONNections
Child Health and Development Institute of CT
September 21, 2004
Report Overview

Culmination of two-year School Readiness
Indicators Initiative

1st indicator publication solely focused on CT’s
young children (under age 6)
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Benchmark report on the state of CT’s young
children
Report Overview

Over 20 indicators of child well-being that are
predictive of school success.
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Covers 5 domains (Stepping Stones):
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Health and Child Development
Safety and Child Welfare
Economic Stability
Early Care and Education
Ready Schools
Data on all 169 towns and cities available for most
indicators.
How to Use the Report

Describe child, family and community conditions
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Inform state and local community planning and policy
making
(Going forward….)
 Measure progress toward improving outcomes for
young children
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Monitor impact of investments and policy choices
Young Children in CT
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270,000 children under age 6 (8% of total population)
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Living arrangements: two-parent families (70%),
single-parent families (20%), other relatives and
caregivers (10%)
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Race and ethnicity: white, non-Hispanic (68%),
black (12%), Hispanic (15%)
Keeping Children on the Path to School
Success: How is Connecticut Doing?
What Did We Learn?
There is Room
for Improvement
Keeping Children on the Path to School Success, Page 68.
Student Performance on Connecticut Mastery Test (4th Grade) by
Education Reference Group*, 2002-2003 School Year
ERG I
ERG H
ERG G
ERG F
Connecticut
ERG E
ERG D
ERG C
ERG B
13.2%
34.5%
35.2%
40.6%
42.1%
46.4%
47.3%
52.5%
63.3%
ERG A
68.6%
Percent of Children Meeting State Performance Goal
*Education Reference Group (ERG) A includes the wealthiest school districts, ERG I the poorest districts.
Many Successes
to Build Upon
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Preschool attendance has increased 5-24% in most districts with
School Readiness programs
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The state outperforms the national average on multiple measures:
CT
US
6.1
6.8
(Per 1,000 live births)
(Per 1,000 live births)
Low Birthweight Births
7.4%
7.7%
Immunization Rate
91%
78%
14
22
(Per 100,000 children)
(Per 100,000 children)
11.1%
18.1%
Infant Deaths
Child Deaths
(Ages 1 to 14)
Child Poverty (< Age 6)
Many Young Children
Are Vulnerable
CT statistics on children under age 6:
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14,695 children on welfare (TFA)
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1,627 children in foster care
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29,348 children living in poverty
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4,984 children suffering from abuse and/or neglect
Racial and Ethnic
Disparities Persist
Keeping Children on the Path to School Success, Pages 16-17 .
Racial disparities are escalating, with respect to infant mortality
Infant Mortality Rate by Race/Ethnicity
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Connecticut, 1992 and 2001
20
17.9
16.5
15
10
White
7.9
6.3
6.2
4.6
5
Hispanic
0
1992
Black
2001
Quality Early Care and
Education is Scarce
Keeping Children on the Path to School Success, Pages 54-55.
Only 8% of Connecticut’s regulated programs meet quality standards.
Many At-Risk Children Are Concentrated
in Low-Income Communities
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Over 178,000 (66%) of children under age 6 live in
CT’s most impoverished communities
(Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven,
New London, Waterbury and Windham).
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In these seven communities:
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Half of all the state’s teen births occur
One-third of all the state’s infant deaths occur
30 to 50% of children do not benefit from a preschool
experience
Children score far below their more affluent peers on state
mastery tests
At-Risk Children Also Reside in
Affluent Communities and Small Towns
Children Under Age 6 in Poverty
#
%
Sharon
40
29.9%
Morris
25
16.2%
Eastford
18
14.4%
Greenwich
205
3.9%
West
Hartford
226
5.2%
The Final Lesson
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We still have much to learn about how young children
are doing!
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Critical gaps in data availability undermine the ability to
examine children’s early development more holistically.
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Information gaps that surfaced during this project are
highlighted throughout the publication.
Conclusions
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Thousands of young children still need help to enter
school ready and able to learn.
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Some are behind from the beginning
(low birthweight, special needs)
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Others lose ground due to their environment
and experiences
(poverty, abuse/neglect, foster care, lead poisoning)
Conclusions
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Improving access to services and supports can help
children overcome these difficulties
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Preventive health care
(comprehensive screenings/treatment)
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Quality early care and education
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Parenting education and support
Next Steps
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Put this book to work! Use it as:
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A framework for policy action
A tool for monitoring conditions that jeopardize as well as
enhance children’s chances for school success
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Address the information gaps highlighted throughout
the publication
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Track the same set of early childhood indicators over
time
Keeping Children on the Path to School
Success: How is Connecticut Doing?
What will the state of our young
children look like next year?