Virginia ranks 11th in the nation when it comes to the well-being of its children. However, the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2013 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released today also reveals that fallout from the recession continues to take a toll on children in the state.
Margaret Nimmo Crowe, acting executive director, Voices for Virginia's Children, described the situation.
"All of our economic well-being indicators have gotten worse. We now have 280,000 children in Virginia living in poverty. That's almost one in six kids," Crowe said.
The report also showed an increase in the number of kids in Virginia living in single-parent households.
The poverty rates vary widely throughout the state, Crowe noted.
"For example, in Petersburg, the poverty rate is 37.7 percent of children," she said. "It's no surprise when we see that areas with a very high poverty rate also have problems in their school systems in terms of academic achievement."
Virginia is improving when it comes to access to health care for kids, the report said, although the state's national ranking has dropped in that area from 17 to 20.
The complete report is available at www.VAkids.org.
Source: Virginia News Connection
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