Montana KIDS COUNT Data Blog

Pertussis Outbreak in Gallatin Cnty Emphasizes Need for Vaccinations

2011-12-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2011
An outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is occurring in Gallatin County. State, local and tribal public health agencies are encouraging Montanans to make sure they are up-to-date with pertussis vaccinations.
"The Gallatin public health staff is doing an excellent job working with schools and health care providers to prevent further spread of pertussis in the area", says Anna Whiting Sorrell, Director of the Department of Public Health & Human Services. "This is not an easy job but with the cooperation of parents, schools and health care providers we can stop this situation from becoming even worse".
So far in 2011, 101 cases of pertussis have been reported in Montana. The last 24 cases have been diagnosed in Gallatin County residents in the last two weeks. This is a public health threat that could spread beyond Gallatin County. At this time, 2 other cases have been reported in Park County but it is not certain that these are related to the Gallatin outbreak.
"All children over two months of age, parents, family members, and caregivers of infants, should be vaccinated against pertussis," said Lisa Underwood, Immunization Program Manager for the state health agency. "Persons who are not sure that they are fully immunized should talk with their healthcare provider or local health department".
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is especially dangerous for infants. When not fully immunized, infants are especially vulnerable to infection and are at risk for hospitalization and death. A typical case of pertussis in children and adults starts with a cough and runny nose that lasts for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a "whooping" sound. Coughing can be severe with gagging and vomiting. Older children and adults may not exhibit the classic symptoms and can have a milder illness.
Vaccination is the best prevention against pertussis. Combination vaccines approved for children and adults also protect against Diphtheria and Tetanus. Pertussis vaccination begins at age two months, but young infants are not adequately protected until three shots are received by 6 months of age. Because protection from the vaccine can fade over time, a booster is recommended for pre-teens, teens, and adults.
Because pertussis outbreaks can spread rapidly, health agencies work quickly to investigate each pertussis case. Persons who have close contact with a pertussis case may be treated with antibiotics to prevent illness. Fully vaccinated children and adults are less likely to become ill. If illness occurs in those that are fully vaccinated, the illness is generally milder. Montana’s last reported death from pertussis was in a Gallatin county infant in 2004. A recent outbreak of pertussis in California resulted in 10 infant deaths.
To protect yourself and others, make sure you and your family members are vaccinated against pertussis. To get the pertussis vaccine, please contact your healthcare provider or local health department. Detailed information regarding pertussis and pertussis vaccinations is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/

New Census data on poverty

2011-09-23T09:36:00.000-06:00

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a blog post yesterday in response to the Census Bureau's newly released poverty data:

Deep Poverty on the Rise

September 22, 2011 at 4:01 pm

Deep poverty — that is, the share of the population with incomes below half the poverty line — rose by a statistically significant amount in 40 states (including the District of Columbia) from 2007 to 2010 and fell in none, Census Bureau data released today show. To read more...

Montana KIDS COUNT Guest Opinion in the Missoulian

2011-09-02T09:40:00.000-06:00

Far to go to improve kids’ well-being

Missoulian, 9/2/2011

Earlier this month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2011 Kids Count Data Book, the leading report on the status and well-being of children in the U.S.

This year's Data Book focuses on the aftermath of the recession and reports an increase of 18 percent in the national child poverty rate between 2000 and 2009 (from 17 percent to 20 percent). This increase indicates 2.5 million additional American children lived below the federal poverty line in 2009 compared with 2000, a fact that effectively wipes out the economic and social gains of the 1990s. The report's data show that these improvements were stalling even before the economic downturn began.
With its focus on how states have fared since the recession, the 2011 Data Book introduces two new indicators to its lineup: unemployment and foreclosure, issues that are also addressed in this year's slogan, "America's Children, America's Challenge: Promoting Opportunity for the Next Generation." Home foreclosure for a family means the loss of a permanent home. Homeownership is associated with improved cognitive development in school-age children, as well as increased graduation rates. Until the housing market meltdown, homeownership was one of the most reliable ways for lower-income families to build assets.
In 2010, 11 percent of American children had at least one unemployed parent, and 4 percent lived in a household that had entered foreclosure since 2007. Against that backdrop, Montana has weathered the recession comparatively well: 8 percent of Montana children have at least one unemployed parent, and only 2 percent have been affected by foreclosure since 2007.
Overall, Montana is ranked 33rd among the 50 states in terms of child well-being. The rankings, which are published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, are computed based on 10 indicators, which also include infant mortality, child poverty and idle youth, in addition to the unemployment and foreclosure data already mentioned.
To achieve the ranking of 33rd, Montana has exhibited values for the various indicators that are sometimes above and sometimes below national averages. Of those that are below the national average, a few in particular stand out.
• Idle Youth: In 2009, 9 percent of Montana teens age 16-19 were not in school and were not high school graduates (46 other states were doing better). Eleven percent were not attending school and not working (39 other states were doing better).
• Child and Teen Death Rates: While the death rates for both age groups were significantly lower in 2007 than in 2000, these rates are still very high in Montana. It's ranked 45th, with only five other states doing worse.
However, there are four areas where Montana performs equal to or better than the national average.
• Infant Mortality Rate: Despite facing a slight increase between 2000 and 2008, Montana's infant mortality rate was still better than 34 other states.
• Babies Born at Low Birthweight: There has been an increase in the percent of babies born at low birthweight in Montana between 2000 and 2008, but the state's rates were still lower than the national average. Only 17 other states had lower rates.
• Single-Parent Families: While the portion of Montana children living in single-parent families went from one-quarter in 2000 to almost one-third in 2009, we still have proportionally more two-parent families in Montana than in 31 other states.
• Teen Birth Rate: Montana's teen birth rate ranks 25th among the 50 states, at 41 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19. This rate is equal to the national average, but it is up 11 percent since 2000.
Montana has slipped in the national rankings of child well-being, from 21st in 2000 to 34th in 2003 and 2004, to 33rd in 2011. While rankings are not accurate measures of one state's performance over time, they indicate which states are near the top, and which states are near the bottom. Over the course of 12 years, Montana's overall child well-being went from the middle to closer to the bottom.
By comparison, all our immediate neighbors rank higher than us: North Dakota is ranked 10th, South Dakota is 21st, Idaho is ranked 22nd, and Wyoming is 28th. For perspective, Mississippi has been ranked 50th every year since 2000, while New Hampshire has been ranked first for 11 of the last 12 years. It would appear that we have some things to learn, if not from New Hampshire, then at least from North Dakota.
Thale Dillon is director of Montana Kids Count.

Debunking the Myth that the Poor Don't Pay Taxes

2011-08-31T11:32:00.000-06:00

The New Resentment of the Poor

August 31, 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/opinion/the-new-resentment-of-the-poor.html?_r=1&hp

In a decade of frenzied tax-cutting for the rich, the Republican Party just happened to lower tax rates for the poor, as well. Now several of the party’s most prominent presidential candidates and lawmakers want to correct that oversight and raise taxes on the poor and the working class, while protecting the rich, of course.

These Republican leaders, who think nothing of widening tax loopholes for corporations and multimillion-dollar estates, are offended by the idea that people making less than $40,000 might benefit from the progressive tax code. They are infuriated by the earned income tax credit (the pride of Ronald Reagan), which has become the biggest and most effective antipoverty program by giving working families thousands of dollars a year in tax refunds. They scoff at continuing President Obama’s payroll tax cut, which is tilted toward low- and middle-income workers and expires in December.

Until fairly recently, Republicans, at least, have been fairly consistent in their position that tax cuts should benefit everyone. Though the Bush tax cuts were primarily for the rich, they did lower rates for almost all taxpayers, providing a veneer of egalitarianism. Then the recession pushed down incomes severely, many below the minimum income tax level, and the stimulus act lowered that level further with new tax cuts. The number of families not paying income tax has risen from about 30 percent before the recession to about half, and, suddenly, Republicans have a new tool to stoke class resentment.

Representative Michele Bachmann noted recently that 47 percent of Americans do not pay federal income tax; all of them, she said, should pay something because they benefit from parks, roads and national security. (Interesting that she acknowledged government has a purpose.) Gov. Rick Perry, in the announcement of his candidacy, said he was dismayed at the “injustice” that nearly half of Americans do not pay income tax. Jon Huntsman Jr., up to now the most reasonable in the Republican presidential field, said not enough Americans pay tax.

Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, and several senators have made similar arguments, variations of the idea expressed earlier by Senator Dan Coats of Indiana that “everyone needs to have some skin in the game.”

This is factually wrong, economically wrong and morally wrong. First, the facts: a vast majority of Americans have skin in the tax game. Even if they earn too little to qualify for the income tax, they pay payroll taxes (which Republicans want to raise), gasoline excise taxes and state and local taxes. Only 14 percent of households pay neither income nor payroll taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center at the Brookings Institution. The poorest fifth paid an average of 16.3 percent of income in taxes in 2010.

Economically, reducing the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit — which would be required if everyone paid income taxes — makes no sense at a time of high unemployment. The credits, which only go to working people, have always been a strong incentive to work, as even some conservative economists say, and have increased the labor force while reducing the welfare rolls.

The moral argument would have been obvious before this polarized year. Nearly 90 percent of the families that paid no income tax make less than $40,000, most much less. The real problem is that so many Americans are struggling on such a small income, not whether they pay taxes. The two tax credits lifted 7.2 million people out of poverty in 2009, including four million children. At a time when high-income households are paying their lowest share of federal taxes in decades, when corporations frequently avoid paying any tax, it is clear who should bear a larger burden and who should not.

The KIDS COUNT Data Center is now mobile!

2011-08-15T11:40:00.000-06:00

The KIDS COUNT Data Center, your one-stop-shop for data on children and families in Montana and in the US, now has a mobile site. By accessing it at http://mobile.kidscount.org, you will have all the data you need through your smart phone!

2011 National KIDS COUNT Data Book Release

2011-08-15T11:11:00.000-06:00

This year’s KIDS COUNT Data Book will explore the impact of the recession on America’s children and families. How do you think the recent economic downturn has impacted children and families in Montana? The 2011 national data book will be released on Wednesday August 17--stay tuned!

Helpful visualization tools from the Gates Foundation

2011-04-07T10:47:00.001-06:00

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has created two visual tools to demonstrate how the various states spend their budgets. The first visualization (www.thegatesnotes.com/TED/Speakers-Topics/Bill-Gates/Infographic-State-Budget-Spending) breaks down all 50 state budgets to show size, allocation across main spending areas, and relative priorities.
The second visualization (www.thegatesnotes.com/TED/Speakers-Topics/Bill-Gates/Infographic-State-Budgets-Pension-Healthcare) explores states' funding levels for pending health care and pension obligations.

Though users are cautioned not to confuse rankings with actual measures of real spending, these are still interesting tools.

Video from "Partnership for Montana's Future"

2011-04-04T10:34:00.000-06:00

Below is a link to a YouTube video the Partnership for Montana's Future released prior to a rally held on April 1. While the rally is behind us, the video is still a poignant reminder of what we value and why. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCRYcbIurr0.

"Map the Meal Gap" response by Ben Affleck and Howard Buffet

2011-04-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

The Huffington Post

March 31, 2011

Op-Ed: Hometown Hunger USA

By: Ben Affleck and Howard Buffett

The information just released by Feeding America paints a horrific picture -- the reality of hunger in America. According to the USDA, an estimated 50 million Americans are food insecure, including nearly 17 million children. It is morally reprehensible that millions of people in our own backyards and every Congressional district across this great nation of agriculture abundance struggle with not having enough to eat.

What is often overlooked amidst this tragedy is that almost half of the food insecure have incomes above the typical threshold for SNAP, formerly called food stamps, and one in three food insecure households have income above the threshold for most government nutrition programs, including free and reduced price school meals. The only option for the millions of people facing this situation is to rely on charitable assistance, such as that provided by food banks.

To some we are a curious pairing but what we have in common is a moral commitment to do our best to ensure that every man, woman and child on the planet has access to adequate, nutritious food. We are husbands, fathers, businessmen and philanthropists who have born witness to social ills around the world and recognize the moral cost of the escalating crisis of hunger in this country. There is no hiding the fact that the number of Americans who are uncertain about where their next meal may come from, or do not have access to healthy food, is at an all-time high. We are committed to helping those Americans in need of food; these are everyday people who have stumbled upon hard times and need our collective help -- now perhaps more than ever.

As we pursue our work with Feeding America, we have observed a "gap" across varying geographic populations in our country as it relates to food insecurity. Sadly, there is a growing percentage of the food insecure population that is not eligible for federal nutrition programs. The good news is that Feeding America's latest research gives voice to that gap and sets the stage for the entire country to move forward in a unified effort to eradicate hunger. This timely research released today in a study called "Map the Meal Gap," provides a quantifiable identity to the often invisible faces and plight of the 50 million food insecure across our country. It draws attention to those very vulnerable areas that experience both very high rates of food insecurity and high food costs -- 44 counties in this country fall into the top 10 percent in the nation of both of those categories. The convergence of this data, skyrocketing USDA statistics on the food insecure, and the increasing number of people that Feeding America network serves daily, highlights the profound problem we face nationwide.

Map the Meal Gap is a phenomenal tool for those active in the fight against domestic hunger at the county, state and national levels because it provides detailed data that can help local communities tackle the unique circumstances in their area. The study provides an innovative and focused lens through which hunger is redefined by looking at the gap between food insecurity and food security. It is the only study presently available that estimates food insecurity at the county level, which is tremendously important given the varied socio-economic sectors across the country. Not only does Map the Meal Gap present a "first-ever" debut of food cost variations across the nation's communities, it offers statistically valid data on the number of food insecure people by income-bands that are based on well-recognized and key factors such as unemployment, poverty, and minority status.

Map the Meal Gap affirms that hunger is much more than a matter of individual choices. County-level infrastructure (e.g., food stamp outreach, food costs, wages and employment opportunities) significantly affect the likelihood that families will become food insecure. This new data will help communities target the federal programs that best meet the needs of their community and will help communities develop public and private solutions to gaps in existing services (for example, increase mobile pantry or mobile summer food in rural areas). With the number of people experiencing hunger as high as it is, it is critical that we protect the nutrition safety net and focus on leveraging federal programs at the county level.

As we move forward collectively, each of us must be willing to share responsibilities and resources to achieve sustained results in reducing and preventing hunger and food insecurity. Today, we are calling upon everyone in America -- the business community, policy makers and the public -- to do what they can to help people battling hunger in their communities. Hunger is in each and every one of our backyards, and Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study illuminates for the first time in history the needs of Americans facing hunger at the county level. No one should go hungry

Feeding America is Mapping the Meal Gap

2011-03-29T12:07:00.000-06:00

In a newly-released research paper, the organization Feeding America has published data on food insecurity in the US, at the county level. Feeding America is a national network of over 200 food banks, effectively making it the largest hunger-relief charity in the country.

In "Map the Meal Gap 2011", the authors evaluate issues such as food budget short-fall, unemployment and poverty, and the average meal cost, all at the county level. Although the preliminary report does not provide county-by-county data, it does list the counties in the worst position in each category. Of the counties that fall within the top 10 percent in terms of food isecurity, poverty or meal costs, no Montana County was included, though 3.5 percent of these high food insecurity rate counties are located in the Mountain States. Fifty-nine percent of the counties are rural.

Another factor, in addition to rurality, poverty and unemployment, that serve as an indicator for high food insecurity rates, is the presence of certain racial and ethnic groups. American Indian, African American and Latinos are disproportionaltely at risk for food insecurity. Counties with a majority of nonwhites see food insecurity rates such as 25.4 percent (American Indian majority), 25.3 percent (majority Latino), and 28.3 (majority African American), while the national average is 16 percent.

Please consult the full report, avaialble at www.feedingamerica.org/mapthegap, should you require more information.

Census Bureau Solicits Public Comment on the American Community Survey

2011-03-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

The U.S Census Bureau has published a notice in the Federal Register that invites the public to comment through May 9, 2011 on the continuation of the American Community Survey information collection.

If you would like to comment, a copy of the Federal Register notice can be accessed via the Internet at: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/operations_and_administration/

Medicaid Bonuses to Reward States for Insuring More Children

2010-12-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

By KEVIN SACK

Published: December 27, 2010

The Obama administration plans to announce Monday that it will make $206 million in bonus Medicaid payments to 15 states — with more than a fourth of the total going to Alabama — for signing up children who are eligible for public health insurance but had previously failed to enroll.

Enlarge This Image

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, has called the matter “a moral obligation.”

The payments, which were established when Congress and President Obama reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 2009, are aimed at one of the most persistent frustrations in government health care: the inability to enroll an estimated 4.7 million children who would be eligible for subsidized coverage if their families could be found and alerted. Two of every three uninsured children are thought to meet the income criteria for government insurance programs.
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, has called the matter “a moral obligation” and has challenged health care providers, state and local governments and community groups to seek out eligible children.
The stubbornness of the problem is one reason the government expects millions of people to remain uninsured even after 2014, when the new health care law requires most Americans to have coverage and vastly expands government programs to make it affordable.
The bonus grants are distributed according to a formula. To qualify, states must have adopted at least five of eight measures aimed at streamlining enrollment for children in public insurance programs and have recorded Medicaid caseload increases that could not be attributed solely to a worsening economy. Thirty-two states did not even apply for the grants. Three of the 18 that did apply did not qualify for payments.

To read the full article in the New York Times, click here.

Raising Montana compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18

2010-12-22T09:46:00.002-07:00

Montana is considering raising the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18; see article below.
As you are reading it, consider the following statistics on high school dropout rates and dropouts' cost to society:

     * Montana high school drop-out rate (2008/09):                 5.1%

     * Montana teen unemployment rate (2009):                      16.6%

     * Montana youth ages 16-19 not in school and not
        high school graduates (2008, ranking 44th nationally):         9%

     *Montanans ages 18-24 not attending
       school, not working, and with high school
       diploma or less (2008, ranking 24th nationally):                14%

According to the publication "EARLY WARNING! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters", published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation:

In 2007, nearly 6.2 million young people (16% of the 16-24 age group) were high school dropouts. Every student who does not complete high school costs our society an estiamted $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity. High school dropouts also are more likely than those who graduate to be arrested or have a child while still a teenager, both of which incur additional financial and social costs.

For access to the full report, click here.

The following article was published in the Missoulian on Dec 22, 2010.

Montana schools chief wants to raise compulsory age to 18
by Matt Gouras, Associated Press

HELENA - Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau told the governor in a meeting Tuesday that she will ask the 2011 Legislature to increase the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 years of age.
Juneau's announcement came as she laid out her legislative plans to Gov. Brian Schweitzer - which include a proposal to send a little more money to schools than the governor is seeking.
Juneau said she thinks it is important to increase the compulsory school attendance age for the first time since 1921. The schools chief said many students who drop out at 16 years of age do so because they know they can.
"It would raise the expectation that we expect every student to graduate," Juneau said.
Her office points out that more than three-fourths of the inmates in the prison system are high school dropouts.
She called the proposal to increase the age a "keystone" to her legislative plans this session. One potential catch is that fiscal analysts have determined the bill could cost up to $1 million because more than 1,000 students could stay in school. The state funding system for schools is based on a head count.
Juneau, a Democrat, said Republican state Sen. Taylor Brown has agreed to sponsor the plan. The GOP has overwhelming control of the Legislature for at least the next two years.
Brown said it is worthwhile to change the societal expectation that it is OK to drop out at 16 years of age. He noted the bill still allows students to seek alternative forms of education like home schooling or trade-based instruction.
"If we are successful in keeping more kids in school, if we are successful in keeping our dropout rate down, it is going to cost more in the public education system," Brown said. "I am aware that if we are successful in keeping kids in school, there is going to be an expense."
Nationally, 19 states set their cutoff age at 16 while the rest either have it at 17 or 18 years of age, Juneau's office said.
***
Juneau said her office is also supporting schools with other efforts to graduate more students. She said some large districts have been successful in persuading dropouts to return to school.
Juneau said that currently, 81 percent of students who start the ninth grade will complete high school within four years and 85 percent eventually complete it.
In any given year, about 3.6 percent of the school population drops out.
The proposal could run into issues in the Legislature. Juneau said a lower-profile push by her office was shot down in 2009.
And as recently as 2007 some conservative lawmakers considered getting rid of the compulsory attendance law altogether.
Republicans in control of the Legislature are also likely to push back on Juneau's plans to increase education funding more than what Schweitzer has requested. Some Republicans have said it instead may be necessary to cut school funding.
Schweitzer indicated he wouldn't oppose Juneau's proposal but added he thinks it's unlikely the Legislature will provide even as much as his office has requested.
The governor suggests funding his proposed increase largely by taking money from an account set up for local infrastructure projects and by redistributing county oil tax revenue equally across the state.

For a direct link to the article, click here

The five-year ACS Estimates are out!

2010-12-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday of this week, the US Census Bureau released the 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey that I have mentioned in earlier blog entries. We had previously toyed with the idea of generating fact cards for each of the legislators this session, covering the counties that their respective districts touch. However, with the new 5-year estimates, we are now in the process of generating district-specific fact cards for all state house and senate representatives. This is the first time we have been able to do this, outside of a decennial census year and even though the margin of error can be large at times, it's pretty exciting stuff!! To access the American Community Survey yourself, click here.

Release of the 2010 Montana KIDS COUNT Data Book!

2010-12-08T12:59:00.002-07:00

DATA SHOWS MONTANA CHILDREN AFFECTED BY RECESSION

One in four Montana children under the age of five continues to live in poverty, according to the 2010 Montana KIDS COUNT Data Book published by The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

This year’s Montana state data book features data regarding children and families in the areas of economic well-being, education, health, early childhood, safety and more. The book includes more than 100 indicators at the state level and more than 30 data items for each of Montana’s 56 counties.

“Children become the silent victims when families face economic insecurity, and this year’s book shows there has been a decline in some child well-being indicators over the past decade” said Julie Ehlers, Montana KIDS COUNT communications director. “To see these indicators not change or deteriorate over time emphasizes the importance of using data to guide decision making.”

This year’s publication reveals that Montana’s children are being hit by the recession, as shown through the following indicators:

· Number of children in extreme poverty increases: 11 percent of children under age 18 live in extreme poverty, at or below 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. This is up from 8 percent in 2008. Additionally, 25 percent of Montana’s children under age 5 live in poverty, at or below 100 percent FPL, up from 17 percent in 2000.

· SNAP participation nearly doubles since 2000: Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamps program, has increased to a monthly average of 109,000 in 2009. This is up from 60,000 in 2000.

· Teen unemployment rate increases: Montana’s unemployment rate for teens age 16-19 has seen a steady increase over the past decade, reaching a high in 2009 of 16.6 percent, up from 10.3 percent in 2007.

· Free/Reduced-Price Lunch eligibility increases: The percentage of pre-K-12 children who are eligible for school free/reduced-price lunch programs has increased to 40 percent in 2009. This is up from 32 percent in 2000.

Despite the stark implications of the current economic recession, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that we are doing right by our children in many ways. Infant mortality and teen births are down, while the overall number of babies born in the state continues an upward trend.

“The growing numbers in the 0-5 age cohort will eventually translate into higher school-enrollment numbers, reversing the downward trend we’ve witnessed over the past decade or so,” said Thale Dillon, director of economic research for Montana KIDS COUNT.

Other positive indicators in this year’s data book include a decrease in the number of accidents among teen drivers, with one-third fewer accidents compared with 2000. Additionally, the rate of seatbelt use among teens continues to climb, reaching 87 percent in 2009 ― the highest rate on record.

Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Montana KIDS COUNT is a statewide effort to track the status and well-being of Montana children by collecting and publishing data and analyses. 2010 marks the 10th consecutive year that Montana KIDS COUNT has produced a state data book summarizing state and county information on Montana’s children and families in such areas as demographics, economic well-being, education, health and health insurance, safety and early childhood.

The 2010 Montana KIDS COUNT Data Book, as well as all the statistics included in the book, can be viewed by clicking here.

Census release of the first 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey

2010-12-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

On December 14, the US Census Bureau plans to release the first-ever five-year estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). As many of you may already now, the ACS is largely taking the place of the Census log form in collecting information other than the most basic demographics.
In years past, ACS estimate have only been available at the state level due to small sample sizes. Last year, the Census Bureau released three-year estimates for geographic areas with 65,000 residetns or more. Not many Montana counties fall into that category! But now it's our turn--with the five-year estimates, all geographic areas down to legislative districts will have avaialble data.
Using values that are averaged over multiple years poses its own set of problems, however. To address some of these issues ahead of the data release, the Census Bureau is inviting data users and the media to attend a webinar on Wednesday Dec. 8, at 1 pm Mountain time. The webinar will be conducted by some heavy hitters within the ACS:

Sharon Stern, assistant division chief, Project Coordination, Communication, and Data User Support, American Community Survey Office
Scott Boggess, chief, American Community Survey Coordination Staff, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division

I have attended presentations by Sharon Stern in the past and she is very appraochable and gives a good overview. To attend, please use the instructions below.

DETAILS
Audio conference — access information
Toll free number: 800-369-6091
Participant passcode: CENSUS
Questions and answers are limited to media

Online presentation ― access information
Please login early, as some setup is required.
URL: <https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join/>
Conference/meeting number: PW9639878
Conference/meeting passcode: CENSUS

Data Highlights from the 2010 Data Book

2010-11-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

The 2010 data book provides data from either the 2009 calendar year or the 2010 state fiscal year. Based on our finidings we see that the recession has taken its toll for the economic wellbeing of Montana children. Both teen and overall unemployment rates were up compared to 2008.
Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), TANF, and WIC is up, as is the number of children qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch.

Total school enrollment in the state continues on a downward trajectory, a reflection of a smaller child population. However, growth can be seen in the number of young children (age 5 and under), suggesting that school enrollment will level out, if not increase, by the end of the next decade.

Teen drivers in Montana continue to improve on their record of fewer accidents, down by more than one-third since 2000. Additionally, the rate of seatbelt use is going up, reaching 87 percent among high school studetns in 2009, the highest rate on record.

Introductory Blog Entry

2010-11-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings, and welcome to the Montana KIDS COUNT data blog. Here, you can find brief discussions of issues we find interesting and would like to share with our users. We will also maintain a list of websites and publications that we think will be useful to our readers. Please check back soon for more content, and feel free to link your own sites to this blog.