ERIC ED466292: The Bottom Line: Kids Count to New Hampshire's Future. A Special Report.

19 Pages·2001·0.59 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
PS 030 428
ED 466 292
Gittel, Ross; Gottlob, Brian
AUTHOR
The Bottom Line: Kids Count to New Hampshire's Future. A
TITLE
Special Report.
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, Concord.
INSTITUTION
Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.
SPONS AGENCY
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
17p.; Additional funding provided by Providian Financial and
NOTE
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. For the 2000 report, see
PS 030 427.
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, Two Greenwood Avenue,
AVAILABLE FROM
Concord, NH 03301 ($15). Tel: [phone]; Fax:
603-225-8264; e-mail: [email protected]. For full text:
http://www.ChildrenNH.org.
Descriptive
Reports
Numerical/Quantitative Data (110)
PUB TYPE
(141)
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Adolescents; Births to Single Women; Child Health; Child
DESCRIPTORS
Welfare; *Children; Early Parenthood; Economic Factors;
Elementary Secondary Education; Prenatal Care; Quality of
Life; *Social Indicators; Statistical Analysis; Tables
(Data); Trend Analysis; Unemployment; *Well Being
*Indicators; *New Hampshire
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
The sixth Kids Count publication from New Hampshire, this
report departs from past work in that, in addition to updating state data on
child health and well-being, it looks at that information in relation to data
on the New Hampshire economy. Through detailed statistical analysis, the
report explains how the status of children in New Hampshire directly affects
the bottom line for government, businesses, and individuals in the state. The
report introduces a Child Potential Index for over 200 New Hampshire
communities, summarizing the degree to which risk factors that limit children
from realizing their full potential are present in each community. The index
combines seven community-level measures of child risk known to be highly
(1) teen births as a percentage
correlated with poor outcomes for children:
(2) percentage of mothers who smoked during pregnancy;
of all births;
(3)
(4) percentage of births to mothers
percentage of births to single mothers;
(5) percentage of children receiving
with less than 12 years of education;
(6) percentage of births to mothers not receiving
free or reduced lunch;
prenatal care; and (7) unemployment rate. Appended are: How Child Potential
Index Scores are Derived; and Child Potential Index Scores for NH Cities and
Towns. (Contains 47 endnotes.)
(EV)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the ori inal document.
The Bottom Line: Kids Count to New Hampshire's Future
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire
Fall 2001
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
BEEN GRANTED BY
CENTER (ERIC)
O This document has been reproduced as
Ellen Shemitz
received from the person or organization
originating it.
O Minor changes have been made to improve
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
reproduction quality
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent official
OERI position or policy.
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RAISING OUR VOICES FOR CHILDREN
2 Greenwood Avenue, Concord, NH 03301 0 [phone]
Decide to be healthy!'
Fax: [phone] o [email protected] o www.CluldrenNH.org
111
rrAniti4-3,
of New Hampshire
RAISING OUR VOICES FOR CHILDREN
KIDS COUNT New Hampshire is a project of the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire,
in partnership with the
Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Children's Alliance is
a multi-issue child advocacy organization working to move
public policy to make New Hampshire one of the best places anywhere for
a child to grow up
a place where
every child is valued and no child is left behind.
Additional copies of The Bottom Line: KIDS COUNT to New Hampshire's Future
may be purchased from the Children's
Alliance of New Hampshire for $15 per
copy. To- purchase copies of the book, please contact:
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire
Two Greenwood Avenue
Concord, NH 03301
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
The report may also be accessed and downloaded from
our website at no charge: www.ChildrenNH.org. Any portion of
this report may be reproduced without prior permission, provided the
source is cited as Kids Count New Hampshire 2001.
CREDITS
Authors
Editors
Ross Gittell, Ph.D., Professor, Whittemore
Ellen Shemitz, J.D., President, Children's Alliance of
School of Business and Economics, University of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
Candice Leonard, Ph.D., Director of Research and
Brian Gottlob, President, PolEcon Research
Policy Analysis, Children's Alliance of New
Hampshire
KIDS COUNT Advisory Cabinet
Gordon Allen, Director of Policy, NH DHHS
Katharine Eneguess, Vice President, Business and
Charlene Baxter, Program Leader for Family
Industry Association
Development and Communities, UNH Cooperative
Richard Goodman, Child Advocate
Extension
David Haney, Manager External Affairs, Fleet Bank
Katharine Bogle Shields, Vice President of
Mark Joyce, Executive Director, NH School
Community Development, Providian National Bank
Administrator's Association
John Bonds, Planning Coordinator for the Office
Samuel Kaymen, Retired Chairman, Stonyfield
of Planning and Research, NH DHHS
Farm Yogurt
Vicki Boyd, Special Assistant for Education
Barbara Krysiak, Associate Professor, UNH
Policy, Office of the Governor
Shawn LaFrance, Vice President for Planning and
Grant Cioffi, Chair of the Department of
Development, Foundation for Healthy Communities
Education, UNH
Bruce Mallory, Dean of Graduate Studies, UNH
Susan Carbon, Supervisory Justice, Plymouth
Dennis Murphy, Executive Director, NH
District Court
National Education Association
Kelly Clark, Board of the Children's Alliance
Barbara Newsom, Chair, Children's Tower Fund
Nicholas Donohue, Commissioner of
Kathleen Sgambati, Deputy Commissioner,
NH Department of Education
NH DHHS
Clark Dumont, Director, Corporate Communications,
Anthem-East
giad&A
Letter from the
Ik S President:
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The Bottom Line KIDS COUNT to New Haorphiles
the sixth KIDS COUNT publication from the
Future is
5--
-
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire KIDS COUNT is a
0-
'OS
-
0
national effort to meascue, monitor, and implove the health
-
This special report
and well-being of America's childien
-0
-
-
departs from past KIDS COUNT work in that, in addition to
updating state data on child health and well-being, it looks at
000
-
that infoimation in relation to data on the New Hampshire
-
-
Through detailed statistical analysis, this !wolf
economy
.0
5-
-
0
explains how the status of childien in New Hampshire ducal),
0- 00-
00
-
the bottom line for government, businesses and
-
affects
OS-
-
individuals in the state
0
0*
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8-
-
-
Childien's health and well-being aie impoi rant factors
60
-
New Hampshire's strong economy New Hampshire has the
O.
00
national rankings of
resources to continue to place highly on
the health and well-being of children, to be a desired place to
needed
laisc children and also, as highlighted hew, to make
The intent of this report is to poem- the
implovements
Figure 1: Average Annual Growth 1970-1993
and families, and
economic lationale for investing in children
statewide coalition of advocates
to build
for
stiongel
5.0%
a
4.5%
childien
4.0%
3.5%
We hope this KIDS COUNT wpoit will infoim you
3.0%
leave you with
issues and
deeper
about children's
a
2.5%
understanding of why children count for not only personal,
2.0% -
social and ethical reasons, but also for economic wasons And
1.5%
catalyst for
we hope the analysis presented hew will be a
1.0% -
efforts to
increasing public and private sector engagement in
0.5%
0.0%
improve child health and well-being
Employment
Population
Labor
Force
NH
ONE
I OUS
id0
high technology and substantial
The state's recent growth in
entrepreneurial activity has resulted in an "economic boom" in
different regions of the state and among families with different
Ellen Shemin, Piesident
to economic
levels of educational attainment. This has led
Children's Alliance of New Hampshire
prosperity for many, economic decline for others, and subsequent
11111111
Octobei, 2001
increasing economic inequality throughout the state.
New Hampshire's strong economic performance and economic
the so-called "Golden
prosperity have been concentrated
in
Triangle" (southern tier of the state) between Nashua, Manchester
11)
and Portsmouth and among those with a four-year college degree
and beyond. Many areas of the state have not experienced the
I
economic transformation to the "new New Hampshire economy"
Rockingham,
seen in the southern tier. On any economic measure,
111
Hillsborough, Merrimack and Belknap Counties fare well, while
1
4
Coos, Cheshire, Sullivan and Carroll Counties lag behind. So too,
poverty, living
in
single-parent
families,
living
with
and
poverty varies widely across the state and is highly correlated with
underemployed parents.'
broader economic measures.
The deleterious effects of living in poverty last
a lifetimeand often
As a result of these variations in economic growth and prosperity,
extend to the next generation. Children growing
up in poverty are
the gap between rich and poor in New Hampshire is growing
far more likely to experience health problems, school failure,
more rapidly than the national average. Over the
last two
substance abuse, early parenting, court involvement,
a lifetime of
decades, the average income in the top income quintile in New
lower wages, lower earning capacity, and
a greater likelihood of
Hampshire increased 50% (in real dollars) compared to
a decline
needing public assistance.
in real income for the lowest fifth.2
Despite what is known about the impact of child poverty, and
despite the state's increasing percentage of children living
in
poverty, New Hampshire has failed to increase investments in
Figure 2: Ratio of Top 20% to Bottom
children during the favorable economic climate of the past
20% on Family Income
decade. Today, New Hampshire ranks 42nd
among the states for
12
per capita spending on child development and family support
10
efforts.5
Indeed, over the past decade, New Hampshire has
8-
decreased its investments in services for children and families (by
23% per capita) while increasing spending on corrections. (by
6
44% per capita) and on the retirement system (by 45%
per
4
capita).6
2
0
Late 1970's
Late 1990s
Figure 3: Percent Change in NH Appropriations
0 NH O USA
Per Capita: 1991-2001
80
Retirement
System
60
of
Department
Corrections
Children and Families Left Behind
& 40
a
Travel and Tourism
20
The increasing economic disparity in the state is reflected in data
Community Technical
a,
Colleges
0
on children's health and well-being. National Kids Count reports
University of
consistently rank New Hampshire as one of the top states for
New Hampshire
-20
children, based upon aggregate data on ten key indicators of
Chi
sand
dren
TANF
Juvenile
Services
child health and well-being.'
Yet, New Hampshire children are
-40
falling behind on some key measures of economic security.
NH Center for Public Policy Studies, April 2001
Greater proportions of New Hampshire children are living in
II.
SEEING THE CONNECTIONS:
Child Well-Being in New Hampshire:
KIDS AND THE ECONOMY
A Study in Contrasts
It is not a coincidence that there is both good
.. ..
Nationally,
And yet
and bad news about the economy and about
New Hampshire has:
child well-being in New Hampshire. The
new
New Hampshire economy refers to the collective experience of
The lowest rate of infant mortality
31,000 children in the state live
individualsin families, in communities, and
across the state.
It is
in poverty, an 11% increase in
The lowest percentage of
easy to see the impact of economic conditions on children's well-
the poverty rate from 1990-
children living in poverty
beingparents are laid
off,
housing becomes unaffordable,
1998 (when the national rate
health insurance is dropped.
Although the impact of the health
The second lowest percent of
was flat)
and economic security of children on the broader statewide
low birth weight babies, child
During the same time period,
economy may be harder to see, it is no less real.
death, and teen births
The sections
the percentage of families
below illustrate
the connections between the economy, low
headed by a single parent rose
The third lowest percent of teens
educational attainment, and quality of life.
32%, ranking us 46th among
not attending school and. not
the states for percentage
working
Low Educational Attainment
change
The fifth lowest rate of teen
54,000 children live in working
deaths by accident, homicide or
poor families, in which at least
In the new economy, the best jobs go to those with higher
suicide
one adult works fifty weeks of
education. The recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s
was
the year and still cannot meet
a key factor in the growing gap between the top and middle
basic family needs.
income groups in New Hampshire.
During this recession, many
2
New Hampshire workers lost jobs in traditional manufacturing and
Figure 5: Earnings Grow With Educational
related industriesjobs that paid good wages and did not require
Attainment
advanced education. These types of employment opportunities
NH Mean Earnings by Educational Attainment
Structural changes in global,
have not returned, and never will.
$100,000
national and state economies mean that good wages are more
$86,975
$90,000
dependent than ever before on higher levels of educational
$80,000
attainment. And yet, New Hampshire youth are lagging behind
$70,000
$65,071
in high school completion and matriculation in higher education.
$60,000
$50,900
$50,000
$36,305
$40,000
$35,112
Declining High School Completion Rates
$29,792
$30,000
$22,114
$20,000
A negative ripple effect of New Hampshire's strong economy over
$10,000
the past few years is the increased high school non-completion
$0
MA/PHD
A sociate BA/BS
Prof. Degree
<HS Grad
HS Grod
Some
of students who ore motivated by short-term economic
rate
College
considerations. Students who drop out prior to completing high
school are acting without full cognizance of the lost lifetime
Youth who end their education with a high school degree have
result from not having a high school or post-
earnings that
limited prospects in the New Hampshire economy:2 For example,
secondary degree. Teenagers are at a developmental phase that
average annual income is 40% lower for high school graduates
often precludes thinking about their ability to earn money as they
than for those with a four-year college degree:3 The strong
get older or how they will fare in a different economic climate.
connection between education and income at the county level and
Given this perspective, working for $10 an hour at a job that
the individual level can be seen in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 ranks
doesn't require a high school degree seems like a good idea. Add
counties in terms of both per capita income and percent of adults
to this the fact that students may need or want to supplement family
with a four-year college degree or higher. Figure 5 illustrates how
income and don't find school engaging, and it seems like an even
mean income is strongly affected by educational attainment for
better idea.
individuals.
During the period of strong economic growth from 1993 to 2000,
The State Response
high school completion rates in New Hampshire decreased from
84% to 73 %.7 As a result of this decline, New Hampshire currently
New Hampshire's relatively low high school completion and post-
ranks 35th nationally in public high school graduation rates (with
secondary matriculation rates reflect, in part, New Hampshire's
This rate is not only lower than the
a current rate of 64.9%.)
continuing support of education at levels significantly below that of
is approximately 20% lower than
national average of 67%, it
In per capita spending on education at both the local
northern New England neighbors Maine (81.2%) and Vermont
other states.
and state level, New Hampshire ranks 14'h nationwide, below its
(79.7%).8 New Hampshire ranks only 14th in the percent of adults
northern New England neighbors (Maine and Vermont), and in
with a high school degree, which is well below its potential given
sharp contrast to its 6th place ranking in per capita income.
per capita income and relatively homogenous
6th rank in
its
population.9
At the post-secondary level, local and state support for New
Hampshire's public colleges ranks 49th in the nationabout half
Low Post Secondary Graduation Rates
the national average. As a result of this under-funding, the total
college costs for in-state students is the third highest in the nation."
What about New Hampshire students who do graduate from high
And New Hampshire funds scholarships and student aid at the
In New Hampshire today, approximately 66% of public
school?
lowest rate in the nation. The low level of state support for public
high school graduates go on to post-secondary education,1°
colleges and for in-state students has resulted in New Hampshire
compared to 75% in New Hampshire's economic peer states."
ranking 46th among all the states in the percentage of high school
graduates going on to college in state. This has resulted in a
"brain drain," with the best and brightest New Hampshire students
leaving the state.
Figure 4: Educational Attainment Affects Income
and Economic Performance Across Regions
Child Well-Being and Quality of Life
Quality of life has become an increasingly important criterion for
businesses when deciding where to relocate or expand. With a
tight skilled labor market, businesses increasingly locate where
their most valued employees (i.e., skilled workers) want to live.
When Scott McNealy, the CEO of Sun Microsystems, was asked
m
why his company opened a major new facility in Massachusetts,
Baas,
S toff ord
amain
Sullivan
Rockingham
iiiLlsorough
Grohe
Conol
Coos
In the
"That's where my workforce wants to live.
he explained:
IORank in % with BA Rank in Per Capita Income
old days workers lived where companies wanted them to work,
today companies locate where their workers want to live and raise
3
6
a family."' Baby boomer workers are a central component of
today's labor force, and they care a lot about the well-being of
Figure 8: Kids Count Rank and Social Capital are
Highly Correlated
children.'6
They are drawn to locations perceived to have
a high
quality of life, and business follows.
The strong correlation
1.8 -
ND
SD
between the well-being of children and overall quality of life is
VT
4AN
MT
1.2 -
clearly illustrated in Figure 6, which maps the fifty states including
NE
IA
0; OR ME
. WY
New Hampshire (in bold) according to its KIDS COUNT rank and
_ 0.6
UT
its Morgan Quitno Quality of Life Rank.'
CT
mA
AZ
ox
NT CA CA
MD
ID. 01
VPA
NM
VA
NJ
AR
Sc"C. WV K*
Figure 6: Kids Count Rank and Quality of Life are
A, TN
LA
1.2 - mS
GA
Highly Correlated
Correlation - 0,770
NV
NH
50
1.8
MA
0
20
10
30
40
50
IA
NJ
NE
WA
ND
40
ME
Kids Count Rank (50-Highest)
vT
CT
PA
MD
81
30
0H
respect to both social capital (seventh nationally) and child well-
SD
CA
T
being (first nationally).
I
20
mo
.NY
IL
DE
..
FL
T
VVV
NV
10
While difficult to quantify, social capital is
an asset for businesses
SO`
Correlation - 0.884
LA ,,/' A
that can result in improved recruitment and retention of business
AR
NM GA
MS
0
and labor, as well as higher productivity and lower absenteeism
16
20 24
28
32
36
at workplaces. So too, child well-being can be an asset that plays
Quality of Life
a vital role in weaving together the social fabric of communities.
The character of social interactions and the level of trust
among
Similarly, Figure 7 maps the strong relationship between KIDS
community members in New Hampshire are strongly influenced by
COUNT ranking and a state's concentration of high technology
the well-being of children.
Families in the state with children are
industrywhich reflects healthy economic performance."
more likely to know their neighbors and assume leadership
positions.2° The conditions of children affect social capital, and
social capital contributes to the efficiency of communities and
businesses, and to the efficiency of the overall state
economy.
Figure 7: Kids Count Rank and High Tech Industry are
Highly Correlated
90-
The Workforce: Today and Tomorrow
CO
NN
80 -
MA
70-
The shortage of skilled labor is an issue of great
CA
concern among
n
VA
rot
New Hampshire businesses.2'
As shown in
60 -
Figure 9, New
iiRD
NJ
TX
ID
CT U UT
*AZ
Hampshire's overall unemployment rates have been
SD
among the
-5 50 -
NY
GA
WANE
12
lowest in the nation throughout the late 90s.
An increasing
1 40-
IL
NM
NC
FL
RI
r
PA
number of New Hampshire businesses have
Al
a high technology
KS
30 -
OK
OH
.N.DME
mI
orientation and require high skilled workers. Over 50% of all
new
cSC
Ks4 DE
AR
IA
20 ..
'TN
WV
job openings today require a college-educated worker.
;ISA
Correlation - 0.433
In the
MT
WY
to
I
I
I
I
I
past, New Hampshire businessesparticularly in high technology
0
20
10
30
40
50
industriesrelied heavily on domestic in-migration
Kids Count Rank (50.Highest)
for
skilled
workers. Approximately three-quarters of adults with
a four-year
college degree or higher
in New Hampshire were born
Social Capital and Child Well-Being
Figure 9: Unemployment Rotes
Social capital refers to the web of relationships between and
6.0
among people that allow a community, economy, and state to
5.0
function.
The stronger and more positive relationships are in a
\
°
4.0
community, the greater the social capital and thus the higher the
LA
.....
13,. s
trust and cooperation among residents, both in their communities
3.0
a
,,,___.43,_-:-_,:te,----A---e
and at their workplaces.
2 2.0
Social capital is strongly correlated with many social conditions
1.0
of children.
including
Robert Putnam of Harvard
the
status
0.0
University has created an index to measure social capital for every
1995 1996 1997 1998
1999 2000 2001
2002 2003 2004 2005
state in the nation.'
Figure 8 illustrates the high correlation
NEEP 2001
between social capital and the conditions of children in New
io-Us
NH
A
-a- NE
Hampshire and elsewhere.
New Hampshire ranks high with
7
4
For those who are not child advocates, trying to draw firm
baby
elsewhere." Many of these in-migrants are highly educated
children
conclusions from a large number of data elements can be difficult,
boomers who moved to New Hampshire with young
it seem that measuring child well-beinglet alone
making
drawn by the state's scenic beauty, social capital, robust economy,
developing an agenda to address itmay simply be too complex
New Hampshire ranks
the
first
in
desirability.
and overall
Building on previous national and state
and daunting a task.
northeast in the percentage of the population that has moved to
KIDS COUNT work, this section introduces a Child Potential Index.
of
the state since 1980, and has the second highest percentage
The Child Potential Index offers a unique way to assess the degree
baby boomers among the fifty states."
in a community and the relationship that exists
of child
risk
between child well-being and economic well-being at both the
These baby boomers, in their high income and high spending
state and local level.
growth over the
years, helped fuel New Hampshire's economic
pool of
past two decades and provided the state with a strong
Valid summary measures like the Child Potential Index can
workers. But the strategy of "importing" a skilled workforce is not
in a compelling
communicate a large amount of information
sustainable. The New England states that provided us with skilled
manner. In addition, by helping to create a shared understanding
labor are experiencing their own labor market shortages as well
of the degree of child risk in a community, the Child Potential Index
New
populations. 24
as relatively slow growing and aging
address child
can serve as a catalyst for developing an agenda to
Hampshire's shortage of skilled labor is reflected in the recent
well-being at the local level.
lossto Coloradoof its number one rank in the percentage of
Today in New
total employment in high technology industries.
A Child Potential Index score was calculated for over 200 New
Hampshire, the size of the entry level workforce age group (age
Hampshire communities, summarizing the degree to which risk
25-44) is decreasing at a faster rate than the national average.
factors that limit children from realizing their full potential are
This phenomenon is occurring throughout New England, and is a
The index combines seven
in each community.'
present
serious economic concern.
risk known to be highly
community-level measures of child
correlated with poor outcomes for children.26 A high incidence of
Longer-term demographic trends together with current educational
these risk factors among children in a community can be expected
shortcomings suggest the likelihood of increased labor supply
to limit the long-term social and economic success of children as
both New Hampshire
for
opportunities
constraints and
lost
social and economic success of the
well as the
long-term
Businesses will not have the skilled
businesses and residents.
community as a whole. Scores range from a potential high of 100
workers they need, and too many residents, lacking skills, will fall
the community) to a
factors were present in
(if no child
risk
behind as the gap between New Hampshire's "haves" and "have
theoretical but unlikely score of 0 (if all child risk factors were present
nots" continues to widenthus continuing the cycle of poverty and
among all children in a community).
its significant social and economic costs.
The factors comprising the index affect the well-being of children
There is, however, an important bright spot in New Hampshire's
These factors focus attention on the
from the earliest days of life.
New Hampshire ranks 11th in the nation
demographic picture:
importance of early interventions that not only impact longer-term
and first in New England in the percent increase in 5-17 year olds
health and behavior patterns, but also have the greatest potential
Hampshire has the youngest
over the last decade. Indeed, New
for long term economic and social paybacks. The seven
median age in the region. These children and youth are the state's
components of the Child Potential Index are:
future workers, innovators and business owners and thus its most
important economic asset. The growth in the 5-17 year old group
Teen births as a percentage of all births
represents a significant opportunity if New Hampshire can take
Percentage of mothers who smoked during pregnancy
advantage of it by ensuring that all children and youth in the state
Percentage of births to single mothers
potential and
have the opportunity to develop to
their
full
contribute to the economy as productive citizens. Just as the state
Percentage of births to mothers with less than 12 years of education
physical
resourcessuch
as
economic
other
invests
in
Percentage of children receiving free or reduced lunch
infrastructure, roads and highways and information technology
Percentage of births to mothers not receiving prenatal care
it needs to invest in its human capitalchildren and youth. Sound
Unemployment rate'
investments today will ensure that New Hampshire has a skilled
workforce tomorrow.
Scores for New Hampshire communities on the Child Potential
Index range from a high of 98.7 in South Hampton (indicating a
III. THE CHILD POTENTIAL INDEX:
low presence of child risk factors and a greater chance that
MEASURING THE ECONOMIC
children in that community will realize their full potential) to a low
of 67.1 in Franklin. A listing of high and low scoring towns is
IMPACT OF CHILD
WELL-
(next page) and a complete listing of scores
presented in Table 1
BEING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
by community and quintile is presented in Appendix B.
There is growing awareness of the connection between child well-being
and the economic health of communities and regions. As a result, there
is growing interest in developing measures of child well-being that can
be used by citizens, businesses, and public policy makers to assess
both the status of children and its social and economic implications.
5
Table 1: There are Significant Differences in the Presence of
Figure 11: Child Potential Index Scores and the
Child Risk Factors Among NH Communities
Kids Count "Wealth Clusters"
are Highly Correlated
Index of Child Potential Scores
Top
86
Score Bottom
Score
84.8
Hampton
South
98.72
Franklin
67.10
Waterville
84
98.09
Errol
68.60
Hanover
98.03
82.2
Stratford
70.50
82
97.69
Kingston
East
Winchester
75.10
80.8
Sharon
97.32
Sunapee
75.70
80
New Castle
97.23
Claremont
76.30
Bedford
97.04
Barrington
76.30
77.9
78
Durham
96.98
Newport
76.50
76.4
96.89
Lyme
Farmington
77.60
76
Brookline
96.60
Laconia
78.00
Hollis
Dolton
96.58
78.10
74
Bow
96.08
Greenfield
78.20
Plainfield
96.07
Ossipee
78.30
72
Amherst
96.07
Lancaster
79.00
2
3
4
5
96.00
Rye
Lisbon
79.10
Kensington
95.96
Pittsfield
Kids Count "Wealth Cluster"
79.30
Atkinson
95.90
Brookfield
79.70
N ewf i elds
95.84
Stewartstown
79.80
Windham
Haverhill
95.81
79.80
economic prospects.3° Child Potential Index scores for
over 200
New Hampshire communities suggest that child risk factors
are
Regional Differences
strongly correlated with economic and social indicators such
as
population and business growth, unemployment, educational
achievement scores, per capita income, and the
Significant variation
percentage of
Child Potential Index scores
in
occurs
children receiving public assistance.'
throughout the state. Grouping community
scores on the Child
Potential Index by county (Figure 10) confirms that while
some
Grouping New Hampshire communities into quintiles according
north versus south disparities do exist-Rockingham has the
to
their Child Potential Index scores (with the 1" quintile having the
highest scores while Coos has among the lowest-the
pattern is
highest scores) reveals the relationship between the Child Potential
more complex. For example, northern counties such as Grafton
Index and key social and economic variables. Figures 12 and
and Carroll score as high or higher than
13
more southern counties
show how Child Potential Index scores
are related to population
such as Strafford.28 Communities with high levels of child risk
are
located in the southern as well as the western part of the
state.
Similarly, many communities in the north and west have relatively
Figure 12: Child Well-Being is a Powerful
lower levels of child risk.
Attraction at the Community Level
Population Growth 1990-1999
20.0%
Figure 10: The Pattern of Child Risk in NH is
17.7%
18.0%
More Complex than "North vs South"
16.0%
Child Potential Index Scores by County
14.0%
183.?
Rockingham
12.0% -
11.0%
[ 81.2
Hillsborough
10.0%
8.8%
180.7
Grafton
8.0%
80.1
6.8%
Merrimack
L.8
6.0%
Carroll
79 6
4.0%
3.3%
Strafford
2.0%
79
Cheshire
78.7
0.0%
Belknap
2nd
1st
3rd 4th
5th
[ 76.4
Sullivan
Child Potential Index Quintile
76.3
Coos
72
70
74
76
78
80
84
82
86
LO Unweighted 0 Weighted
Figure 13: Business Growth Follows
Population Growth
Business Growth 1988-1999
Community level scores can be aggregated in other
ways such as
80.0% -
by labor market area, hospital service area, school administrative
unit, or non-geographic groupings such as the "wealth clusters"
63.0%
60.0%
used in prior New Hampshire KIDS COUNT analyses.29 As Figure
11 shows, communities in higher wealth clusters have higher Child
47.0%
Potential Index scores.
40.0%
36.6%
35.7%
What Child Potential Index Scores Tell Us About
a
20.0%
Community
10.9%
0.0%
Child Potential Index scores provide significant insight about
a
2nd
1 of
3rd 4th
5th
community's overall economic and social health and its long-term
Child Potential Index Quintile
6