DOCUMENT RESUME PS 029 917 ED 462 137 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book, 2001: State, Regional TITLE and County Profiles of Child Well-Being in North Dakota. North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks. North Dakota Kids Count. INSTITUTION Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD. SPONS AGENCY 2001-00-00 PUB DATE 158p.; For 2000 Fact Book, see ED 445 790. Financial support NOTE also provided by Dakota Medical Foundation and Children's Services Coordinating Committee. North Dakota KIDS COUNT! P.O. Box 7090, University of North AVAILABLE FROM Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202-7090 ($20, includes postage Tel: 701-777-4916; Fax: 701-777-4459; e-mail: and handling) . [email protected]. Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports - Descriptive PUB TYPE (141) MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Adolescents; Birth Weight; Child Abuse; *Child Health; Child DESCRIPTORS Neglect; Child Safety; Child Welfare; *Children; *Counties; Demography; Economic Status; Elementary Secondary Education; Expenditure per Student; Family (Sociological Unit); Family Violence; Foster Care; Infants; One Parent Family; Out of School Youth; Poverty; Prenatal Care; Preschool Education; Safety; *Social Indicators; State Surveys; Statistical Surveys; Tables (Data); *Well Being Arrests; *Indicators; *North Dakota; Project Head Start IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This KIDS COUNT fact book details statewide and county trends in the well-being of North Dakota's children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators of children's well-being in seven areas: (1) (3) economic condition; (2) family composition; (4) child care; population; (6) education; and (7) children at risk. The report begins (5) child health; with an overview of the data's organization, criteria for data selection, data presentation, and data limitations. The bulk of the report then presents data for 8 geographical regions of the state, followed by profiles for each of the state's 53 counties, including multi-year trend data. The final section provides indicators, definitions and data sources, and summarizes North Dakota KIDS COUNT project activities over the past 6 years. Important findings from the report include a decrease in the number of children in the state; increase in low birth weight babies but a decrease in the number of mothers receiving inadequate prenatal care; decrease in the number of child abuse and neglect victims; increase in the number of high school dropouts; and a decrease in the number of children in families receiving TANF, but an increase in the number of children eligible for Medicaid. (HTH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 2001 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book State, Regional and County Profiles of Child Well-Being in North Dakota U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 'tea'k'Th 4, PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND , DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 4 6 Lr kids count north dakota 2 I BEST COPY AVAILABLE This book is dedicated to those who work go build future can children inherit and pass ON... z Dm2e) la]Cop TERCni da cota 3 LT Project Partners Project Advisors MEM OUNSIMIU Dr. Kenneth Dawes, Professor Emeritus Department of Social Work Ann M. Lochner, Director University of North Dakota North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Ms. Tara Muhlhauser, Assistant Dean Michelle L. Bowles, Research Specialist School of Law North Dakota KIDS COUNT! University of North Dakota EAUEA C@LIECTIN Mr. Paul Ronningen, Director 0 Children and Family Services Division Dr. Richard Rathge, Director N.D. Department of Human Services State Data Center North Dakota State University Dr. Jean Gullicks, F.N.P. Child Development Specialist Karen Olson, Research Analyst Altru Clinic DeMers State Data Center North Dakota State University Dr. Mike Jacobsen, Professor Department of Social Work iirii University of North Dakota Dr. Debra Gebeke North Dakota Children's Services Education Consultant Coordinating Committee North Dakota State University County North Dakota Regional Children's Services Extension Staff Coordinating Committees NEM MEIMON Dr. Linda Olson School of Medicine and Health Sciences MU MAE 0 OM University of North Dakota Flint Communications Ms. Carol Meshefski The Village Family Service Center EN ELK 011111SUMEDIS Peter Lochner Ms. Edie Dahlen Community Violence Intervention Center HORNE EIPPNIT Dr. Paul Dauphinais, Psychologist Annie E. Casey Foundation Turtle Mountain Agency Schools Dakota Medical Foundation Ms. Helen Danielson Children's Services Coordinating Committee Lutheran Social Services Mr. Charles Zick, Principal J. Nelson Kelly Elementary School Ms. Rosemarie Myrdal Former Lieutenant Governor State of North Dakota Foreword 6 Organization of Data 6 Data Enformation 7 Criteria for Data Selection 7 Changes in Data Presentation 7 Data Limitations 7 ehind the Numbers The Message 7 Overview: Categories and 9 - 23 Indicators of Child eing Wellil- State, Region, and County Data 25 North Dakota Regions Map 26 North Dakota Counties Map 27 State Data 28 - 29 Region Data 30 - 45 County Data 46 - 151 Definitions and Data Sources 152 - 157 Summary 158 - 159 5 (-51 The 2001 North Dakota KIDS KIDS COUNT is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which seeks to track COUNT! Fact Book has been designed the status of children across the United States and within individual states. The to offer child well-being data on national KIDS COUNT program publishes an annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, county, regional, and state levels in a variety of formats. Our hope is to ranking state performance on ten indicators of educational, social, economic, and accommodate the many uses Fact Book physical well-being of children. State KIDS COUNT programs publish yearly readers have indicated are important to reports detailing child well-being in local communities where children live. Both their respective applications of North national and state KIDS COUNT programs strive to document conditions affecting Dakota child well-being data. The 2001 children in the areas where they live so that national, state, and local decision- Fact Book is divided into four main making can more effectively address their needs. sections: Overview, Data Pages, Defini- tions and Data Sources, and a Summary The North Dakota KIDS COUNT! project is one of fifty state projects sponsored by section. The Overview section contains a summary of state trend data over the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It is housed in the University of North Dakota available years. "North Dakota Analy- Department of Social Work, and is a collaboration of partners sharing responsibility sis" segments reflect change over time for data collection, education, and public awareness activities. The 2001 North for indicators which can be uniformly Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book is the seventh Fact Book published by the North compared. As a complement to this Dakota KIDS COUNT! project. As with previous Fact Books, this year's edition discussion, "Implications for Children has been designed to measure child well-being through seven categories of indica- and Their Families" segments offer tors reflecting critical issues for children from prenatal through adolescent stages of insight about implications of trends for North Dakota child well-being. Data development. The front narrative sections have been designed to reflect the pages are divided into two components: differences evident in indicators over the past several years for the state as a whole, background indicators presenting the and suggests important insights about their importance for North Dakota children most recent available child well-being and their families. This approach offers perspective and early warning about information in seven categories of potential areas of concern, giving local and regional audiences a place to start in indicators; and trend data detailing considering how children in these smaller areas have been affected by state trends. three years of data for child well-being There is evidence that challenges do not affect North Dakota children equally. It is indicators that change yearly. Note that extremely important for local and regional audiences to carefully weigh evidence of on the data pages, NA means "not applicable," while NR means "not unmet needs reflected in regional and county data pages so that their children can reported." Definitions and Data benefit from early attention to the issues which pose the biggest threat to their Sources supply complete explanations healthy growth and development. about indicator definitions, along with information sources for respective data. North Dakota KIDS COUNT! is in its seventh year as a state KIDS COUNT Finally, the Summary section presents project. During the past year, the project has continued partnerships with the Annie basic policy guidelines intended to help E. Casey Foundation, the state Children's Services Coordinating Committee, and our state's youngest citizens realize their full potential. Data contained in the Dakota Medical Foundation. All of these organizations share a commitment to the 2001 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! improving the lives of North Dakota children by promoting their health and well- Fact Book include Native American being through a variety of activities. The support of these organizations is greatly children living off reservations in all appreciated, as are their respective efforts on behalf of North Dakota children. The sections. Native American children Casey Foundation has awarded North Dakota KIDS COUNT! (in partnership with living on reservations are included in the KIDS COUNT programs in Nebraska and South Dakota) a grant to study the Head Start data, Census data, Vital needs of low-income families and their children in rural areas. It is hoped that this Statistics, child care data, and all edu- rural collaboration will uncover new insights about the needs of families raising cation data, except special education data. All data referenced in this publi- children in rural areas that will lead to better resource development tailored to their cation were collected by North Dakota unique circumstances. KIDS COUNT! unless otherwise indi- cated. Cited data contributors are the final authority for all indicators. 6 6 2001 KIDS COUNT! IN NORTH DAKOTA For the most part, data have been selected which best portray outcomes related to While the focus of North Dakota KIDS child well-being, rather than programmatic data reflecting only those children in a COUNT! is on the well-being of our particular service population. Programmatic data have been used when they are the children, there is also recognition that best or only available measure of children affected by a particular condition, such their successful journey to adulthood is as children who are in respective special education categories. In these instances, affected by many factors beyond their caution must be exercised in assessing the actual number of children whose lives control and sphere of influence. A reporter recently asked why the condition may be touched by a given situation, due to variations in the application of referral of children should be a concern..."whose criteria. Overall, indicators have been chosen on the basis of their availability by responsibility are they anyway?" This county; the validity of data sources; the ability to convey a broad array of child question has haunted me and challenged me to coin a response that would outcomes; the extent to which they provide for common interpretation; the possibil- motivate the many people who use North ity of their being available over time; and their usefulness as a tool to track long- Dakota KIDS COUNT! data to move the term trends in child outcomes. obstacles that prevent too many children from reaching the peaks of their potential. The most simple and direct answer to this PRESE ATI DATA question is that it's the right thing to do. Generations of parents, teachers, In the 2001 North Dakota KIDS COUNT! Fact Book, background indicators report philanthropists, religious leaders, and the most recent data available for each category of child well-being, while trend decision makers on all levels have played indicators have been chosen to reflect important elements of child well-being, for a role in creating the world we have bequeathed our children today. The which multiple years of data provide a meaningful lens. Together, background and difference about today's world and trend indicators create a "profile" of child well-being for counties, regions, and the today's children is that there have been state. Readers are urged to refer to the "Definitions and Data Sources" section of more disconnections than connections in the Fact Book for a complete explanation of data collection methodology for each families and the environments that once supported them. Most families require indicator. Note the following changes in indicators and/or data collection methodol- more than one income - sometimes even ogy for the 2001 North Dakota IUDS COUNT! Fact Book: "Juvenile Court" data more than two jobs to provide the basics have been modified to maintain consistency with new Juvenile Court reporting for their children. Economic times have procedures, and will now be referred to as "Juvenile Offenses." These data changed, resulting in lower wages for many parents, with fewer benefits. represent the total number of offenses reported to Juvenile Court, rather than the Technological advances have vastly number of referrals to Juvenile Court, and are not comparable to previous Fact improved communications, but created a Books. The multi-year trend indicator, "Juveniles Referred to Juvenile Court," has global marketplace where competition is been deleted because data representing juveniles referred under the new system of fierce and jobs are fleeting. Financial pressures are commonplace and the hope reporting offenses were not available at the time of publication. Finally, because of providing high quality early education, we are including the new subcategory of "Alcohol Offenses," with the "Juvenile in addition to the nurturing and tangible Offenses" data, we have eliminated the indicator, "Juvenile Arrests for Liquor Law resources children need to grow up Violations." healthy are out of reach for a growing number of families. More parents are rearing children alone and facing the pressures of raising a family with little personal or societal support. Neighbor- Perhaps the most significant limitation encountered in striving to report indicators hoods have lost their role as informal helping networks with families spending by county is the fact that some data are simply not available by county. For ex- fewer hours at home. The pace of life is ample, neither immunization statistics nor the number of uninsured children is often hectic at work and at home, and available for counties. An additional challenge is the fact that 1990 Census data, children are in the care of teachers for the although eleven years old, are the most reliable data source for some North Dakota largest part of their days. Some go home alone to wait for their parents to return demographic data. However, this will change as 2000 Census data are released. from work. To return to the question More updated data sources for demographic information are typically based on "whose responsibility are they?" averages which can be more difficult to interpret for counties with very small everyone shares a stake in the success of populations. There are also data sources, such as the yearly Youth Risk Behavior every child. Partnerships among parents and grandparents, business, religious, Survey, that cannot be reported by county because survey results are weighted to educational, recreational, and other represent only those students who actually complete the survey, rather than all community resources must be supported students by location. Changes in data collection methodology among data contribu- by policies which enable them to tors also periodically affect comparability of data over years, as is the case with this reconstruct the web of support so vital to the success of every child and family. year's Juvenile Court data. 7 2001 KIDS COUNT! IN NORTH DAKOTA 7 DiMal2N9 There is increas- nition reco that the ability of children to successfully reach adukhood is affected by factors many beyond their control and sphere of influence. z CC&D1:017filli rrooDTECfn] ota da 9 2001 KIDS COUNT! IN NORTH DAKOTA Trin ItrIM u I Between 1990 and 1999, o Population losses in rural North Dakota counties continue to affect the North Dakota observed a 16% numbers of children living in these areas. Between 1990 and 1999, the state loss in the number of children experienced a sixteen percent loss in the number of children ages 0-5, and a ages 0-5. seventeen percent loss in the number of children ages 5-9, with the majority During the same time period, of counties also recording losses in the 10-14 age group. As the o map below the number of children ages illustrates, only four of fifty-three counties saw increases in their child 5-9 decreased 17%. population during the 1990-1999 decade. This information suggests that families with young children have continued their exodus from the state, and Only 4 of the state's 53 O this trend is expected to extend into the twenty-first century. North Dakota's counties experienced steadily declining birth rate is also reflected in these figures. In contrast to increases in their child population during the decade. declines in the youth population, the number of individuals eighty-five years of age and older increased in every county, with a total increase of almost The number of individuals o thirty-two percent for the state as a whole during the past ten years. 85 and older has increased almost 32%. The ethnic diversity of the state's children has continued to change during the The number of white children o past ten years. The number of white children under age nineteen has de- under age 19 has decreased by creased by ten percent between 1990 and 1999, while the number of children 10% between 1990-1999. identified as Black, American Indian, or Asian has increased by at least ten Children identified as Hispanic percent for each ethnic group. Children identified as Hispanic origin of any o origin of any race have risen race have risen dramatically increasing forty-one percent during the dramatically increasing 41% past decade. during the same time period. 19901999 PERCENTAGE CHANGE PERSONS AGES 0411) IN IES: COU TiH,DAKOTA Percentage Change in Persons I I Age 0 to 18: 1990-1999 Divide Renville Bottineau Burke Pembina Cavalier Rolette Decline: -32.25 %-to -18.35% Towner t_ Decline: -18.34% to 0% 1 Increase: 0% to 15.55% 1 Williams Walsh Ramsey McHenry Mountrail Pierce I Ward -- Benson Grand Forks Nelson 1 Eddy Sheridan Wells Traill Steele Griggs Foster 1 Stutsman Kidder Burleigh Cass Golden Barnes 1 Valley Stark 11 Morton Slope Ransom La Moure Hettinger Logan I Grant Richland Emmons Bowman Sioux Adams Sargent Dickey McIntosh 9 10 2001 KIDS COUNT! IN NORM DAKOTA T "Policies that i dress With the growth of the elderly population and the decline of the youth O population, the needs of these two dependent groups will increasingly be needs such as chi competing for resources difficult to obtain. The key is for leaders on all care and health levels to explore solutions that can effectively address the needs of both groups in their local communities. benefits become Almost half of North Dakota's population resides in rural places, O elements in essen 1.111 compared to 24.8% for the United States as a whole. Ensuring rural the repopu etion and children the resources they need to successfully reach adulthood challenges local communities to connect families with the supports they revitalization of rural need to successfully raise their children (Beeson and Strange, 2000). communities." O A recent study finds that North Dakota outranks many states in "quality of life" measures, but falls almost last in net-migration, the formation of new companies, long-term economic growth, and average annual pay. Clearly, Sources economic development strategies that support families are key to the revitalization of communities ("North Dakota Dead Last in Employment Beeson, Elizabeth and Marty Strange. (August 2000). Why Rural Matters: The Growth," 2000). Need for Every State to Take Action on DC: Rural Rural Education. Washington, With some 65% of North Dakota public schools located in rural areas, and School and Community Trust. O 35% of rural schools experiencing enrollment declines of at least 10%, Lichter, Daniel T., Diane K. McLaughlin, and policies tailored specifically to rural education are critical to the state's Gretchen Cornwell. (1995). "Migration educational performance (Beeson and Strange, 2000). and the Loss of Human Resources in Rural America." In L. Beaulieu and D. Mulkey (Eds.), Investing in People: The Human As service-sector jobs have replaced higher paying employment O and Capital Needs of Rural America. opportunities in many rural areas, policies that address needs such as Boulder, CO: Westview Press. child care and health benefits become essential elements in the "North Dakota Dead Last in Employment repopulation and revitalization of rural communities (Lichter, et.al., Growth." (2000). Washington, DC: The 1995). Corporation for Enterprise Development. 1930- 1999 HUY AKOTA CHI NORTH TRENDS RE 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 con 100,000 80,000 -^ 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1940 1950 1930 1960 1970 1980 1990 1999 0 Children Less than 10 Years 0 Persons 65 Years and Older 1 0 2001 KIDS COUNT! IN NORTH DAKOTA II