FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JANUARY 12, 2005
Contact:
Marci Bransdorf, The Annie E. Casey Foundation / 410.223.2852 / mbransdorf@aecf.org
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New KIDS COUNT Data Book Examines Child Well-Being in America’s Rural Communities and Large Cities
Special Report Shows that Children Growing Up in Isolated Rural Communities Often Share the Same Disadvantages Found in Inner-City Neighborhoods
Baltimore -- A new report is now available from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that uses 10 key measures of child well-being to track the conditions of children living in the rural (non-metropolitan) portion of each state as well as 71 large cities across the country.
“The City and Rural KIDS COUNT Data Book shows that child poverty is well above the national average in isolated rural communities as well as large cities,” said Dr. William O’Hare, KIDS COUNT coordinator at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Too many children are not getting the kinds of support they need to develop into responsible, productive adults.”
The City and Rural KIDS COUNT Data Book, based on figures from the 2000 Census, also provides data to compare the well-being of children in rural areas in each state to those in large cities in each state.
“It is most critical that we focus on the fact that low-income working families in big cities and rural areas often share the same kinds of problems, barriers, and disconnections,” said Douglas W. Nelson, president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “This report provides the objective evidence and data needed to help policymakers make better decisions for kids and families.”
The 10 indicators used to compare the well-being of children living in rural areas and large cities address poverty, family structure, parental employment, housing affordability, and education.
A Rural KIDS COUNT Pocket Guide and a City KIDS COUNT Pocket Guide are also available to accompany the Data Book. Each publication can be viewed online or downloaded at www.kidscount.org. Free copies can be ordered on the website or by phoning the Annie E. Casey Foundation publications hotline at 410.223.2890.
For more information, or to request an interview with the report’s author, please contact Marci Bransdorf at 410.223.2852 or mbransdorf@aecf.org.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a data-driven, private charitable organization dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children, families, and communities in the United States. For more information, please visit www.aecf.org.