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Rhode Island Ranked in Bottom Half of Country in 'Kids Count' Report
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual "Kids Count" survey ranked the Ocean State No. 26.
Rhode Island was ranked No. 26 in a new report that surveyed the well-being of children in all 50 states.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation'sannual "Kids Count" report was based on factors like financial support, education, and health care.
"The fact that more Rhode Island children are living in families without a full-time employed parent shows that the negative economic impacts of the recession continue to be felt among Rhode Island families," the report said. "Rhode Island must work toward ensuring that parents have strong job skills for stable, good-paying jobs, while at the same time increasing access to high-quality education for all children so they will have the education and skills to compete when they are adults."
The following statistics were reported for the Ocean State:
- 33 percent of children in Rhode Island were living in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment
- 62 percent of fourth graders were not proficient in reading
- 66 percent of fourth graders were not proficient in math
Here's the "Kids Count" rankings for all New England states:
- 1. Massachusetts
- 2. Vermont
- 4. New Hampshire
- 7. Connecticut
- 14. Maine
- 26. Rhode Island
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