If a child came home with the same report card that a leading children's advocacy group has given California adults for their level of support for kids, someone would likely be grounded. In a stark assessment of the well-being of California's kids, Children Now released a report card today that gives the state "D" grades for its K-12 education system, its response to an epidemic in childhood obesity and the general economic security of children in a state in which one child in five lives in poverty.
"We are tough graders," Ted Lempert, president of the Oakland-based advocacy group, said Tuesday. "But the state simply has to do more."
In some areas, notably access to health insurance and infant health, the report acknowledges progress has been made and that even more improvement may be ahead. Both those areas were given "B" grades, in the case of infant health, a "B+."
"I expect to see better grades in the near future," Lempert said. "The good news is that kids' issues are starting to get some of the attention they deserve."
Support, results criticized
But in the biggest-ticket item, public education, Children Now joins a growing list of independent groups that score California poorly for its schools - both for the level of financial support from the state and for the performance of students on nationwide tests.
Adjusting California's level of funding for schools for the state's cost of living, the group ranks the state 44th in the nation in school spending. It notes that California's student-to-teacher ratio is one-third higher than the national average and that the state ranks last in the ratio of students to librarians and guidance counselors.
While not calling for a specific increase in funding, Children Now recommends that the state "invest sufficient funding and resources to ensure that every child learns in a safe, well-supported classroom" and that it "enact policies to retain and recruit qualified teachers for every California classroom."
Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Chuck Weis called the report "right on target" and suggested the group might have actually been a little generous in its grading of schools. "I think they gave a gentleman's 'D,' actually," he said.
Weis called the report an indictment of California adults and their priorities.
'Second-class schools'
"We're at the point where parents have big mansions and expensive foreign cars, but their kids go to second-class schools," he said. "The most important thing about being an adult is that you have a responsibility to children. ... We're here to make the world a better place, and I'm not sure we're doing it."
The report suggests that a targeted public policy focus can make a difference, Lempert said. Several years ago, the state began a concerted effort to expand prenatal care for expectant mothers, and the effort has paid dividends. There is a rising percentage of mothers receiving prenatal care, and the infant mortality rate in California is now well below the national average. In addition, a smaller percentage of California babies have a low birth weight than those nationally.
"Infant health has gotten a lot of attention for quite a while now, and you're seeing results," Lempert said. "Compare that with how we're doing with childhood obesity."
More obese youngsters
The report notes that the percentage of obese youngsters has climbed dramatically since 2001 and now stands at 28 percent. Further, about three-quarters of fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders do not meet state standards for physical fitness.
The group recommends that daily physical education classes be restored for elementary school students and that students be given greater access to nutritious foods in preschool and after-school programs.
Children Now is supporting two statewide initiatives now circulating for a possible vote in 2006 that would enact tax increases to support children's programs. One would raise tobacco taxes to fund expanded access to health insurance for kids, and the other would raise income taxes on families making more than $400,000 to fund a statewide program of voluntary, universal preschool.
Lisa Bergevin, chairman of the Ventura County First 5 Commission, said local efforts to expand preschool are making a difference in the county.
"We do have a huge shortage of subsidized child care," she said. "But if you're looking at subsidized preschool opportunities, I think we should get an 'A.' "
Bergevin said the statewide preschool initiative would help Ventura County's efforts because it focuses not just on expanding preschool but also on raising the level of professionalism by phasing in a requirement that preschool teachers have the same level of training - and get paid commensurately - as kindergarten teachers.
The No. 1 children's issue in Ventura County, she said, is expanding after-school programs for elementary school students. The reason: That's where the kids are.
She noted that the 2000 census showed the population of children from ages 5 to 14 had grown by about 25 percent in the previous decade, while the number of children young than 5 had grown by a little less than 7 percent.
On the Net: http://www.childrennow.org
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