For Immediate Release

 

June 7, 2010

 

Contact: Nancy Parello, 973-643-3876

 

Morris Tops Kids Count Rankings,

 Atlantic Comes in Last

 

Morris County ranked number one out of all New Jersey counties in overall child well-being and Atlantic County ranked last, according to New Jersey Kids Count data released today. Kids Count compared counties on 16 measures, including child health, safety and education.

Morris, Somerset, Hunterdon, Bergen and Middlesex were the top five ranking counties, while Atlantic, Cumberland, Salem, Hudson and Camden were the five lowest. Morris edged Hunterdon out for the first place spot, while Cumberland moved up from last, replaced by Atlantic County.

“Kids Count county profiles arm local leaders with information to make smart decisions about targeting scarce resources to improve the well-being of all New Jersey children,” said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of ACNJ. “Comparing counties paints a much clearer picture of how children and families are faring and highlights both progress and areas that need improvement.”

Reflecting the economic downturn, every county saw an increase in its unemployment rate, with most rates more than doubling. Cape May had the highest unemployment at 16.4 percent and the largest increase from 2005 when the county’s jobless rate was 6.4 percent. Hunterdon had the lowest 2009 rate at 6.9 percent.

All but four counties – Bergen, Cape May, Somerset and Sussex -- posted increases in child poverty. Hudson County had the highest percent of children growing up in poverty at 23 percent in 2008, a 4 percent increase over 2004. Somerset had the lowest at 2 percent, a 2 percent drop from 2008.

“The increase in child poverty and unemployment means that more families are struggling to provide for their children,” Zalkind said. “These rates are likely to rise even more, as the most current child poverty rates reflect conditions in 2008. So, the true effects of the recession are not yet reflected in the data.

“To make matters worse, thousands of families may lose many of the supports they count on because of proposed cuts to the state budget,” Zalkind added.

Kids Count uses indicators like poverty, income, child health and test scores to draw a statistical portrait of the well-being of New Jersey’s children. Following are some key trends in this year’s rankings.

Housing Costs. All but four counties – Cape May, Middlesex, Morris and Sussex, posted increases in the percent of families paying more than the recommended 30 percent of income on rent. Ocean had the highest and the greatest increase, going from 55 percent in 2005 to 75 percent in 2008. Sussex saw the largest drop at 9 percent, with 45 percent of families paying too much for rent in 2008.

School Breakfast. New Jersey continues to lag in providing breakfast to eligible children. In 16 of the 21 counties, less than 40 percent of all eligible children were receiving breakfast in school. Even in the highest-ranking county -- Cape May -- only 65 percent of eligible children received school breakfast. In Hunterdon County, which received the lowest marks, only 13 percent of eligible children received school breakfast in the 2008-09 school year. Proposed cuts to state funding of this program could result in even fewer children receiving school breakfast, Zalkind said.

Foster Care Placements.  Nine counties saw a drop in the rate of children in foster care placements. Salem had the largest decline at 8 percent. Warren had the largest increase at 4 percent. Seven counties posted no change in this measure of child well-being.

“It’s our hope that local, county and state leaders and advocates will use this information to improve the well-being of all New Jersey children,” Zalkind said.

 

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Kids Count is a national and state-by-state statistical effort to track the state of children in the United States, sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Association for Children of New Jersey is a statewide child research and action organization and the New Jersey Kids Count grantee.

 

The Association for Children of New Jersey, 35 Halsey Street, Newark, NJ 07102 973-643-3876, www.acnj.org