| CMSL Executive Summary |
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Executive Summary 2007 Children of Metropolitan St. Louis Report Vision for Children at Risk More than 583,000 young people under the age of 18 reside in the five core counties of the St. Louis region (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County in Missouri and Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois). This eighth edition of the Children of Metropolitan St. Louis (CMSL) report finds that large disparities continue to exist related to the health and well-being of St. Louis area children. Just under 165,000 children ? almost 30% in this five-county area ? reside in ZIP codes where risks to their well-being are severe. ? Children who reside in the City of St. Louis are disproportionately impacted by the risks examined here. Of the 18 ZIP codes that make up the City, 14 ? or almost 78% ? have a severe risk ranking. This compares to 20% of St. Clair County ZIP codes, 20% of ZIP codes that make up St. Louis County, 9.4% of Madison County ZIP codes, and no St. Charles County ZIP codes. The risks to health and well-being are most severe for minority children. Thirty-five ZIP codes in the five-county region have a minority population above the national norm of 33%. Twenty-eight, or 80%, of these ZIP codes fall in the severe risk category. An additional six ZIP codes rank in the high risk category. This translates into 97% of ZIP codes with a minority population greater than the U.S. average falling into the severe-to-high risk category. All 14 of the St. Louis City ZIP codes in the severe risk category have a minority population greater than the national average. In the past few years collaborative community initiatives have advanced the well-being of children in the St. Louis region. A few examples include: a local funding consortium coming together to support the St. Louis Aging Out Initiative for young people leaving the foster care system; formation of the St. Louis Family & Community Partnership, a forty-agency coalition working to reduce child abuse and increase foster parent recruitment; initiation of the After School for All Partnership (ASAP), lead by ARCHS and St. Louis for Kids, creating a coordinated system of after-school programs; and the work of the St. Louis Metropolitan Children?s Agenda to build broad-based community support for public education through the community forum series, A Public Dialogue on Public Education and formation of a St. Louis public education coalition. Also during this time period, funding has begun to flow to children?s services agencies in the City of St. Louis, and in Jefferson and St. Charles counties from the Children?s Services Funds established in each of those jurisdictions in late 2004. It is our hope that in the coming years these initiatives ? as well as even more intensive and broad-based efforts ? will produce better outcomes for those St. Louis area children most at risk. Lessons learned from other communities demonstrate that efforts to improve the health and well-being of children and youth can no longer be addressed from the traditional base provided by nonprofits, social service agencies, and philanthropic organizations alone. The leadership, resources, and support of the civic and corporate sectors are needed to improve the future of our region by strategically investing to promote the well-being of youth. Providing children with quality opportunities to learn, grow, and develop greatly increases the chances that they will become healthy, productive members of our society. Taking that step is essential to creating a more vital and sustainable St. Louis region. Data highlights from the critical needs areas addressed by the Children of Metropolitan St. Louis report and the St. Louis Children?s Agenda initiative appear below. Data Highlights for Children?s Fundamental Need Areas Family Support Children need loving and competent adult caregivers to provide them with a safe and secure environment. Unfortunately, too many children are not given the opportunity to grow and thrive in a supportive home ? the place where their safety should be guaranteed. In the most extreme cases, children are taken out of their homes and placed in alternative care. The national alternative care rate per 1,000 children under 18 was 7.0 in 2005. In the five core counties of the St. Louis region, 35 ZIP codes exceed the national rate. Of these, 8 have rates more than double the national average. Economically Viable Families and Communities The employment of parents is a key factor in determining whether the fundamental life needs of children are met. Between 2001 and 2003, the number of parents unemployed for long periods of time (six months or longer) more than tripled. Although the national unemployment rate had gone from 5.0% in 2003 to 4.5% in April 2007, rates in the St. Louis community have not declined significantly. There are 68 ZIP codes in this region where unemployment rates are greater than the national rate. Early Childhood Development Two types of data are presented related to early childhood development and child care: licensed child care capacity and the weekly market rate for child care. Throughout the region there is a shortage of licensed child care for infants and toddlers. Affordability of quality child care for low-income families is determined predominantly by the amount the state pays in child care subsidy. While Missouri recently increased the amount of its subsidy payments, it still ranks near the bottom of the fifty states and U.S. territories. Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Early and adequate prenatal care is critical to ensuring that children get a healthy start in life. When a mother has no access to medical care and receives late or no prenatal care, infants are placed at an increased risk of low birth-weight, premature birth, long-term health problems, and even infant death. In 2004, 3.6% of all births nationally were to mothers who had no or inadequate prenatal care. Of the 138 ZIP codes examined in this report, 30, more than 20%, have rates four times higher than the national rate. Quality Education A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for most jobs. Individuals without high school diplomas are less likely to achieve economic security and more likely to be unemployed for longer periods of time. The U.S. dropout rate in 2004 was 10.0%, while statewide dropout rates for Missouri and Illinois were lower at 4.0% and 3.5% respectively. Of the 55 school districts in the region, two have dropout rates that were almost twice the national rate. An additional five Missouri and five Illinois school districts in these five counties have dropout rates that exceed their statewide rates. Safe and Responsive Communities Criminal activity undermines the safety, health, and well-being of community residents, and particularly children. In 2005, the national crime rate was 38.9 per 1,000 residents, while the violent crime rate was 4.6 per 1,000. At the core of the St. Louis region, 118 St. Louis municipalities or city neighborhoods have overall crime rates that exceed the national rate, and 106 local communities have violent crime rates greater than the national figure. |
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