OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 30, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- California's grade point average is unacceptable as related to the health and education of the state's children, according to a new study from Children Now, a leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to assuring all children thrive.
The 2005 California Report Card: An Assessment of Children's Well-Being, a research report issued today, highlights generally poor health and education statistics for California's children, while noting a few bright spots. The report gives letter grades to individual issues, such as a "D" in children's obesity, a "D+" in K-12 education and a "B-" in health insurance.
The report presents eye-opening data on the status of 10.5 million kids in the state. For example:
-- California ranks 44th in school spending among the states, when
adjusted for regional cost differences.
-- Fewer than 55 percent of all 3rd and 7th graders scored at or
above grade level on math and reading achievement tests in 2005.
-- 800,000 California children, ages 0-18, don't have health
insurance.
-- Over 70 percent of 5th, 7th and 9th graders do not meet state
standards for all-around physical fitness.
-- 46 percent of all 4-year-olds in California aren't enrolled in
preschool.
"The aim for our 2005 Report Card is to create broad awareness and clear understanding of the issues keeping California children from thriving," said Ted Lempert, Children Now president. "Our goal is not to highlight the negative, but rather to focus on problem areas where we can affect a positive shift for all children in the state."
Children Now's report makes important recommendations on how policymakers can better support California's children. These include:
-- Creating a free, voluntary, publicly-funded, quality preschool
program for all California 4-year-olds that requires B.A.-level
teachers who receive salary parity with teachers in the K-12
system;
-- Passing legislation in 2006 to ensure that every child under age 19
has access to affordable health and dental insurance, and making
it easier for families to enroll their children and to keep them
covered;
-- Maintaining rigorous statewide standards for student achievement
and progress, and providing ample flexibility to local schools and
districts to meet those standards;
-- Reinstating mandatory physical education as a daily activity in K-
12 schools.
Californians rate "the well-being of children" as their chief concern, outranking cost of living, taxes, the war in Iraq and terrorism, according to a poll conducted in March by the Field Research Corporation for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health.
"The state simply has to do more now," said Lempert, "to align its public policy with the strong public will to support our kids above all else."
The report is based on the most recent data available, including the 2005 California County Data Book, Children Now's companion research document.
Both reports are available online at www.childrennow.org/reportcard.
Children Now is a national organization for people who care about children and want to ensure that they are the top public policy priority. Since 1988, Children Now has championed the needs of children with a successful combination of research and advocacy. Children Now is unique in its bipartisan, strategic advocacy on behalf of the whole child. Children Now's comprehensive policy approach addresses the key issues that affect children, including health, education and media.
The Children Now logo is available at:http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2013