No. 24 in Series, "Snapshots of America's Families III"
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Because policies and programs affecting children and families are often established at the state or local level, it is important to monitor the circumstances of children and their families at the state level. While these circumstances vary substantially across states, the most notable trends are a decline in child poverty between 1996 and 2001 (for 12 of the 13 states examined),1 a decline between 1997 and 2002 in school engagement (for 10 states), and an increase in the percentage of preschool-age children who were read to or told stories (for 5 states).
These contrasting trends exemplify the improvements and setbacks experienced by children over this period. Of the 15 indicators explored in this Snapshot, 6 showed deterioration
nationwide between 1997 and 2002, 4 showed improvement, and 5 remained unchanged (table 1).
Substantial gaps persisted between the well-being of children in higher-income families and lower-income families throughout the 1997-2002 period (Vandivere et al. 2004) and for most indicators for most states. For example, the percentage of children in fair or poor health was higher for children in low-income families than for children in higher-income families throughout the period for all 13 states (not shown).
There was more cross-state variation for some indicators than for others. For children of all income levels, participation in extracurricular activities, school engagement, and behavioral and emotional problems varied within a relatively narrow range. In contrast, frequency of parental storytelling and attendance at religious services, children living in poverty, and children with poor or fair health were at least three times higher in the highest state than in the lowest state. For children in low-income families, participation in extracurricular activities and parental volunteering varied within a relatively narrow range, while frequency of attendance at religious services, skipping school, and children with fair or poor health were at least three times higher in the highest state than in the lowest state.
Consistency in state rankings across the indicators was limited. For children of all income levels, three states (Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota) ranked in the top five on at least 7 of 15 indicators, while two states (Alabama and Mississippi) ranked in the bottom five on at least 7 indicators. For children in low-income families, rankings were somewhat more consistent: six states (California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin) ranked in the top five on at least 7 of 14 indicators,2 while two states (Alabama and New York) ranked in the bottom five on at least 7 indicators.
These analyses are based on data for the United States and 13 states from the 1997, 1999, and 2002 rounds of the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF).3 The measures are divided into six categories: (1) reading and storytelling and engagement in school; (2) activities outside the home; (3) child school and behavior problems; (4) parental aggravation and mental health; (5) income and family structure; and (6) activity limitations and health. In addition, we discuss persistent differences in these measures by family income. Families are considered low-income if their income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold and higher-income if their income is at or above 200 percent of the poverty threshold. The Snapshot concludes with a discussion of the social, economic, and political contexts in which these changes have taken place.
Notes from this section of the report
1 The poverty status of a family in each year is based on income reported by the family for the previous calendar year.
2 Percent of children living in families with incomes below 100% of the poverty threshold was omitted from the list of indicators for low-income families.
3 The 13 states were selected based on how well they represented the nation as a whole on characteristics important to the goal of the survey. Collectively they account for over half the U.S. population and represent a broad array of government programs, fiscal capacity, and demographic characteristics.
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