Maryland
Maryland ranks number 10 in the country for overall child well-being.
That’s according to Annie E. Casey Foundation report released today.
Children have lost some ground the survey says with 4 percent living in high-poverty areas.
That increases their chances of poor educational opportunities and poor jobs prospects.
Al Passarella with the nonprofit Advocates for Children and Youth told the Baltimore Sun that it was disturbing that 41 percent of children in the state lived in homes with high housing costs up from 35 percent six years ago.
“The Kid County Data Book" which tracks children’s health and economic status found Maryland did slightly better than its neighbors.
Delaware
DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware ranks 22nd in the nation for overall child well-being by the study.
Delaware has made some progress since 2005 in boosting reading proficiency among fourth-graders and math proficiency among eight-graders, and in reducing the percentage of children not attending preschool.
Other areas of improvement include reducing the percentage of children without insurance and low-birthweight babies.
But the report says the number of Delaware children living in poverty increased from 14 percent in 2005 to 17 percent in 2011, and that the percentage of children living in single-parent homes increased from 34 percent to 41 percent.
The report uses 16 indicators to rank states for children's economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia has moved up one spot to 11th nationally in the annual study of child well-being.
Virginia fared better than the national average on 14 of 16 indicators in four broad categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
The report says child poverty and economic stress have worsened in Virginia, consistent with a national trend. Like the rest of the country, Virginia also saw an increase in children in single-parent homes.
But the state showed improvement in all education indicators and three of four health measurements.
Health remains Virginia's weakest category with an overall ranking of 20th. That's down from 17th a year ago.
Overall, Virginia historically has ranked among the top 20.
