State’s keiki well-being ranking plummets

According to the annual Kids Count Data Book produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the well-being of children in Hawaii has decreased dramatically. The state is among five in the nation that saw the biggest declines in the last decade, dropping dropping to 22nd in 2010 from 14th place in the nation in 2000 and 11th in 2007.

"This is an indication that our state is not doing as well for our children as we can and should – and we must redouble our efforts to ensure that all of Hawaii's children thrive and achieve," said Sylvia Yuen, director of the University of Hawaii Center on the Family.

The annual Kids Count report compiles rankings based on 10 indicators of child well-being. Hawaii ranked second in the nation for having among the lowest teen death rates in the county and for its percentage of children living in poverty, which fell from 13 percent in 2000 to 10 percent in 2008, significantly below the national average of 18 percent.

However, the state’s rankings for infant mortality rate, percentage of teens not in school and the number of children in single-parent families dropped. Other states that experienced the biggest decline in the rankings were Montana, South Dakota, Maine and Alaska.