HANO: New reports examine uninsured children, immigrants, licensing

New reports examine uninsured children, immigrants, licensing

The Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii at Manoa – the state’s designated KIDS COUNT grantee – called attention to a number of new reports in its October newsletter. For the latest data and publications on children and families, fun activities to do with your child, and upcoming events in our community, visit the center’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/COFHawaii and become our fan.

Uninsured children: Who are they and where do they live?

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute published a new chart book, Uninsured children: Who are they and where do they live?, in August 2010 using data from the 2008 American Community Survey. It provides detailed estimates for each of the 50 states. While prior studies have either focused on national statistics or state estimates, this publication provides information on uninsured rates for children with different demographic, socioeconomic, and family characteristics in each state.

Year 2008 highlights for the state of Hawai‘i include the following:

Approximately 9,000 or 2.9 percent of Hawaii children ages 0 to 18 were uninsured, the third lowest in the nation in real numbers after Delaware and Vermont and the second lowest in percentage after Massachusetts. The national rate is 9.3 percent.
The state’s uninsured rate was highest (4.1 percent) among children between the ages of 13 to 18 versus those ages 0 to 5 (2.6 percent) and 6 to 12 (2.3 percent).
Close to a third (29.6 percent) of Hawaii uninsured children are 0 to 5 years of age, the eighth highest rate in the nation.

The complete chart book can be downloaded at: http://www.rwjf.org/coverage/productpreview.jsp?id=67668.

Children of immigrants: 2008 state trends update

The Urban Institute prepared and published Children of immigrants: 2008 state trends update in September 2010. It includes data highlights for the 50 states from the 2007 and 2008 American Community Surveys. Key Hawaii findings include these:

Hawaii is one of eight states where the poverty share for children of immigrants is below 10 percent (9.1 percent); the national average is 20.8 percent.
Hawaii’s share of children ages 0 to 17 with immigrant parents is 26.7 percent against the national average of 22.3 percent.
From 1990 to 2008, Hawaii’s population of children of immigrants ages 0 to 17 grew by only 12 percent, second lowest to West Virginia, which had the lowest percent growth at 10 percent.

The complete brief can be downloaded at: http://www.urban.org/publications/412212.html. The statistics in this brief and other indicators on children can be accessed on the Urban Institute’s Children of Immigrants Data Tool interactive web site: http://datatool.urban.org/charts/datatool/pages.cfm.

Two Recent National Child Care Reports: The 2008 Child Care Licensing Study and The CCDF Report of State & Territory Plans FY 2010–2011

The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center and the National Association for Regulatory Administration prepared the 2008 Child Care Licensing Study, which presents both a national summary and data collected for each state. This report can serve as a reference for making comparisons among states and conducting deeper regulatory policy analyses. Some highlights for Hawaii:

Hawaii is the only state to include cultural development among specific activities that large/group homes must provide to address developmental domains.
Of the 30 states with requirements about parent communication, only Hawaii requires that both small and large/group FCC homes hold regularly scheduled meetings with parents.
Of the 35 states with requirements about handwashing for children, only Hawaii does not specify when children must wash their hands.

The full study, various 50-state data tables, and individual state data profiles can be downloaded at: http://naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=205

The Child Care and Development Fund Report of State and Territory Plans FY 2010–2011 (July 2010) summarizes Child Care and Development Fund Plans as approved by the Child Care Bureau. It gives an overview of efforts planned by the 50 states, D.C. and five territories at the beginning of fiscal year 2010. The following are some data highlights for Hawaii:

Hawaii’s monthly payment rates for licensed, center-based child care is the highest at $1,395, although New York’s published weekly rate works out to a higher monthly average.
Hawaii is one of 19 states that offer contracts to increase the supply of specific types of child care, e.g., special needs, infants/toddlers and TANF households.
Hawaii is one of 16 states that waive fees for all families with incomes at or below the poverty level.

The full report can be downloaded at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/stateplan2010-11/index.html.

You may subscribe to the Hawaii KIDS COUNT newsletter by sending an email to kcadmin@hawaii.edu with the phrase "Subscribe to Hawai`i KIDS COUNT E-Bulletin" in the subject field. PDF versions of this e-bulletin are available at http://uhfamily.hawaii.edu/hawaii_kids_count/archive.asp.