March 28, 2024

Kids Count: Iowa children and families make some gains

Iowa children are showing continual improvement in their health and education conditions, but there’s no room for complacency, according to new data released today by the Child and Family Policy Center.

The Center’s annual Kids Count data compendium, which documents 20 indicators of child well-being at the state and county level, shows some gains. In particular, the teen birth rate has decreased more than 42 percent and the mortality indicators for infants, children and teens have decreased between 21 and 24 percent since 2000. In addition, prenatal care during the first trimester increased 18 percent in the last decade.

“While the health of Iowa children has shown significant improvement the last decade and a half, the economic well-being of Iowa’s families and children has not fared so well,” said Michael Crawford, CFPC senior associate who assembled and analyzed the data.

The effects of the Great Recession of 2007-09 are lessening, but have not completely abated. The child poverty rate and the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches are up 44 and 56 percent, respectively, since 2000, while the percentage of people receiving food assistance (nationally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) has more than tripled. One bright note is that the unemployment rate, after having risen for a decade, has decreased 28 percent since 2010.

The data can be found at www.cfpciowa.org. Click on "Kids Count Data" to view interactive maps of all 20 indicators and download data snapshots for any of Iowa's 99 counties.

Although Iowa’s positio — meeting or exceeding the U.S. average on many indicators of child well-being — is heartening, there is ample reason to avoid complacency. Even relatively low percentages still translate into large numbers of people. For example:

• 110,000 Iowa children live in poverty — more than the entire population of Davenport (100,564).

• 42,000 3- and 4-year-olds are not attending preschool — more than the population of Urbandale (40,227).

• 7,751 fourth graders were not proficient in reading — nearly the population of Creston (7,847).

• In 2014, there were 6,367 births where the mother did not begin prenatal care in the first trimester, an important contributor to a health pregnancy — more than the population of Orange City (6,183).

In addition, there are great disparities in child well-being within the state—both by county and by race/ethnicity. In fact, Iowa has some of the greatest disparities by race and ethnicity in the U.S.

The scale of the ongoing challenge requires continued vigilance, said Crawford. “This is why it is so important that the critical public health, education and family support efforts—programs and services we know have been effective in helping Iowa families before and after the Great Recession—continue.”

Summary of the 20 Kids Count indicators for the state of Iowa

Family and community economic well-being (two indicators – deterioration in both since baseline years)

• Child poverty, 15.5 percent in 2014 (up 44 percent since 2000)

• Unemployment, 4.4 percent in 2014 (up 71 percent since 2000)

School readiness and success (four indicators – improvements in three, slight deterioration in one since baseline years)

• Preschool participation of 3- and 4-year-olds, 48.2 percent in 2014 (up 8 percent since 2000)

• Fourth graders proficient in reading: 75.9 percent in 2014 (down less than 1 percent since 2003)

• Eighth graders proficient in math: 76.3 percent in 2014 (up nearly 7 percent since 2003)

• On time H.S. graduation, 90.6 percent of students in 2014 (up 2 percent since 2000)

Family stability (four indicators – improvements in three, deterioration in one since baseline years)

• Child abuse and neglect rate, 10.2 per 1,000 in 2014 (down 21 percent since 2000)

• Teens giving birth, 2.0 percent of teen females in 2014 (down 42 percent since 2000)

• Births to unmarried teens, 4.8 percent of live births in 2014 (down 43 percent since 2000)

• Single-parent families, 30.8 percent of families with children in 2010-14 (up 24 percent since 2000)

Child health (5 indicators – improvements in four, deterioration in one since baseline years)

• Prenatal care in first trimester, 83.9 percent of live births in 2014 (up 18 percent since 2007)

• Infant mortality, 4.8 deaths per 1,000 in 2014 (down 24 percent since 2000)

• Child deaths, 17 per 100,000 in 2014 (down 21 percent since 2000)

• Teen deaths, 37 per 100,000 in 2014 (down 21 percent since 2000)

• Low birthweight, 6.8 percent of live births in 2014, up 10 percent since 2000)

Use of public supports (five indicators — increased use in three, reduced use in two since baseline years)

• WIC, 24.9 percent of children 0-4 in 2014 (down 12 percent since 2003)

• Free and reduced-price lunch, 41.1 percent of students in 2014 (up 56 percent since 2000)

• Earned Income Tax Credit, 15.4 percent of tax filers in 2013 (up 47 percent since 2000)

• Food Assistance, 13.0 percent of individuals in 2014 (up 205 percent since 2000)

• Family Investment Program, 1.0 percent of individuals in 2014 (down 44 percent since 2000)

View these data for any Iowa county by visiting here: www.cfpciowa.org/en/data/kids_count/.

You can also view CFPC's 2016 policy priorities—covering quality early learning and development, child health and well-being and family economic success—here: www.cfpciowa.org/en/advocacy/every_child_counts/policy_priorities/.

The Child and Family Policy Center is a Des Moines-based research and advocacy organization promoting outcome-based policies that improve child well-being. CFPC’s Iowa Kids Count work is supported by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which supports Kids Count activities in all 50 states.