Minority children still at risk in N.J. even as state economy improves – NJ.com

New Jersey families are making more money and unemployment is down, but the well-being of many children is still at risk based on race and where families live, a new report released Friday concludes.

For decades, the Advocates for Children of New Jersey’s Kids Count report has published a compilation of data in the state regarding health, wealth and stability for New Jersey families. The county-by-county breakdown underscores the needs to struggling families even while the state is more economically stable, ACNJ officials said.

“We’ve known for a long time that children of color are more likely to face poorer outcomes in every domain of child well-being and state leaders have become increasingly focused on addressing these disparities,” Cecilia Zalkind, president and CEO of ACNJ, said.

The demographics of New Jersey is becoming increasingly diverse, especially among children. More than 50 percent are children of color, about 14 percent are black, 27 percent are Hispanic, 10 percent are Asian and 9 percent are of another race, the report states.

Babies born to black mothers in New Jersey are three times more likely to die before they turn 1, the report states. Three counties — Atlantic, Camden and Mercer — had double-digit black infant mortality rates.

And the percentage of expecting mothers receiving prenatal care beginning in their first trimester dipped to 75 percent. Black and Hispanic mothers fell below the state average for early prenatal care, at 60 and 65 percent respectively. Less than half of black and Hispanic pregnant women in Mercer County received early prenatal care, according to the report.

Zalkind praised First Lady Tammy Murphy for prioritizing reducing infant and maternal mortality rates, which dramatically affects Black and Hispanic families.

“We commend the state’s efforts to tackle these issues head on and acknowledge that change does not happen overnight,” she said. “Our hope is that the data dashboard serves as a baseline for policymakers to assess the impact of current efforts to ensure that every child has a pathway to a productive future.”

Earlier this year, the group ranked New Jersey 5th best in the nation for the best place to raise a child.

Some key trends include:

• Safety and well-being: All 21 counties saw a decline in reported child abuse or neglect, dropping statewide to 7.1 percent in 2017, down more than 5 percent since 2013. Roughly 11 percent of teens ages 16 to 19 in the state were not in school and not working, referred to as “disconnected youth.” Cumberland County had the highest rate of disconnected youth at 26 percent.
• Median incomes: Families with children saw their median income rise by about 16 percent since 2014, but the difference in wealth varied greatly on location. Hunterdon’s median income rose to $166,766, which is triple Cumberland’s median income of $49,521.
• Education: More than 15 percent of students in Cumberland and Essex counties missed at least two days a month of school. Hunterdon had the smallest percentage of chronically absent students, with 4 percent, while Bergen, Morris and Somerset counties ranked just behind at 6 percent. In Bergen, Hunterdon and Morris counties, third graders outperformed their peers in other parts of the state on their English Language Arts PARCC exams.
• Child health: The uninsured rate of children raised slightly to 3.9 percent, up 0.2 percent from 2017. Essex and Passaic counties rank the lowest for insured children, with nearly 7 percent of children under 19 lack coverage. Lead exposure in children under 6 years old is declining as well, down to 2.8 percent — a 0.6 percent decrease from 2013. Children in Salem County had the highest percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels, topping the list at 9.2 percent.
• Child poverty: About 264,000 children live in poverty, defined as a family of four earning about $25,465 or less in 2018. Morris, Somerset and Sussex counties had the lowest percentage of child poverty at under 6 percent, while about 22 percent of children in Essex, Hudson and Passaic live in poverty. Black and Hispanic children make up about a quarter of that percentage, compared to 7 percent of white and Asian children.
• Child care: About 68 percent of children up to 5 years old have parents in the workforce, totaling to more than 409,000 kids. It costs about $250 weekly for licensed child care, and the number of licensed child care centers grew to 4,169 since 2014.
• Teens: Following the national trend, the decline in teen births has declined. It made up for less than 3 percent of births in 2017. Cumberland County has the most teen births, with more than 8 percent of births to teens 10 to 19 years old. But the rate of STDs among youth between 15 to 19 increased in all but three counties. Several counties saw STD rates increase by 50 percent, and Salem County’s STD rate nearly doubled to roughly 1 in every 40 teens. The report states that while the data can seem alarming, it may reflect an increase in teens getting tested.

The continuing racial and geographic disparities draw attention to “the need for stronger investments and access to services and program” for children in the state, Zalkind said.

“With every Kids Count release, our hope is that policymakers, stakeholders and community leaders use the data as a tool to make positive changes in their own backyard,” she added, emphasizing the importance of accurate data to asses the well-being of children to make informed decisions.

Roughly 27,000 children under the age of 5 were missed in the last census, the report estimated. ACNJ is promoting participation in the 2020 census, as more than $22 billion dollars are at stake to fund federal programs in the state such as Head Start and NJFamilyCare.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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