By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – A new report says Nebraska has the smallest percent in the nation of teens not attending school and not working, and kids living in families where no parent has a full-time job year-round.
The Kids Count report was released Tuesday. It shows 16 percent of 16 to 19 year-olds aren't in school and aren't working. 19 percent of Nebraska children live in families where no parent has a full-time job year-round.
Melissa Breazile, Research Coordinator for Voices for Children in Nebraska, says those numbers are promising. But she says they don't tell the entire story. Breazile says the Kids Count report figures don't account for the recession. Those numbers are expected to be available later this year.
13 percent of Nebraska children lived in poverty in 2008, according to the report. Nebraska's infant mortality rate dropped seven percent from 2000 to 2007, but increased from 2006 to 2007.
The Kids Count report measures overall health and well-being. Nebraska ranks ninth overall.
The report is available online at www.voicesforchildren.com.