The document provides data on child well-being in Newport, Rhode Island from the 2012 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook. Some key points: - Between 2000 and 2010, Newport's child population decreased 21% and became more racially/ethnically diverse, with decreased numbers of white children and increased numbers of Hispanic/Latino children. - In 2010, 42% of children in Newport lived in single-parent families, higher than the state average of 31%. - Educational outcomes for children in Newport were mixed - fewer mothers had less than a high school diploma compared to the state, but more children lived in poverty, with the child poverty rate at 14.4% in Newport compared

1. Newport Data in Your Backyard
Findings from the 2012 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook
Presented by Stephanie Geller
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Newport, Rhode Island

2. Special Thanks
Special thanks to
Newport Partnership for Families
for hosting today’s presentation

3. 2012 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook
The 2012 Factbook is the 18th annual publication and
contains 67 indicators of child well-being across 5 issue areas.
Most indicators include city and town level information.

4. Family and Community

5. Newport’s Child Population,
By Race & Ethnicity, 2010
Population Under 18 Years of Age Other
Asian 14%
White 2,405 American 1%
Indian
Hispanic or Latino 703 1%
Black 337 Black 8%
American Indian 37
Asian 39
White
Two or More Races 528 59%
Other 34 Hispanic
or Latino
Total 4,083 17%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2010.
Between 2000 and 2010, the number of children living in Newport went down 21% from
5,199 to 4,083, the largest decrease in any Rhode Island community.
The racial/ethnic make-up of the city has also changed with decreased numbers of White
and Black children in the city and increased numbers of Hispanic/Latino children.
*Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding

6. Children in Single-Parent Families
50% 46%
42%
40%
31%
30%
21% 18%
20%
10%
0%
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Cities Rhode Island
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010.
• In 2010, 42% (1,698) of children in Newport lived in single-parent families,
compared to 31% of children in the state as a whole and 46% of children in the
four core cities.
• Between 2008 and 2010, 77% of all poor children in Rhode Island lived in a
single-parent family.

7. Mother’s Education Level, 2006-2010
Newport Rhode Island
46%
50% 35%
40%
22% 27%
30%
12% 16% 13% 17%
20%
10%
0%
Less than HS HS Diploma Some College Bachelor's
Diploma Degree or Above
Source: Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Health Data and Analysis, 2006-2010.
• In Newport, 12% of mothers had less than a high school diploma, slightly lower
than the state average (16%). Newport’s percentage of mothers with a bachelor’s
degree or above (46%) was higher than the state average (35%).
• Research shows strong links between parental education levels and a child’s school
readiness, health, and the level of education that the child is likely to achieve.

8. Infants Born at Highest Risk
Mother: Child:
9 times more likely to grow up in
 Under Age 20 poverty
More likely to suffer from abuse or
neglect
 Unmarried Less likely to be ready for school at
kindergarten entry
Less likely to perform well in school
 Without a High
School Degree Less likely to complete high school
• In 2011, 417 (4%) Rhode Island babies were born with all three risk factors, 9 of whom were
born to mothers living in Newport.
• 4% of babies born in 2011 to mothers living in Newport were born at highest risk, a higher
rate than Middletown and Portsmouth, but lower than the core city rate (6%).
• High-quality, evidence-based programs (e.g., home visiting programs) can help mitigate the
risks faced by these children.

9. Economic Well-Being

10. Child Poverty in Newport
• The poverty level in 2011 was $18,123 for a family of three with two
children and $22,811 for a family of four with two children.
• The extreme poverty level in 2011 was $9,062 for a family of three
with two children and $11,406 for a family of four with two children.
• The Poverty Institute’s 2010 Rhode Island Standard of Need states
that a single parent with two young children would need $48,576 a
year to pay basic living expenses, including housing, food, clothing,
health care, child care and transportation.

11. Children in Poverty
Child Poverty Child Poverty Child Poverty Low-Income
2000 2006-2010 Margin of Error (FRPL)**
Middletown 264 (6.2%) 445 (12.2%) +4.51% 27%
Newport 1,267 (24.4%) 556 (14.4%)* +7.07%* 56%
Portsmouth 118 (2.8%) 215 (5.6%)* +8.76%* 14%
Four Core Cities 28,291 (35.9%) 24,982 (33.7%) +0.85% 79%
Rhode Island 41,162 37,925 (16.7%) +0.59% 44%
(16.9%)
*Note: These communities have high margins of errors, a measure of the reliability of the estimate.
**Note: Percentage of children eligible for an enrolled in the Free and Reduced Price Lunch (FRPL) Program (<185% FPL).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 and 2006-2010, Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, October 1, 2011.

12. Disparities in Poverty Rates
• While half (50%) of all poor children in Rhode Island are White,
minority children are much more likely to be living in poverty
than their White peers.

13. Cost of Housing
$2,000
$1,313
$1,500
$1,001
$1,000 Newport
$1,150
Rhode Island
$500
$748
$0
2000 2001 2003 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: Rhode Island Housing, Annual Rent Surveys, 2000-2011.
• To afford the average rent in Rhode Island of $1,150 without a cost burden, a
worker would need to earn $22.12 per hour and work 40 hours a week. This is
almost 3 times the state’s minimum wage of $7.40 per hour.
• In 2011, the average cost of a 2-BR apartment in Newport was $1,313. A
family of three living at the poverty level in Newport would have to devote
85% of its household income to rent. Housing is considered to be affordable if
it consumes 30% or less of a family’s household income.

14. Homeless Children & Youth
• In 2011, 1,092 children under age 18 received emergency
housing in a homeless shelter or a domestic violence
shelter in RI.
• Newport was the last permanent residence for 37 of
these children
• During the 2010-2011 school year, Rhode Island public
school personnel identified 977 children as homeless.
• Newport Public School personnel identified 27
children as homeless

15. Families Receiving Cash Assistance
• From 1996 to 2011, there was a 62% decline in Rhode Island’s cash assistance caseload.
• In December 2011, 9% (353) of children in Newport were receiving cash assistance,
down from 10% (537) in 2005 but up from 5% in 2010.
• More than two-thirds (68%) of all RI Works beneficiaries are children under the age of
18. Half (50%) of the children enrolled in RI Works are under the age of six.
• In SFY 2011, for the second year in a row, the state budget included no general revenue
spending for cash assistance.

16. Children Receiving SNAP Benefits
• In October 2011, 1,402 children in Newport were receiving SNAP benefits, a 59%
increase in participation from 2005.
• Research shows that hunger and lack of regular access to sufficient food are
linked to serious health, psychological, emotional and academic problems in
children and can impede their healthy growth and development.

17. School Breakfast Program
% of Eligible Low-Income Children Participating in School Breakfast, October 2011
60% 45%
36%
40% 28% 23%
20%
20%
0%
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Rhode Island
Cities
Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2011.
• In October 2011, an average of 335 (28%) low-income children in Newport participated
in the School Breakfast Program each day out of 1,190 who were eligible for free or
reduced-price breakfast.
• Universal School Breakfast programs, which provide free breakfast to all children,
regardless of income, increase school breakfast participation and can reduce
administrative costs. Offering breakfast in the classroom at the start of the school day can
also help increase participation.
• Students who eat breakfast have significantly higher math and reading scores, fewer
absences, improved attentiveness and lower incidences of social and behavioral problems.

18. Health

19. Uninsured Children in Rhode Island
• New Census data released last month showed that between 2009 and 2011, 5.9% of
Rhode Island children (13,000 children) under age 18 were uninsured, slightly less than
between 2006 and 2008, when 6.3% of Rhode Island children were uninsured. Rhode
Island ranks 10th best in the nation for children’s health coverage.
• Although the percentage of children with employer-sponsored health coverage has been
steadily decreasing, children’s health insurance coverage rates in Rhode Island have held
steady, with more children enrolled in RIte Care, Rhode Island’s combined
Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

20. Infant Health Outcomes, 2006-2010
Delayed Preterm Births Low Infant
Prenatal Care Birthweight Mortality
Infants Rate/1000
Births
Middletown 9.3% 9.2% 6.4% 3.3
Newport 9.0% 12.2% 8.3% 4.8
Portsmouth 9.0% 6.9% 4.8% 2.9
Four Core Cities 21.0% 13.0% 9.0% 8.2
Rhode Island 15.6% 11.6% 8.0% 6.5
Source: Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Health Data and Analysis, Maternal and Child Health Database, 2006-2010.
• Early prenatal care is important to identify and treat health problems and influence health
behaviors that can compromise fetal development, infant health and maternal health.
• While the state’s delayed prenatal care rate has been increasing, Newport’s rate has been
decreasing. Between 2006-2010 when 9.0% of women received delayed or no prenatal
care, compared to the previous five-year period, 2001-2005, when 14.2% of women
received delayed prenatal care.

21. Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels
• Despite declines in lead poisoning rates, kindergarten children living in Rhode Island’s core cities
are more likely to have a history of confirmed elevated blood lead levels (3.6%) than children in
the remainder of the state (1.2%).
• Of the 280 Newport children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2013 who were screened
for elevated blood lead levels:
• 10 (3.6%) screened positive (finger prick test)
• 5 (1.8%) were confirmed positive for lead levels <10mcg/dL with a secondary blood test.

22. Births to Teens
Births per 1,000 girls, 2006-2010
60.0 50.8
50.0
40.0
37.5 Middletown
26.3 27.0
30.0 23.9 25.5 Newport
17.3 20.3
20.0
8.2 11.2 Portsmouth
10.0 2.0 5.3
Rhode Island
0.0
Ages 15-17 Ages 18-19 Ages 15-19
Source: Rhode Island Department of Health, 2006-2010.
• Newport’s teen birth rate for young teen girls has been declining, but Newport
still has the 5th highest rate in the state (23.9 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-17)
and is higher than the state rate (17.3 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-17).
• Newport’s teen birth rate for older teens ages 18 to 19 is substantially lower than
both the state rate (37.5) and neighboring Middletown (50.8).
• In Newport between 2006 and 2010, 29 births were repeat teen births, making up
22.1% of the total 131 teen births in Newport during that period.

23. Safety

24. Juveniles Referred to Family Court and at
the RI Training School
In 2011, 3,962 youth were referred to Family Court for 6,658 wayward and delinquent offenses, down
from 4,288 youth and 7,493 offenses in 2010, and continuing a downward trend over the past 4 years.
• In 2011, 20 youth from Newport passed through the Training School, out of a
total of 641 youth passed who passed through to the Training School in 2011.
• Of the 20 youth from Newport who passed through the Training School in 2011,
12 were detained only and did not receive a sentence to the Training School or a
community-based placement.

25. Children of Incarcerated Parents, 2011
# of Parents # of Children Rate per 1,000
Reported children
Middletown 5 12 3.3
Newport 30 66 16.2
Portsmouth 2 4 1.0
Four Core Cities 672 1,476 17.7
Rhode Island 1,150 2,440 10.9
Source: Rhode Island Department of Corrections, September 30, 2011.
• In 2011, 1,150 adults incarcerated in Rhode Island reported having 2,440
children, a rate of 10.9 per 1,000 children.
• In 2011, 30 adults incarcerated in Rhode Island whose last known residence
was Newport reported having 66 children, a rate of 16.2 per 1,000 children.
Newport’s rate is the 5th highest in the state behind Providence,
Woonsocket, West Warwick and Central Falls.

26. Child Abuse & Neglect
Victims of Child Abuse and Neglect per 1,000 children,
Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Core Cities, and Rhode Island, 2011
40.0
32.1
30.0
20.7 14.0
20.0
11.2 4.8
10.0
0.0
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Cities Rhode Island
Source: RI Department of Children, Youth and Families, RICHIST, 2011.
• In 2011 in Newport, the rate of victims of child abuse and neglect was 32.1 per
1,000 children, the highest in the state and more than double the state rate of
14.0 per 1,000 children.
• In 2011, the vast majority (79%) of child abuse and neglect victims were victims
of neglect.

27. Education

28. Children Enrolled in Early Head Start, 2011
• In 2011, 7% of Newport children under age 3 were enrolled in
Early Head Start.
• In 2011, Early Head Start served 6% of the estimated 8,008
eligible children under age 3 in Rhode Island and 2% of all
children under age 3.
Children Enrolled in Head Start, 2011
• In 2011, 23% of Newport children ages 3 to 4 were enrolled in
Head Start.
• In 2011, Head Start served 43% of the estimated 5,607 eligible
children ages 3 to 4 in Rhode Island and 10% of all children ages 3
to 4.

29. Children in Full-Day Kindergarten
Children Enrolled in Full-Day K
120%
100% 100% 100% 86%
80% 64%
60%
40%
20%
0%
0%
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Rhode Island
Cities
• In Rhode Island in 2011-2012, 64% (6,546) of children who attended kindergarten were
in a full-day program. Nationally in 2009, 74% of public-school kindergarten students
were enrolled in full-day programs.
• As of the 2011-2012 school year, 19 school districts, including Newport and
Middletown, offered universal access to full-day kindergarten classrooms. Another six
school districts operated at least one full-day kindergarten classroom.

30. Chronic Early Absence
• Chronic early absence is the percentage of children in kindergarten through third
grade (K-3) who have missed at least 10% of the school year (i.e., 18 days or
more), including excused and unexcused absences.
• During the 2010-2011 school year, 16% of Newport children (122 children) in
grades K-3 were chronically absent (i.e., absent 18 days or more), higher than the
state rate of 12%.

31. Middle and High School Attendance
Percentage of Students Absent 18+ Days,
2010-2011 School Year
50%
43% 43%
40%
30%
25% 25%
19% 15%
20%
10%
7% 9% 6% 7% Middle School
0% High School
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Rhode Island
Cities
Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2010-2011 school year.
• Truant students are at-risk of disengagement from school, academic failure
and dropping out.
• During the 2010-2011 school year, 19% of Newport middle school students
and 43% of Newport high school students missed 18 or more days of
school. These rates were among the highest in the state.

32. Fourth Grade Reading Skills
% At or Above the Proficiency Level on the NECAP
Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Core Cities, and Rhode Island, 2005 & 2011
100% 87%
77% 75% 71%
80% 68% 60%
58% 51%
60% 46%
37%
40%
20% 2005
0% 2011
Middletown Newport Portsmouth Four Core Rhode Island
Cities
Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2005 & 2011.
• Between 2005 and 2010, the percentage of fourth grade students in Newport public
schools who were proficient in reading increased steadily from 46% to 66%; however, in
2011, only 58% of Newport fourth graders were proficient in reading.
• Between 2005 and 2011, Newport’s eighth-grade reading proficiency rate increased from
50% to 78% and is now comparable to the state rate of 77%.

33. Math Skills
4th and 8th Grade Math Proficiency Rates, 2005 & 2011
4th Grade 4th Grade 8th Grade 8th Grade
2005 2011 2005 2011
Middletown 68% 66% 70% 76%
Newport 34% 53% 39% 50%
Portsmouth 67% 85% 72% 73%
Four Core Cities 31% 45% 25% 33%
Rhode Island 52% 65% 47% 58%
Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2005 & 2011.
• Newport has seen sizeable improvements in 4th and 8th grade mathematics proficiency
since 2005, though the 4th and 8th grade math proficiency rates continue to be lower
than the state rate.

34. High School Graduation and Dropout Rates
Class of 2011
4-Year Dropout Rate % Received % Still in
Graduation GED School
Rate
Middletown 72% 10% 5% 13%
Newport 81% 11% 2% 7%
Portsmouth 89% 6% 3% 2%
Four Core 65% 21% 4% 10%
Cities
Rhode Island 77% 12% 3% 7%
Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Class of 2011.
• This chart shows the percentage of students who matriculated as freshmen in 2007-2008 who
graduated in 4 years, dropped out, completed their GED and were retained in school. These
percentages are based on actual student counts using the unique student identifier system.
• From 2007 to 2011 the 4-year graduation rate in Newport increased from 60% to 81%,
surpassing the statewide 4-year graduation rate of 77%.
• Of the 143 9th graders who enrolled in 2005, 74% graduated in 4 years in 2009, 4% graduated in
5 years in 2010, and 1% graduated in 6 years in 2011 for a total 6-year graduation rate of 80%.
*Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

35. College Preparation and Access
• Two-thirds (67%) of Rhode Island seniors who graduated from high
school in 2008 went directly on to a two or four-year college the next fall,
compared with 63% nationally. Rhode Island ranks 13th in the U.S. on
this measure.
• In Newport in 2011, 70% of juniors scored at or above proficiency in reading
on the NECAP while 26% scored at or above proficiency in mathematics.
• While some colleges do not require the SATs for admission, students limit their
choice of colleges when they do not take the SAT exams. In 2011, 66% of
Newport high school seniors took the SATs, compared to 59% statewide.
• Students who participate in upper-level honors and Advanced Placement
(AP) courses are more likely to attend selective colleges and are better
prepared to succeed in college than students who do not. In 2011, only 20% of
Rhode Island public school seniors took at least 1 AP exam, compared with the
national rate of 30%.

36. Stephanie Geller
Policy Analyst
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
One Union Station
Providence, RI 02903
sgeller@rikidscount.org
(401) 351-9400, ext. 11 voice
(401) 351-1758 fax
www.rikidscount.org