This document summarizes data from the 2009 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook about child well-being in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It finds that Woonsocket has higher rates of child poverty, lower levels of parental education, more single-parent families, and worse educational and health outcomes for children compared to statewide averages. For example, 31.7% of Woonsocket's children lived below the poverty level between 2005-2007, compared to 18.1% statewide. It also details specific issues like higher lead poisoning rates, lower high school graduation rates, and more disciplinary actions in Woonsocket schools than in other core cities or the state overall.

1. Woonsocket Data in Your Backyard Findings from the 2009 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook Presented by Stephanie Geller, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT September 24, 2009

2. Special Thanks Connecting for Children & Families for hosting today’s presentation.

3. 2009 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook The 2009 Factbook is the 15th annual publication. The 2009 Factbook contains 63 indicators of child well-being, including the new indicator Housing and Health. Most indicators include city and town level information.

4. Family and Community

8. Unmarried

10. More likely to suffer from abuse or neglect

11. Less likely to be ready for school at kindergarten entry

12. Less likely to perform well in school

13. Less likely to complete high school

15. Economic Well-Being

17. Of the 40,468 children living in poverty, 44% lived in extreme poverty.

21. Almost seven out of ten (69%) RI Works beneficiaries are children under the age of 18. Almost half (49%) of children enrolled in RI Works are under the age of six.

25. Children without Health Insurance, Rhode Island New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that in Rhode Island between 2006 and 2008, 7.0% of children under age 18 were uninsured, lower than the national rate of 10.8%. Rhode Island ranks 14th best in the country for lowest percentage of children uninsured. In Rhode Island, the percentage of uninsured children had increased in the last few years, due in part to the decline in employer sponsored insurance.

29. Low-income families are more likely to lack the resources required to maintain, repair or improve their homes in ways that reduce residential health hazards such as lead paint, unsafe stairs, leaks, and cracks that may allow moisture or rodents to enter the home.

31. The teen birth rate per 1,000 teen girls ages 18-19 is significantly higher in Woonsocket (113.1) than in the state as a whole (43.2).

34. More than one in six (18%) of these children had experienced homelessness before.

36. Youth in urban communities with high poverty concentrations were more likely to be referred to the Family Court.

37. In 2008, 8,790 wayward or delinquent offenses were referred to Family Court. 17% of these offenses were status offenses such as truancy and disobedient conduct that would not be punishable if committed by an adult. Types of Juvenile Wayward/Delinquent Offenses Referred to Family Court, 2008

41. Children Enrolled in Early Head Start, 2008 According to Census 2000, an estimated 890 children in Woonsocket under age three were income-eligible for enrollment in the Early Head Start program. In 2008, no Woonsocket children were enrolled in Early Head Start. In 2008, Early Head Start served 4% of the estimated 9,365 eligible children under age three in Rhode Island. Children Enrolled in Head Start, 2008 According to Census 2000, an estimated 537 children in Woonsocket ages three to four were eligible for enrollment in the Head Start preschool program. In 2008, 206 (38%) Woonsocket children were enrolled in Head Start. In 2008, Head Start served 40% of the estimated 6,200 eligible children ages three to four in Rhode Island.

43. During that same period, the number of slots for Woonsocket children in certified family child care homes decreased by 58%.

45. As of the 2008-2009 school year, 13 school districts offered universal access to full-day kindergarten classrooms. Another eight school districts operated at least one full-day kindergarten classroom.

47. In the 2007-2008 school year, 24% of Woonsocket students were enrolled in special education, slightly higher than the state rate.

49. In Rhode Island, students who move are absent more often than students who do not move. Rhode Island students who did not change schools had a 92% attendance rate, compared with 75% for those who changed schools between one and three times during the 2006-2007 academic year.

50. The student mobility rate in Woonsocket (24%) is slightly lower than the core city rate (26%). *The mobility rate is the total children enrolled and exited during a year divided by the total year’s enrollment.

54. 60% of the Woonsocket Class of 2008 graduated from high school on-time, compared to 74% for the state as a whole. *Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

55. High School Graduation Rates Class of 2008 Source: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Class of 2008.

56. Stephanie Geller, EdM Policy Analyst Rhode Island KIDS COUNTOne Union Station Providence, RI 02903 sgeller@rikidscount.org (401) 351-9400 x11 voice (401) 351-1758 fax www.rikidscount.org