| PRESS RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 9, 2003: Commission on Children and Families’ Stepping Stones Report Released Trends identified in critical areas of child and family well-being CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA— The Charlottesville/Albemarle Commission on Children and Families (CCF) has issued the fourth edition of Stepping Stones, the annual Charlottesville and Albemarle statistical report on the well-being of local children and families in 2003. It can be viewed on-line at www.ccfinfo.org. Stepping Stones was created as a tool to document and raise awareness of community needs, provide the localities with information to guide local child and family investments, and identify areas where coordinated improvement strategies are needed. Stepping Stones was first published in 1999, when CCF citizen member, pediatrician Dr. Michael Dickens, proposed it as a way to take the pulse of the community’s health. Now, four years later, Stepping Stones includes sufficient longitudinal data to identify positive and negative trends on a growing percentage of the 67 indicators chosen to measure child and family well-being. 2003 trends include: Academic Achievement indicators: • On the Grade 3 Standards of Learning tests, children in both localities showed steady improvement in their English scores. County students also showed steady increases in math, history, and science scores. • On the Grade 5 Standards of Learning tests, children in both localities showed steady improvement in their English, math, history, and science scores. • On the Grade 8 Standards of Learning tests, children in the County showed steady improvements in their math, history, and science scores. • On the Grade 4 Stanford 9 test, students in both localities showed steady improvement. • On the Grade 6 Stanford 9 test, students in the City showed steady improvement. Community Characteristics indicators: • The percentage of students with limited English proficiency has increased steadily over a five year period. • The percentage of adults registered to vote in the County has increased over a six year period. • There has been an increase in bus ridership over the six year period for both City and County. Conduct in Community indicators: • The Albemarle teen birth rate decreased from an average of 25 per 1,000 for 1994-1996 to an average of 14 per 1,000 for 1999-2001; the Charlottesville teen birth rate decreased from and average of 70 per 1,000 for 1992-1994 to an average of 28 per 1,000 for 1999-2001. • The combined Charlottesville/Albemarle rate of Sexually Transmitted Diseases has decreased from 12.4 per 1,000 in 1998 to 9.5 per 1,000 in 2002. • Between 1994 and 2001, Comprehensive Services Act cases have increased from 6.6 per 1,000 to 29.6 per 1,000 in Albemarle (an increase of almost 350%), and from 37.1/1,000 to 87.2/1,000 in Charlottesville (a 135% increase). However, the numbers decreased slightly in 2002 to 74.6 per 1,000 in the City and 23.6 per 1,000 in the County. Family Characteristics: • The Albemarle foster care rate has remained steady but the Charlottesville rate has increased significantly over the last six years from 21 per 1,000 in 1997 to a peak of 38.5 per 1,000 in 2001. • While there are no trends in family composition in Charlottesville over a five-year period, the majority of children in public schools continue to be reared in homes without both parents present. Financial Assistance Program Participation: ß In Albemarle County, the three-year average monthly rate of children receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has decreased from 34 per 1,000 in 1991-1993 to 10 per 1,000 in 2000-2002. The three-year average monthly rate of Charlottesville children receiving TANF has decreased from 196 per 1,000 in 1993-1995 to 80 per 1,000 in 2000-2002. ß Food Stamp participation in Albemarle has decreased from 29.7 per 1,000 in 1997 to 23.5 per 1,000 in 2001 then rose slightly to 24.9 per 1,000 in 2002. In Charlottesville, Food Stamp participation decreased from 168.9 per 1,000 in 1997 to 75.5 per 1,000 in 2002. Infant and Early Childhood Health •The three-year average rate for women receiving first trimester prenatal care has declined in both the County and City over the last five triennial measuring periods. Stepping Stones is intended to stimulate community dialogue and action regarding regional trends in the Charlottesville/ Albemarle community. For more information on CCF and Stepping Stones call Saphira Baker, CCF Director, or Gretchen Ellis, CCF Planner/Analyst at 872-4545.
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Global Children's Art Gallery, www.naturalparent.org
Global Children's Art Gallery, www.naturalparent.org