KIDS COUNT STATISTICS SHOW SOME GAINS AND SOME LOSSES

It was a case of good news and bad news. Overall, the lives of Missouri children are improving, according to the 1996 Kids Count report released last week. But not all the state's counties shared in this upward trend.

This marks the fourth year for the Kids Count report, which compiles statistics concerning children. These include dropout rates, teen births, violent deaths among teens, child-abuse cases, number of mothers without high school diploma, infant mortality rates and a number of other factors. These statistics paint a picture of how well children fare in each of Missouri's counties. All 114 Missouri counties were ranked along with the city of St. Louis.

St. Louis city ranks at the very bottom: 115 out of 115. It is followed by three Southeast Missouri counties: Pemiscot, 114; Mississippi, 113; and Dunklin, 112. Several other Bootheel counties earned low ratings including New Madrid, Butler, Wayne, Ripley, and Carter.

It is disappointing that so many Southeast Missouri counties rank so low in the welfare of children. But the results aren't surprising. Many of these statistics can be linked directly to the poverty rate, which historically has been high in these counties. This problem didn't develop overnight, and it won't be solved by quick-fix solutions.

For example, half the children live in poverty, and one-third live in single-parent homes in Pemiscot County, which showed improvement in the number of poorly educated mothers and births to teen-age mothers. But other conditions worsened in the last year including poverty, infant mortality, child deaths, high school dropouts and teen violent deaths. The county also had the highest number of suspected child abuse cases in the state.

By comparison, 14.5 percent of children in Cape Girardeau County live in poverty. The median family household income in this county is $13,000 higher than in Pemiscot County. Cape Girardeau County ranked 19th out of 115.

Statewide, several promising trends emerged. The teen birth rate has decreased 9 percent in the last five years. Infant mortality rates have declined steadily over the last decade. The rate of babies born to mothers without high school diplomas fell 12 percent in the last five years. And the number of teen homicide deaths has dropped by 23 percent between 1994 and 1995.

Reports such as these provide a good yardstick about the health of our children. It shows there is still much work to be done to improve living conditions for all Missouri children.