2:38 p.m., Feb. 4, 2010----The latest findings from KIDS COUNT in Delaware, a project of the Center for Community Research and Service in the University of Delaware College of Education and Public Policy, have been released through the Wilmington KIDS COUNT Fact Book for 2009.

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Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker and Terry Schooley, project director for KIDS COUNT in Delaware, announced the release of the biennial report on the overall well-being of children throughout the city of Wilmington at a press conference at the mayor's office on Jan. 25.

The KIDS COUNT Fact Book is a compilation of data presenting a snapshot of issues affecting the health and education of children living in the city. This is the sixth edition of the fact book specifically for the city of Wilmington and its citizens, developed in partnership with KIDS COUNT in Delaware, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Delaware, the University of Delaware and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

KIDS COUNT reports summarizing the data for the entire state are also available. The reports are intended as a resource for government and community policy makers and citizens who shape local and state action plans to improve the status of children and their families.

According to Schooley, who is also a state representative for the 23rd District (Newark), “The status of our children is one of the most important indicators of the general health of the Wilmington community and of our society in general. We must look at this data and make sure we are providing the needed support for children and their families. Much has been done, and much remains to be accomplished.”

The 2009 fact book illustrates that disparities remain among Wilmington's children and families in numerous categories and indicators as compared to children and families in the rest of the state. The number of children in poverty is of particular concern for Wilmington. In 2008, 24.2 percent of Wilmington children lived in poverty, compared to 13.6 percent at the state level.

Poverty can effect a child's development and stifle future opportunities. Students from low-income families are more than four times as likely to drop out of school than their peers from moderate- or high-income families. Related to the issue of poverty is whether children have enough food to eat; the number of Wilmington children who received food stamps has seen a fairly dramatic increase in recent years, mirroring state and national trends.

After years of decline, the teen birth rate in Wilmington increased by three percent between 2005 and 2006. In 2006 alone, there were 243 births to Wilmington teens ages 19 and under, 85 percent of which were to African American teens. Too many of these children are born into poverty, leading to a myriad of other problems for those children in the areas of health, education and safety.

Failure to take action early in the lives of city youths can have dire consequences, as is evidenced by violent crime arrests among Wilmington juveniles. In 2008, 89 percent the suspects arrested in connection with shootings in Wilmington had criminal records and were juveniles at the time of their first arrest.

On a brighter note, Wilmington is improving on multiple indicators. For example, the number of women receiving prenatal care, which can be imperative to the health of a new baby, is nearly the same for Wilmington as it is for Delaware as a whole. Further, the trend in Wilmington of a high number of women receiving prenatal care has remained steady over time.

“The Wilmington KIDS COUNT Fact Book 2009 is not meant to alarm, but to spur us to action,” said Mayor Baker. “We must continue to work on problem issues to make sure we provide the needed supports for children and their families. The information in this publication must be used to develop new ideas and fresh thinking at home, in our public and private offices, in our classrooms, and throughout Wilmington to produce stronger, healthier and happier children. This shared journey to improve the lives of Wilmington's children and youth is a marathon, not a sprint. We have made progress over the years, but there is still much work ahead.”

An electronic version of the Wilmington KIDS COUNT Fact Book 2009 is available at the KIDS COUNT in Delaware Web site.