Twenty-five Years of KIDS COUNT in Delaware Data Show Progress and Decline in Child Well-Being

KIDS COUNT in Delaware marked its 25th anniversary with the virtual release of its 2020 Fact Book: Now & Then on May 12, 2020. While data show progress has been made in the last 25 years on many measures of child well-being, negative outcomes persist for children and families who are marginalized, suggesting who will be most impacted from the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Strides have been made in the past 25 years regarding many aspects of child health and wellbeing: Delawares teen birth rate has fallen, the percentage of children without health insurance has dropped, safety standards have decreased the number of child deaths, and the creation of an initiative for juvenile alternatives to detention has impacted the rate of incarcerated children.

The next 25 years present an opportunity for improvement on various social determinants of health: reductions in the rate of babies born at low birth weight and the percentage of babies born to single moms. COVID-19 has brought to light an urgent need to reimagine how communities and public systems support children and families. We knew vulnerabilities existed in many communities, says Janice Barlow, and now, during a public health crisis, we see how devastating they can be on a whole new scale. Data from the past 25 years show that we as a state have failed to eliminate the persistent racial and ethnic inequities that are shown in the measures of child well-being.

It is the hope of KIDS COUNT in Delaware that the data presented in the 2020 Fact Book, offered within the context of the current pandemic, will give leaders and advocates across Delaware the knowledge to create policy that will benefit children most impacted by repercussions of the coronavirus. Rebecca King, comments We are communities of people whose lives depend on connections to each other. Now more than ever, in this unprecedented epidemic, is the time for us to step forward to help our neighbors, families and the children who are counting on us. Policies that center equity to create relief from COVID-19 will have positive impact for children and families beyond this crisis.

May 12, 2020