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Report: Michigan Among Worst In U.S. For Well-being Of Black Children

Posted at 6:23 AM, Apr 01, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-01 07:12:46-04

kids count reportLANSING, Mich. (April 1, 2014) — A new Kids Count index that focuses on race has found that Michigan severely lags behind the rest of the nation when it comes to overall well-being of African-American children, ranking the third-lowest.

The report is titled “Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children,” and it compares how children are progressing on key milestones across racial and ethnic groups at the national and state level.

Compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the index uses 12 indicators that measure a child’s success in each stage of life from birth to adulthood: early childhood, education and early work, family supports, and neighborhood context.

The report found only Mississippi and Wisconsin fared worse than Michigan in the well-being of black children.  Out of a possible score of 1,000 points, the national average is 345.  Michigan’s score was 244.  In the overall well-being of white children, Michigan ranked 32 out of 50.

The report also makes four policy recommendations to help ensure that all children and their families achieve their full potential.