Watch a powerful video on how the first five years of a child’s life are the most important in shaping their future.
“Investments in child care and early learning result in improved services for children, families, early childhood teachers, other persons working in the field, not to mention the citizens of Florida. Nationally, approximately 69 percent of children ages birth to five are in some type of non-parental care. In Florida, this means that more than 700,000 children require one form of child care or another. State level support services are integral to the success of quality child care and school readiness outcomes. To ensure success, knowledgeable, reliable, responsive professionals must work to provide accurate policy and operational information. A coordinated system of services is critical to achieving the goal of accessible, affordable, high-quality child care and early learning experiences for children. Overarching support of and assistance to local efforts is necessary for the provision of a seamless child care and early learning system.” Phyllis K. Kalifeh, President of Children’s Forum
How does Florida rank compared to other states? Consider these indicators:
Ranking on number of uninsured children
Florida ranks 49th. About 19 percent, or 763,000 of our children, do not have health insurance, versus a national average of 11 percent.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center
Immunization Coverage
Florida ranks 10th, with 82.4 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months
receiving complete immunizations.
Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008
Access to Prenatal Care
Florida ranks 47th in the percentage of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester, with 70 percent. More than 71,000 women in Florida do not get prenatal care in the first trimester.
Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.
Infant mortality
Florida ranks 32nd in the number of infant deaths (before age 1) per 1,000 live births with a rate of 7.2, or more than 1,600 infant deaths annually.
Source: United Health Foundation, America’s Health Rankings, 2008; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.
Low birth weight babies
Florida ranks 34th in the nation in the percent of low-birthweight babies, defined as babies weighing less than 5 ½ pounds at birth – 8.7 percent of all births, or nearly 21,000 babies a year.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Kids Count Data Book; Kaiser Family Foundation, StateHealthFacts.org.
Teen birth rates
Florida ranks 33rd, with a rate of 45 (births per 1,000 females ages 15-19), or more than 25,000 teen births annually.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009 Kids Count Data Book; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, VitalStats.
