CHILDREN AT RISK released its 11th edition of Growing Up in Houston: Assessing the Quality of Life of Our Children in October 2010. Many thanks to the staff, interns, and CHILDREN AT RISK Institute for their help to produce this great resource. The publication is available to view electronically below and to download each section separately. If you would like a copy of our newest edition please call 713.869.7740 or email info@childrenatrisk.org.
Section 1: Basic Needs
Section 2: Physical and Mental Health
Section 3: Safety and Security
Section 4: Education
Executive Summary
To view CHILDREN AT RISK’s policy priorities and recommendations regarding children’s issues, view our Executive Summaries on the Future of Texas’ Children.
CHILDREN AT RISK continues to expand on our assessment of the quality of life for children in Houston and across Texas with our 11th edition of Growing Up in Houston. Using our quality of life indicators, we are able to measure Texas’ progress in making children a priority. By focusing on critical issues facing our children, we are able to provide a wealth of information concerning youth in our community. The data in this volume illustrates that while some progress has been made there remains much room for improvement and growth. The following is a brief overview of the current state of the quality of life for Texas’ children.
BASIC NEEDS
Air Pollution
Houston was ranked fifth out of the 25 most ozone-polluted cities by the American Lung Association in 2009. As with all pollution, the effects of air pollution are more severe in children than adults. Children suffering with asthma have a much greater risk of symptoms when they live in a highly polluted community.
Parks and Green Space
Houston ranked 72nd out of 77 major cities for spending on parks with only $40 in park-related total expenditure per resident as compared to an average of $100 per resident among all cities ranked. In 2008, Houston had 23.9 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, which is just slightly less than the suggested amount of 25 acres per 1,000 residents. Strong evidence suggests that people exercise more when they have access to parks, reducing the risk of various diseases.
Children Living in or Near Poverty
Twenty-three percent of Texas’ children live below the federal poverty level in 2008, compared to 19% nationally. Poverty is especially debilitating for children, affecting nearly every aspect of their lives in key stages of development, and leaving lasting consequences. Children living in low-income families have a higher risk of dropping out of school, poor adolescent and adult health, poor employment outcomes, and experiencing poverty as adults.
Food Programs
In 2009, 24.1% of households with children nationwide did not have enough money for food. In Harris County, only 44% of children eligible for free breakfast actually took advantage of the benefit. The number of Summer Food Service Program sites in Harris County has grown from 385 in 2008 to 430 in 2009, though participation in the Summer Food Service Program is only 14.7% of eligible children. Furthermore, Texas has the worst ranked food stamp program in the nation.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
Maternal Health and Infant Mortality
Harris County is below the national average for the number of women who receive early prenatal care during pregnancy. The national average is 69% while the average for Harris County is 58.4%. There were 411 deaths of infants under the age of one in Harris County in 2006, which equates to an infant mortality rate of 5.9%. Disparities by race and ethnicity exist in the receipt of prenatal care and the prevalence of infant mortality.
Teen Births
Texas had the third highest teen birth rate in the nation in 2006 with 63.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19, comprising 14% of all births in the state. Of these teen births, 23% were repeat births, and 80% of the mothers were unmarried. In Harris County, 62% of births to teens in 2006 were among the Latino population, followed by African Americans at 25%, Anglo at 12%, and 1% among all other ethnic groups. Teen births are estimated to cost Texas taxpayers $1 billion a year.
Health Coverage: CHIP and Medicaid
Texas had the second highest percentage of children under age 18 with no insurance coverage during any time in both 2008 and 2009. Medicaid and CHIP help cover medical costs of the uninsured. Medicaid is available to certain low-income individuals and families while CHIP targets uninsured children and pregnant women in families with incomes too high to qualify for most state Medicaid programs, but often too low to afford private coverage. Children represent the majority of Medicaid recipients.
Immunizations
In 2008 in Texas, only 79% of children between 19 and 35 months of age had received all recommended immunizations. In 2004 Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES) created a task force dedicated to increasing immunization rates; their efforts have led to increased outreach and thus higher immunization rates in Harris County. The more persons immunized against disease, the lower the risk presented to the community in terms of any kind of outbreak.
Childhood Obesity
Texas ranks 32nd in overall prevalence of childhood obesity, with 32.2% of children considered either overweight or obese. Over the past 20 years, the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19 has nearly tripled. Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are the fundamental causes of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity affects not only the health of our population but also our economy.
Children’s Mental Health: Prevalence
Among the states, Texas ranks 49th in mental health expenditures per capita. Studies show that at least 20% of children in the U.S. have a mental health disorder. One in ten of these children suffer from a serious emotional disturbance severe enough to disrupt daily functioning in the home, school, or community. Despite these statistics, it is estimated that only about half of all affected children receive specialty mental health services. When untreated, mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Human Trafficking
Since 2006, the FBI has rescued 81 juvenile victims of domestic human trafficking in Houston. Houston is a major hub for international and domestic human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The 78th Texas Legislature first enacted a human trafficking bill in 2003 and the Legislature continued to pass human trafficking legislation in the 81st
Legislative Session.
Accidental Deaths of Children
Motor vehicle crashes were responsible for 53% of all unintentional child deaths in the Houston/Harris County area in 2006-07. The majority of drowning deaths occurred in swimming pools. Lack of adequate supervision was the cause of most drowning cases in 2006-07. Lack of supervision is also cited as the main reason for child deaths from bathtub drowning.
Child Abuse and Neglect
In 2008, 51% of the 193,254 reports of suspected child abuse in Texas were made by teachers or other school personnel, medical personnel, or law enforcement. The number of confirmed abuse allegations has dropped significantly in Harris County over the last two decades, from approximately 40% of all abuse allegations in Harris County confirmed in the early 1990s to approximately 20.4% in 2008.
Juvenile Probation
The number of juveniles referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD) decreased by almost 10% from 2007 to 2008, from 23,164 to 20,885. Juveniles referred to HCJPD often require intensive psychiatric evaluation and treatment. To address this, in 2008, the department integrated Operation Redirect in an effort to direct mentally ill youth from the juvenile justice system.
Recidivism
HCJPD defines recidivism as adjudication of a second offense that is greater than or equal to the severity of the first adjudication. In 2008, one-year recidivism rates for juveniles on probation increased to 15.6% from 14.7% in 2007. In 2008, 15.6% of youth relapsed into criminal and antisocial behavior within one year of the original referral.
Juveniles Detained and Cost of Detention
The Juvenile Detention Center received 6,405 youths in 2008. The average per-day cost to house a child in Harris County Juvenile Probation Department facilities rose 21% between FY 2007 and FY 2009. The Mental Health Court, begun in February 2009, is a voluntary, specialized, diversionary court program for families of youths with mental health problems who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The Harris County juvenile Mental Health Court is instrumental in ensuring that the mental health needs of youthful offenders are met. As its successes in rehabilitating and diverting youths continue, the involvement of additional community service providers is needed to expand the court’s services to allow more youths to participate in the program.
Adult Certification
Evidence suggests that adult certification has little or no general deterrent effect, and research has shown that recidivism rates are higher among transferred youth. Transfer to the adult system often deprives juveniles of much-needed therapy and rehabilitative services that are offered in the juvenile system. Juveniles incarcerated in adult prison are eight times more likely to commit suicide, five times more likely to be sexually assaulted, and almost twice as likely to be attacked with a weapon by other inmates, compared to youth detained in juvenile facilities. An alternative to certification in Texas is the determinate sentence, which offers much-needed flexibility in deciding the most appropriate sentence for an individual juvenile.
EDUCATION
Children in Child Care and Early Education
Public school pre-K enrollment in Harris County has increased by over 50% in the last decade to 38,179 children in 2009, while local enrollment in Head Start has steadily declined since 2006. Pre-kindergarten programs have been shown to lead to important growth in children’s intellectual and social development, and the implementation of a universal pre-kindergarten program should be made a priority in Texas.
Expenditure per Student in Public Education
During the 2007-08 academic year, the national average for expenditure per student was $9,963. Texas ranked 45th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with an average of $7,978 spent per student, while school districts in Harris County expended even less at an average of $7,157 per student. In 2009, the Texas Legislature did away with the 65% rule, which mandated that at least 65% of school funds be spent on “instruction,” the impact of which remains to be seen.
Alternative Education Programs
In Greater Houston, the majority (68.3%) of removals to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program in 2008-09 were discretionary, or not resulting from a violation of state code. Students placed in alternative education settings for disciplinary purposes are significantly more likely to drop out of school; Texas must work to decrease discretionary referrals to disciplinary programs and provide teachers with adequate training on student behavior management.
Graduation and Dropout Rates
Texas ranks last in the nation in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas; only 79.6% of Texans have a high school diploma. For the class of 2008, Texas’ self-reported graduation rate (for federal accountability) was 79% and Houston ISD’s rate was reported as 68%. In contrast, CHILDREN AT RISK’s four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen entering ninth grade in 2004-05 was 66% for Texas and 54% for the Houston Independent School District (HISD), as the state’s removal of leavers and underreported students from their cohort results in a higher graduation rate.
School Rankings
The purpose of CHILDREN AT RISK’s school rankings is not only to provide a tool to parents and students regarding the quality of local schools, but also to provide information to campuses and districts on how they perform relative to their peers and on successful models of high-performing public schools. To evaluate the performance of public schools across the state, CHILDREN AT RISK examines fourteen indicators at the high school level, ten at the middle school level, and twelve at the elementary level. Although Greater Houston boasted some of the best schools in the 2010 rankings, a disproportionate number of Greater Houston area high schools—more than a third of all area high schools—fell in the bottom quartile in the state.
Although we have made tremendous strides over the past two decades, much work remains for a state that continually ranks in the bottom for many indicators of child well-being. It is our hope that these data will provide a basis for continued reform of local and state policies to better serve children, and as a spark for fellow child advocates to continue to demand that children’s needs be put first.
View the 2008 edition of Growing Up in Houston here.
