California: State of Our Children, 2000. How Young People Are Faring Today.

This Kids Count data book examines trends in the well-being of California's children, focusing on factors influencing adolescents. The statistical portrait is based on trends in 33 indicators of well-being in 4 areas: (1) family economics, including child poverty rate, median family income, youth unemployment, children in families receiving TANF, child hunger, child care, and child support; (2) health, including uninsured children, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families enrollment, teen births, smoking, drug use, mental health, prenatal care, and infant mortality; (3) education, including high school dropout rate, reading and math skills, per pupil expenditure, and children in Head Start; and (4) safety, including child abuse and neglect rates, foster care, gun violence, juvenile incarceration, and youth homicide. The data book's introduction details key findings, discusses data interpretation, and makes recommendations for public and private organizations, parents, and local communities. The first part of the data book details findings for each indicator, focusing on national averages and California's state rank, and on trends from the mid- to late-1990s. Racial/ethnic differences in indicators are presented when available. The second part contains summary tables organized by indicator detailing state and county findings. The data book's findings indicate that currently teens are more likely to complete high school, less likely to be unemployed, and less likely to become parents at an early age than were teen several years ago. Compared to teens in other states, California teens are less likely to have health insurance and more likely to be incarcerated. African American and Latino youth experience significantly worse outcomes than other youth on many measures. (KB)