| By Bob Weaver
West Virginia Kids Count has just released the latest statistics profiling the well-being of children in West Virginia.
Calhoun ranked 43rd worst out of the 55 counties in 11 core measurements related to the welfare of children. The only regional county ranking lower was Braxton.
Mingo, Hampshire, Logan, McDowell and Lincoln are at the bottom of the worst list.
Pendleton, Monongalia, Marion, Putnam and Jefferson are at the top of the best list.
Gilmer ranked 22, Wirt ranked 25, Clay ranked 26, and Roane ranked 31, with only Braxton ranking worse than Calhoun at 48.
Calhoun showed worsening statistics for infant mortality, the percent of high school dropouts, children eligible for free and reduced lunch, and juvenile delinquency cases.
Nearly 70% of the children in Calhoun are eligible for free or reduced lunch.
About 30% of all Calhoun children are living in poverty, says Kids Count.
The percent of high school drop-outs was 19.7% in 2005 in Calhoun. This is the percentage of students in public school grades 7-12 who leave school before graduation without transferring to another school.
There was improvement in Calhoun with fewer low-weight babies, the child death rate, the percent of children attending Head Start, fewer teen births, the percent of births to unmarried teens, and improvement of the number of babies born to mothers with less than a 12th grade education.
In West Virginia, Clay was the least improved county related to child abuse and neglect and the percent of low-weight babies. Calhoun ranked worst in the death of teens, age 15-19.
There was only one licensed day care center for children in the county in 2007.
West Virginia ranked 44th of the 50 states using the same 11 core measurements criteria.
www.wvkidscountfund.org
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