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This is a snapshot of how children and youth in Larimer County are doing at the beginning of the 21st century. Like any snapshot, this report is a picture captured at a certain point in time. The Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County (HCC) has endeavored to make this snapshot as recent and as accurate as available data allow, but readers should be aware that in many cases data sources have not kept pace with how quickly life can change. The effects of the economic crisis that began in late 2008, for example, are not fully captured by the currently available databases that represent our community. On the other hand, this snapshot utilizes a breadth of information that is taken from several different state, county and local sources, and provides a “wide-angle” shot about children and youth. As with any snapshot, this is a static picture of processes that began long before the picture was taken and will continue long after the picture is framed. It is our goal to make this as dynamic a project as possible by regularly updating information as it changes, as well as reporting new data and resources as we learn about them. This report is the first step on that journey. We have compiled data from a number of sources thought to be credible. However, it should be noted that each source retains responsibility for validity of its numbers and percentages; sources are cited and the reader may go to these sources for additional information. It also should be noted that, where possible, we not only describe Larimer County, but also highlight its diversity by focusing on specific communities within the county (Berthoud, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Loveland and Wellington). Because Fort Collins has the largest population in the county, we often only were able to obtain estimates for it and not other communities. Our goal is to report the data in as objective a manner as possible, leaving interpretation of it to the user. The project began with a community consensus that a basic look at how our children and youth were doing would be helpful to those agencies and programs that support children and youth. HCC heard from many community constituents that it would be very useful to go to a single source for comprehensive statistics related to the well being of our kids – for information on assets and identification of gaps where services could be provided… in general, a “one-stop-shop” for information about “how kids are doing today.” Our original intent was to use the Five Promises of America’s Promise as categories for this report. These categories include Caring Adults, Safe Places, A Healthy Start, Effective Education and Opportunities to Serve. Some categories, such as A Healthy Start and Effective Education, were relatively easy to find data for. Data for others, such as Caring Adults, Safe Places and Opportunities to Serve, were not as easily identified. This report, then, is organized in sections. We begin with a section about Demographics. This section provides basic information about the population of children and youth under 18 who live in Larimer County, as well as the overall population for comparison’s sake. A little over 20% of the county’s population is comprised of children and youth under 18, but varies by community from a low in Estes Park (17%) to a high in Berthoud (30%) and Wellington (33%). The racial makeup of Larimer County is mostly Caucasian and about 10% of the population is Hispanic. Several poverty indices are profiled and we draw your attention to the fact that while the percentage of Larimer County’s youth living in poverty (12.5%) is less than the state (15.4%) and nation (18.3%), the number of children living in poverty in Larimer County has increased 1.9 times faster than the state and 6.8 times faster than the nation since 2000. While most children in Larimer County do not live in families that are below the federal poverty line, many families live in circumstances that place them at risk for not achieving self sufficiency. Information about what it takes for a family to be self-sufficient is included in this section, but it also is important to point out that the recent economic downturn affects this calculation as well. For example, there have been dramatic changes in people’s ability to pay their bills, personal debt level and a dramatic increase in job losses. Moreover, the amount of debt that individuals carry can drastically impact self-sufficiency, regardless of how much they make per hour. Finally, there is some information in this section that, at first glance, may not seem relevant to children or youth. For example, we report on housing costs. While children and youth do not bear the burden of these costs themselves, they are certainly impacted by how much their parents pay for housing. And, given the realities for many families in the current economy, housing costs are directly related to families’ abilities to keep their homes. School districts track the number of homeless children and youth, and as of 2007 (most recent data available), this number had been creeping up. We profile the Health Habits of children and youth. On multiple indices, such as infant mortality, low birth weight, immunization rates and health insurance rates, children and youth in Larimer County are doing better than state or national averages. On others, we still have work to do. For example, although the rate for Larimer County’s children is no different than that for the state, almost half of third-grade students have evidence of missed primary dental care. In addition, in 2006-2007 (most recent data available), 95% of children in Larimer County had some form of health care coverage – but the exact coverage is hard to determine. So, for example, it is unclear what percentage had comprehensive coverage through a state program (Medicaid, CHP+) or private insurance, and what percentage was covered by catastrophic care-only plans. Further, a 2008 report (2008 Colorado KidsCount in Colorado!) showed that the number of children in poverty who are uninsured is twice as high in Colorado as in the nation – earning us the ranking of 50 out of 50 states profiled. This report does not provide data at the county level, but some indirect findings show that Larimer County might fare better than the rest of the state. For example, enrollment efforts in 2007 for children eligible for CHP+ led to higher enrollment rates in Larimer County (61%) than statewide (51%). Given a national obesity epidemic, data are presented related to nutrition, activity and weight. In general, fewer of Larimer County’s youth were considered overweight or obese as compared to the overall state average. Still, almost half do not get the recommended number of daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and are not physically active at least one hour per day. About a quarter of kids in our county eat high-fat foods more than twice a week, consume one or more sodas or sweet drinks per day, and spend more than two hours per day in “screen time” (watching TV, using a computer, etc.). Some children live in challenging home environments due to abuse, neglect and other reasons. Although reports of abuse and neglect have risen over the past few years, the number of youth moved to out-of-home placements has decreased. The reasons for these shifts are not completely clear, but in general children have been shown to fare better in their own families than in out-of-home placements if the home environment can be improved. In addition, the number of residential treatment and agency placements has decreased over the past four to five years, while at the same time the number of kinship placements has steadily increased. This speaks to a growing recognition of the importance of keeping children with their families when possible. Public health indicators profiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment show that the rates of injury, hospitalizations and deaths were lower for youth in Larimer County than statewide. It is noteworthy that the top causes of injury and death – falls, motor vehicle crashes and suicide – are all preventable. These data are congruent with results from a 2007 statewide survey of youth risk behaviors in Colorado which showed the top injury behaviors to include riding with someone who had been drinking alcohol (29%) and individuals who feel hopeless (27%). Almost 20% had either considered or attempted suicide. Additional risk behaviors are profiled for youth in Colorado as well. Information about teens and sex shows that about half of high school students report having had sexual intercourse, with about 12% reporting that they have had multiple partners. The teen birth rate in Larimer County is lower than the state and has remained steady over the past few years. The highest rates are among Latinas who make up half of all teen birth rates in Larimer County and whose birth rate is six times higher than that of their non-Latina peers. Juvenile arrests, as well as the number of juvenile cases filed with the 8th Judicial District, have decreased over the last decade. A new Juvenile Drug Court, increased community support of restorative justice practices and local diversionary programs as sentencing options have likely led to these decreases. Finally, while we have provided as comprehensive a picture of youth health as possible, it is very important to point out that there are significant gaps in what we know. For example, there is no county-wide or community-wide information about drug and alcohol use among teens. Some information about this exists for select individual schools within Larimer County, but in general there is not a lot of data. Furthermore, it was impossible to profile the positive contributions that youth make to our community (such as volunteering), as well as comprehensively document the assets that support them (such as caring adults). This is critical because significant research shows that providing both positive development and supportive assets to youth are the mechanisms by which we reduce risky behavior in youth. In the Education section, we profile comprehensive data about students collected by Larimer County’s school districts, as well as the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). For example, CDE assigns classifications to schools based on students’ performance on standardized tests. The majority of schools in Larimer County received high or excellent ratings for school year 2007 - 2008. Some schools may struggle more with standardized testing than others based on the student population. Schools with lower ratings tended to have higher rates of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch – an indicator of low socioeconomic status which has been shown to be related to low test scores. In comparison to the state, Larimer County’s graduation rates are higher and dropout rates are lower. However, when compared by race and ethnicity, the lowest graduation rates and the highest dropout rates are for Hispanic students. This pattern is evident at the state and national levels, and significant work needs to be done to improve these rates. One possible factor may be the relative disconnect between the diversity of teachers and the diversity of the student body – whereas between 15% and 19% of the student body is Hispanic, between 0-4% of the teaching body is Hispanic. This potentially limits the salience of role models available to a segment of the student population. Safe Places refers to physically and emotionally safe locations where children and youth spend time. Larimer County is blessed to have a strong infrastructure of parks and open space as well as active departments of parks and recreation. More than 60 organizations offer programs to children, youth and their families, with about 20 providing programming during non-school hours. In general, Larimer County provides adequate availability of care for young children, as evidenced by the number of vacancies. Care availability is somewhat more limited for those with infants and toddlers as well as those with lower incomes, as only 62% of facilities accept child care assistance subsidies. We hope that this snapshot is a useful resource for not only providing a picture of how children and youth are doing, but also as a catalyst in stimulating additional action around protecting, supporting, nurturing and launching our most precious resource – the children and youth who will grow up to lead our society. One of the lessons learned while compiling this information was that significantly more data exist to profile problems than to highlight positives. We have tried to present a picture of both successes and concerns in this report, but are fully aware of several gaps in available information, particularly about assets. We know they are abundant in our community, but we have found them not to be summarized in easily accessible formats. We hope that a concerted community effort will begin to address this so we can bring into focus the positive youth development and assets that exist throughout our county. HCC’s own next steps involve launching an online version of this report, and updating this dynamic and ever-changing information on a regular basis. We invite you to turn the page and learn more about the children and youth of Larimer County.
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Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County
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