2008 Report Card

The Kern County Network for Children is pleased to present the 2008 Conditions of Children Report Card. Each year, the Report Card provides a current and comprehensive snapshot of the status of children and families in Kern County.

The Report Card focuses on needs that all children share, regardless of their age, race/ethnicity, family status, or which Kern County community they live. These needs include the inner-most circles in a child's life (family, economic security, food & nutrition, and healthy development) as well as areas outside of the family (early care & education, K-12 education and safe homes & communities).

2008 Report Card Highlights:

  • An estimated 232,000 children in Kern County and more than 102,000 families are raising related children under age 18
  • Census estimates per capita income at $19,132 in Kern County, 29.1 percent less than the state and 24.3 percent less than the nation.
  • 29.0% of all children lived at or below the poverty line and 32.6% of children under 5 years live in poverty
  • According to the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, 96,565 children under the age of 14 years are in need some kind of care-whether for part or all of the day-while their parents work and Kern's combined child care capacity can serve 31% of this estimated child care need
  • 171,584 children and youth were enrolled in public school during the 2006-07 school year
  • Reading & math scores have increased
  • Kern’s graduation rate (82%) is nearly equal with the State graduation rate (83%)
  • The percent of high school graduates with all “A-G” classes completed has increased from 18% in 2002-03 to 23% in 2005-06, however, this rate is below the state rate of 36%
  • Infant mortality rate has decreased
  • Teen birth rates have fallen dramatically over the past decade, yet Kern's rate is still significantly higher than the state rate and is the fourth highest county rate in the state
  • Chlamydia rates highest among young women between the ages of 20-24 (3,382.8 per 100,000) and 15-19 (3,179.7 per 100,000)
  • Substantiated reports of child abuse and entries in foster care have decreased
  • Among infants, the most common causes of death were positional asphyxia or co-sleeping and pneumonia or bronchiolitis
  • Automobile-related accidents continue to be the most common cause of unnatural death among children over age one (42%)
  • Juvenile arrest rate has decreased. Both juvenile misdemeanor and felony arrests in Kern County has steadily decreased, and misdemeanor arrest rates are below state rate

To access the 2008 Report Card (19.9 MB)

Through our 10th annual Report Card, we hope to emphasize the comprehensive nature of children's well-being and generate discussion, support, and advocacy to meet all of the needs of Kern County's children.

The Kern County Network for Children thanks our community agencies for their support in gathering the data necessary to create this year’s publication and helping us better understand child and family issues in Kern County. Without your support and assistance, this project would not be possible!

For more resources and data, please visit our Conditions of Children website.


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