PORTLAND, Maine - There's been a sharp decline in Maine's ranking when it comes to overall child well-being. That's according to the Maine Children's Alliance annual Kids Count Data Book, which indicates that Maine ranks 17th in the nation, dropping five spots from last year.
The report, by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, finds that child well-being has improved nationally as a result of federal and state policies, but Maine is among states that have seen a dramatic decline.
Claire Berkowitz, executive director of the Maine Children's Alliance, says areas of concern in Maine include an increase in the rate of children without health insurance, an increase in the percentage of low-birth-weight babies and stagnant reading scores.
"There are four domains that make up the overall children well-being ranks and it's economic well-being, education and health and family and community," Berkowitz says. "I think economic well-being is an underlying factor that plays into all of those other domains."
Berkowitz says she thinks one reason Maine has dropped so far in the rankings is that other states have made some improvements, but Maine has stayed the same.
But the report did find some bright spots, including a decline in the percentage of children not in school, fewer eighth graders not proficient in math, and a steep drop in the number of teens who abuse alcohol or drugs.
