In the 2017 Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book, the data signals some significant improvement on certain indicators. Alcohol, marijuana and cigarette use continued to decline, keeping up this trend from previous years. Graduation rates have improved slightly and child poverty decreased, although not to pre-recession rates. The data also highlights that infant mortality has increased, child and teen suicide has risen, and Maine now lags behind the nation in the rate of children with health insurance.
Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education & Cultural Affairs of the Maine Legislature • The brain’s architecture is shaped during a child’s early years, establishing a sturdy or shaky foundation for all of the learning and development that follows. Efforts to support the development of both cognitive and socialemotional skills deserve more attention in the design and functioning of early care and education programs.
More than 20,000 Maine children have a parent who has served time. At 8%, Maine has the highest percentage of children with incarcerated parents in New England.
While we have seen some improvement in median family incomes, not enough of our jobs provide family supporting wages, leaving 108,000 Maine kids (41 percent) in households struggling to pay for child care, housing, food and other basic needs.
Investing in early childhood education is a fiscally responsible way to reduce deficits and create surpluses, now and in the future.
The demands of living in today’s economy also require us to think in innovative ways about how best to maintain and support Maine’s quality of life. We simply must provide working families with the resources they need — access to health care, quality education, jobs that pay — that help them support their and their children’s well-being.
This paper examines in detail both opportunities and challenges that have developed for parents in Maine as a result of decisions at the state level and as a result of some details of transitioning MaineCare to align with the Affordable Care Act.
Many young children are living in households where incomes are not keeping up with the costs of raising a family. In 2010, Maine’s livable wage (the income needed for a family of three to meet their basic needs of rent, food, child care and health insurance) was $45,427. In 2012, approximately 45 percent of Maine children (116,000) lived in a low income family.
In 2011, an estimated 24.2 percent of Maine’s children under age five lived in poverty and were eligible for Head Start. In 2011- 2012, Maine Head Start served an estimated 28% of income eligible children ages birth to five years old. However, the percent of children being served differs by age. Early Head Start served approximately 11% of the income-eligible infants and toddlers, while Head Start enrolled an estimated 48% of three and four year olds living in poverty.
Almost 20 percent of Maine high school students do not graduate. But what’s often overlooked is that, even for those who do graduate, about 15 percent still end up “disconnected”—not in school, not employed or seeking employment. In 2010, Maine ranked 32nd in the percentage of young adults ages 25-29 with a bachelor’s degree or higher, well behind our New England neighbors and the nation as a whole.
This report highlights data trends whenever possible. Of overarching concern is that Maine has not improved in a large number of school readiness measures, but remained stagnant or declined over the past 10 years.
The Maine Children’s Alliance advocates for sound public policies and promotes best practices to improve the lives of all Maine children, youth, and families.
331 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330 • Phone: (207) 623-1868 • Email: outreach@mekids.org
