Back to Goal 1From Measures and Milestones 2002
p. 16-17, published 2002
Like the communities where they live, families of all kinds need networks of support to flourish. When families fail, the cost and the consequences are shared by all of us. What’s more, investments in strengthening families yield proven, measurable returns. Citizens ranked this goal as second in importance though only near the median in level of progress.
Table 1: Where Citizens Think We Stand
Child abuse is unquestionably our most disturbing and devastating family failure, one too often repeated when the child victim becomes an adult abuser. As shown, reports of child abuse have remained virtually unchanged, and thus unimproved, in Kentucky over the past three years, according to the Cabinet for Families and Children.
Figure 1: Child Abuse Reports Among Kentucky Children by Types of Abuse, 1998-2000
Teenage childbearing poses serious health and economic risks that increase the likelihood of family failure. Teenage mothers, for example, are much less likely to receive prenatal care and more likely to smoke during pregnancy compared to their older counterparts. In addition, the majority of these pregnancies are unplanned. Consequently, the parents are less likely to be emotionally, psychologically, and financially prepared for parenthood. These data show birth rates per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17 for Kentucky and the United States. While rates have declined at the state and national levels in recent years, Kentucky’s rates are consistently higher than U.S. rates.
The well-being of Kentucky’s elderly population compels our attention. As the state’s population ages, our capacity to meet the varying needs of older citizens will become an increasingly important measure of our success in supporting families. From the availability of all levels of institutional care to in-home support mechanisms, our responses must be as varied and flexible as the needs of our older citizens. In 2002, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center asked Kentuckians about their satisfaction with both the availability and affordability of elder care in their communities. A majority of the sample expressed satisfaction with the availability of services compared with less than half the sample when asked about the affordability of elder care services.
High-quality child care, some studies have shown, can yield measurable benefits well into adulthood. Statewide surveys conducted in 1996, 1998, and 2000 investigated levels of satisfaction with the availability and affordability of child care. Overall, satisfaction with the availability of child care declined steadily between 1996 and 2000, as dissatisfaction increased. Similarly, many are dissatisfied with the affordability of child care. Overall, the percentage of those who are satisfied has steadily declined, while it has increased steadily for those who are dissatisfied with the affordability of child care.
Figure 4: Levels of Satisfaction with the Availability of High-Quality Day Care
Figure 5: Levels of Satisfaction with the Affordability of High-Quality Day Care
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