California and Santa Barbara County have made significant gains to improve the lives of children, according to recent surveys.

The Kids Count study, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, surveys the well-being of children in each state and the extent of improvement or decline between 1990 and 2000. The study ranks California 21st among all states and shows the state improved in eight of 10 categories.

The improvement is mirrored at the county level, according to findings in the 2002 Santa Barbara County Children/s Scorecard.

The state showed its largest reductions in the number of teen deaths by accident, homicide or suicide and of births to teen mothers, by 46 percent and 40 percent, respectively. California/s teen death rate is now 7th in the nation, with 39 deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15 to 19. The national average is 51 per 100,000.

California ranks 31st out of 50 in the number of births to teens, though the state improved from 45 births per 1,000 females ages 15-17 in 1990 to 27 per 1,000 in 2000.

Santa Barbara County also had considerable gains in reducing the teen birth rate. Among girls under 18, the birth rate has dropped from 55.4 births per 1,000 in 1991 to 36.5 births per 1,000 in 2001.

The county reports that birth rates among teens in the North County are the highest in the county, though the rate is dropping overall. Of 219 births to teen mothers in 2000 (down from 305 in 1993), 130 were in Santa Maria, 55 in Santa Barbara and 34 in Lompoc.

Infant mortality rates have fallen in both the state and the count. The Casey Foundation survey notes that California/s infant mortality rate, measured in deaths per 1,000 live births, is 5th-best in the nation with 5.4 per 1,000. This beats the national average of 6.9 per 1,000. The county/s infant mortality rate is slightly higher than the state/s, at 5.6 per 1,000.

Frances Malinoff, county deputy medical director, said programs like Welcome Every Baby, designed to assist new parents, are helping.

"The ultimate goal of this is, if you have a child who is well-parented, they will be successful in school and become part of strong families," Malinoff said.

Increasing awareness of the availability of prenatal care has been key to reducing the infant mortality rate, Malinoff said. However, the rate has leveled off, she added.

"We/ve felt that there is some medical or socioeconomic factor that we are not able to touch, not able to get to, yet," Malinoff said."

The state and the county still have challenges ahead, according to both surveys.

Statewide, the percentage of children living in poverty improved marginally but at 20 percent still lingers above the nationwide average of 17 percent.

Housing costs are hurting more than half of low-income households, according to the Casey Foundation study. It found that 67 percent of California low-income households with children have housing costs that exceed the recommended 30 percent of a family/s income.

Meanwhile, the number of students participating in free or reduced-cost lunch programs in Santa Barbara County is rising, now at 42 percent of all public school children. Families with an income below the federal poverty level qualify for these programs, indicating that the county/s poverty rate is climbing.

The county study shows higher rates of families living below the poverty level in the North County.

For example, the percentage of elementary students participating in the lunch program is 100 percent in the Casmalia school district, 83 percent in Santa Maria-Bonita, 78 percent in Guadalupe Union, 81 percent in Cuyama, 59 percent in Santa Barbara and 55 percent in Los Alamos.

* Staff writer Tamara Miller can be reached at 739-2216 or by e-mail at tmiller@pulitzer.net.

July 9, 2003