Oklahoma Ranks 44th in Child Well-Being

Key Findings: 

Oklahoma ranks among bottom 10 states on four of 10 indicators.

Nationally, Oklahoma ranked 47th in the child death rate; 45th in both the infant mortality rate and the teen birth rate; and 43rd in the percentage of children in poverty.

Recent increase brings infant mortality to 2000 level.
Between 2006 and 2007, the infant mortality rate in Oklahoma rose 6 percent to 8.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births—returning to the same level as in 2000. There were 469 infant deaths in the state in 2007.

Child poverty rises steadily since 2000.

In 2008, 23 percent of Oklahoma’s children lived in poverty—up from 19 percent in 2000 and 22 percent in 2007. The state’s child poverty rate is well above the national rate of 18 percent. (A family of two adults and two children were considered poor if their income in 2008 fell below $21,834.)

Significant drop in share of teens not in school and not high school graduates.
The percentage of Oklahoma teens ages 16-19 who were not enrolled in school and were not high school graduates has fallen significantly, from 14 percent in 2000 to 8 percent in 2008.

Information from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Next Generation Project

A preparation for the future supported by a three-year, $385,000 organizational development grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
  
At a Glance:
The Kellogg Foundation’s funding for the Next Generation CCFI Project is focused on strengthening the organization’s systems and infrastructure to ensure that CCFI will continue to be a viable source of assistance to children and families for many years to come.

“We are so honored and pleased that the Kellogg Foundation believes in CCFI enough to provide us with this significant grant,” said CCFI Executive Director Katie Fitzgerald. “But, it is important that the community understand that this grant is not intended to fund our current services.  We will still be dependent on the generosity of our community to support the vital services we provide to children every day.

The three central goals of the Next Generation Project include:

• A comprehensive review of CCFI’s services and the establishment of new or expanded partnerships to meet the current and projected needs of children and families, including the needs of diverse communities in Cleveland County and surrounding areas;
• The development of a strategic communications plan to increase awareness regarding the impact of abuse and neglect on children and the broader community, as well as increasing the number of clients and supporters engaged with the agency’s mission;
• A set of infrastructure improvements that will support expanded services including a new management information system.

“The Kellogg Foundation grant gives us a rare opportunity to invest in our infrastructure so that all of our community-based support can continue to go directly toward much needed services for children,” said Jennifer Newell, CCFI Board President.

The first step: 

Collecting input and ideas from community members interested in molding the future of the agency through monthly Community Roundtable Sessions.  

First Roundtable Session:

Who: CCFI Former Board Members
When: Friday, January 21st at 11:30 a.m.
Where: CCFI located at 1151 E. Main Street

The next Community Roundtable is open to the public and is scheduled for Friday, February 25th at 7:30 a.m. at CCFI.

To RSVP for a roundtable, contact April at 364-1420