1. family and parenting
2. children

2015
Report Card
To report suspected abuse or neglect,
call the Kern County Child Abuse Hotline at
(661) 631-6011 (County-wide)
(760) 375-6049 (Ridgecrest)
photo courtesy of Kim Palmer
Report 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
For all emergencies call 9-1-1.
Established by the Kern County Board of Supervisors in 1992, the Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) proudly
continues its mission to protect and enrich the lives of children in Kern County through the commitment of all community
partners by helping to build and sustain healthy families.
Permission to copy, disseminate, or otherwise use information from this
2015 Kern County Report Card is granted as long as appropriate acknowledgment is given.
Report Card 2015. Bakersfield, California
© Kern County Network for Children, June 2015
Acknowledgments
Supporting Caring Responsive Communities
The Kern County Report Card was created by the Kern County Network for Children in 1994. The initial purpose was to help communities improve
the lives of Kern County’s most vulnerable children and families by collecting and disseminating data that advanced awareness of the issues faced
by this population. This 2015 edition continues to track and update more than 150 data indicators on child and family well-being including: family
economics, education, child/adolescent health, child safety and at-risk youth behavior. It has also become more focused on raising the visibility of
key issues affecting child safety and well-being community’s children, specifically child abuse and neglect. In addition to raising awareness of these
issues, the Report Card features suggestions for the reader to help meet the needs of children in their community so they may have healthy, safe lives.
In 2013, the Kern County Network for Children partnered with Kidsdata.org, a comprehensive, online clearinghouse of information about child
health and well-being of children in communities across California, provided by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. The annual
report cards now have links to continually updated data on the Kidsdata.org website that can be customized by the reader to help them tell their
story in grant proposals, research reports, presentations, public education, advocacy campaigns, and other work on behalf of children.
It is our hope that the facts and figures within the 2015 Report Card are not only informative, but also prompt more community action to improve the
lives of children. We invite the community to join the Kern County Network for Children and discover positive, proactive ways that they can contribute
to building a strong future for our children.
Staff:
Tom Corson, Executive Director
Ian Anderson, Foster Youth Services Facilitator
Sara Espinoza, Foster Youth Specialist
Martha Gómez, Administrative Assistant
Kimberley Silva, Research Associate
Jayme Stuart, Child and Family Services Facilitator
Kim Salas, Receptionist
Contact Information:
Kern County Network for Children (KCNC)
mailing address - 1300 17th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301
physical address - 1212 18th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 636-4488
www.kcnc.org
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Kern County Children
Contents
Population
Jump to -
Population
Kern County Children
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39-53
Kern
2011
• Number
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ChildrenCounty
Entering
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duction
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Kern
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the youngest counties
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
for theinforeseeable
future,
• Number
of Children with Substantiated Cases of Physical Abuse
the age of 18 resided
Kern County, 2011
though
it will account for a
. . . . . . . . . . .58
Kern County, about
48,000
Native American
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
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smaller
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2%
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population
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Contents
Bullets (•) denote charts.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
• Projected Number of Children Under Age 18 in Kern County . . . . . . . . 2
• Kern County Children by Age & Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
• Families with Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
• Living Arrangements of Children by Family Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
• Self-Sufficiency Standard for Selected Families with Children . . . . . . .
• Median Annual Income for Families with Children by Year . . . . . . . . . .
• Median Annual Income for Families with Children by Family Type . . .
• Total Collected Distributions to Children & Families
Kern County Department of Child Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Annual Average Unemployment Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• Families with Children Under 18 Years - Poverty Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Child Poverty Trend by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Poverty Rates of Children Under Age 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Child Poverty Rates by Race/Ethnicity & Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Percentage of Occupied Housing with Families with Children . . . . . . . 10
• Percent Change in Home Value & Residential Rent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
• Free/Reduced Meal Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6
8
8
9
9
Security
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-18
• K-12 Public Student Enrollment by Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
• Total K-12 Public Student Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
• Students Receiving Special Education Services by Primary Disability . 14
Academic Achievement
• California Standards Test Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
• Students (Grades 2-7) Scoring Proficient or Higher
on English Language Arts & Mathematics CST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Educational Attainment
5
5
6
• Educational Attainment Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• High School Dropout Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• CSU/UC Eligibility Rates by Gender & Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Median Earnings of Population 25 Year and Older
by Education & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16
17
17
18
• Poverty Rate of Population 25 Year and Older
by Educational Attainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
. . . . . . . . . . . 19-27
• Percentage of Babies Born by Selected Measures & Race/Ethnicity . . . 20
• Infant Death Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• Infant Deaths by Top Five Causes - Cases Reviewed
by Child Death Review Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
• Percentage of 5th, 7th & 9th Graders - Aerobic Capacity
& Body Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
• Percentage of 5th, 7th & 9th Graders within High-Risk Category for
Body Composition by Selected Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
• Students Reporting Depression-Related Feelings
by Gender & Grade Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Chlamydia, Rates by Age & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Birth Rates for Teenage Females Aged 15-19 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Birth Rates for Teenage Females Aged 15-19 Years
by Race/Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol or Other Drugs
at Least Once in Their Life by Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
• Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol or Other Drugs
During Past 30 Days (Current Use) by Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
• Percent of Students Reporting Participation in High-Risk Behaviors
Associated with Alcohol, Tobacco or Other Drugs by Grade . . . . . . . . 27
• Percent of Students Reporting Participation in Various Levels
of Tobacco Use by Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
• Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol, Tobacco or Other Drugs
During Past 30 Days (Current Use) by Gender & Grade . . . . . . . . . . . 27
24
24
25
25
. . . . . . . . . . . . 28-38
• Hospitalizations Caused by Injury Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
• Fatalities Caused by Injury Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
• Hospitalizations & Fatalities from Unintentional Injuries
Among Children Under 18 Years by Race/Ethnicity
- Incidence per 100,000 Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
• Unintentional Injury Deaths Among Children Under Age 18 Years
by Age Group & Selected Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
...continued
Contents cont.
Bullets (•) denote charts.
(cont.)
• Child Deaths by Selected Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
• Percent of Students Who Feel Safe at School
by Gender & Grade Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Reason for Bullying/Harassment by Grade Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Violence-Related Behavior & Experiences During the Past 12 Months
at School - Kern County 7th, 9th & 11th Graders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Percentage of Students Who Consider Themselves a Gang Member
by Gender & Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Firearm-Related Hospitalizations, Children Under 18 Years . . . . . . . . . 35
• Firearm-Related Fatalities, Children Under 18 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
• Missing Children by Circumstance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
• Domestic Violence Calls for Assistance
- Incidence Per 1,000 Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
• Juvenile Felony Arrest Rate by Year
- Incidence Per 1,000 Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
• Juvenile Felony Arrest Rate by Offense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
33
33
34
34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-53
• Child Maltreatment - Allegations & Substantiated Reports . . . . . . . . . .
• Child Maltreatment Allegation Rates - Incidence per 1,000 Children . .
• Substantiated Child Maltreatment Rates
- Incidence per 1,000 Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Substantiated Child Abuse & Neglect by Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Child Maltreatment Allegations by Disposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect by Age
- Incidents per 1,000 Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Substantiated Cases of Child Severe & General Neglect
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
• Number of Children with Substantiated Cases
of Severe & General Neglect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
• Substantiated Cases of Child Physical Abuse
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
• Number of Children with Substantiated Cases of Physical Abuse . . . . . 43
• Substantiated Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
• Number of Children with Substantiated Cases of Sexual Abuse . . . . . . 44
• Abuse & Neglect Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
• Reported Severe Injuries From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age . . . . . . . . . 46
• Reported Near Fatalities From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age . . . . . . . . . 46
• Reported Fatalities From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
• Number of Child Fatalities, Near Fatalities and Severe Injuries
Due to Abuse/Neglect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
• Foster Care Entry & First Time Entry Rate
- Incidence per 1,000 Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
• First Time Entry into Foster Care by Removal Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
• Placement Settings for Children in Foster Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
• Selected Foster Care Placement Setting by Age Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
• Percentage of Sibling Groups Placed Together in Foster Care . . . . . . . . 50
• Number of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
• Number of Children Entering & Exiting Foster Care Placement . . . . . .
• Where Children Went After Exiting Foster Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Percentage of Children Who Exited Foster Care
to Reunify with Family in Less Than Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Median Length of Time in Foster Care by Age Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Children Exiting Foster Care with Finalized Adoptions by Age Group . . 53
• Median Number of Months in Foster Care to Adoption by Age Group . . .53
40
40
41
41
41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
51
51
52
52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54-59
41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kern Cares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
55
56
57
58
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2015 KCNC Governing Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2015 Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62-68
Welcome
For the past 17 years, the Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) has published the Kern County Report Card, a compilation of the most current
data available relative to the well being of Kern County children and their families.
While the data can be complex, the purpose of the Report Card is simple. With greater knowledge and understanding about the conditions of our children, our community has a solid footing to foster change. In other words, if we know what is broken, we can work collaboratively and take action to
move forward in a positive direction.
Among the most positive highlights are in the area of child health and safety. This year’s report demonstrates the fact that the rate of substantiated child
abuse/neglect in Kern County fell for the 6th straight year. Moreover, fewer kids are living in foster care, more expecting mothers are receiving prenatal
care during their first trimester, school students are generally healthier than in past years and teen birth rates are at historic lows.
On the education front, more Kern County high school students are staying in school as graduation rates have increased and the high school dropout
rate has declined for the 4th consecutive year. Kern County’s public high school graduates are also completing more courses required for University of
California and/or California State University entrance.
While indicators of child well being in the areas of education, health and safety have improved, indicators of child economic well being continue to be
of concern and many families still face economic hardship and insecurity.
Unemployment from Kern’s oil and agricultural industries caused by plunging oil prices and the state drought will likely hamper the county’s economic recovery, causing many Kern County children to slip in and out of poverty as family circumstances change. This is unwelcome news considering
research shows that poverty threatens every aspect of a child’s welfare including physical and emotional health and his/her ability to learn.
But we mustn’t let up. We must remain diligent in our efforts. We must commit to doing everything we can to ensure our Kern County children are given their very best chance to thrive. It is my hope that the facts and figures within this year’s report card are not only informative, but also prompts even
greater community action. At the end of the day, when our children are successful, we all benefit.
John Nilon
President, Kern County Network for Children Governing Board
The 2015 Kern County Report Card is available online at www.kcnc.org/reportcard.
i
hildren
and
amilies
C
F
The 2015 Report Card’s chapter Children and Families presents an overview of the Kern County child population and their
families. Located in the southern Central Valley, Kern County is California’s third-largest county in land area and covers 8,170
square miles of valley, mountains and desert. Kern is also one of the State’s youngest counties with children constituting almost
one in three of the people living within the County during 2014.
Key Facts
•Kern County’s population grew a modest 0.8% between
July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014 to 872,322 residents.
•In 2014, Kern County’s child population exceeded
251,000 – the 4th largest child population percentage
among California counties.
• 1 out of every 3 Kern County children were young children
under the age of 6 years old.
• 6 out of every 10 children were Latino in Kern County.
•The majority of Kern County children live in marriedcouple homes.
•37% of Kern County children were being raised by a
single parent and 7% by their grandparents.
Jump to •
•
•
Kern County Children
Projected Number of Children Under Age 18 in Kern County
Selected Years 1970-2050
500,000
450,000
428,326
385,407
400,000
330,933
350,000
Population
• Kern County’s population growth has slowed in
recent years. According to
the California Department
of Finance, Kern County’s
population grew 0.8%
between July 1, 2013 and
July 1, 2014 to 872,322
residents.
• This growth was due to
natural increase (new
births), as net migration
has been relatively low
since 2009.
• The population’s natural
increase of 8,112 in the
past year was composed of
13,926 births minus 5,814
deaths.
• In 2014, a total of
251,194 children under
the age of 18 resided in
Kern County.
• The county’s child population is projected to increase
to 278,144 by 2020 and
428,326 by 2050.
• The county’s child population made up 29% of its
total population, the 4th
largest percentage in the
state.
• Males accounted for 51%
and females 49% of Kern’s
2014 child population.
• Kern County’s children
are highly diverse, with
the largest group being of
Hispanic or Latino origin
(62.4%).
278,144
300,000
253,346
250,000
211,172
200,000
174,685
150,000
120,946
125,525
1970
1980
100,000
50,000
0
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
Kern County Children by Age & Race/Ethnicity
2014
Ethnic Group
Age
Group
AfricanCaucasian
American
Latino
Asian/Pac
Native
Islander American
MultiRace
Total
Under 1
725
3,701
8,805
434
65
467
14,197
1-2
1,509
7,445
17,558
886
123
919
28,440
3-5
2,205
10,933
26,977
1,228
186
1,310
42,839
6-10
3,535
17,850
45,450
2,124
320
1,947
71,226
11-15
3,416
17,989
41,668
2,304
399
1,712
67,488
16-17
1,386
7,525
16,265
993
179
656
27,004
Total
12,776
65,443
156,723
7,969
1,272
7,011
251,194
• Caucasian children were
the second largest group
(26.1%), followed by
African-Americans (5.1%),
Asian and Pacific Islanders
(3.2%), Native Americans
(0.5%) and all others
(2.8%).
• Few children living in Kern
County were born outside
the United States–4.3% of
all those under age 18 in
2013.
• By comparison, 5.1% of
California children and
3.4% of children nationwide were born outside the
United States in 2013.
• In 2013, an estimated
11% of Kern County school
children spoke a language
other than English at home
and lived in a “linguistically isolated” household
in which no one age 14 or
over spoke English only or
spoke a language other
than English at home and
spoke English “very well.”
• In comparison, 8.9% of
California children ages
5 to 17 years lived in a
linguistically isolated home
and 4.5% of children nationwide during 2013.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
demographic data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
2
• In 2013 there were
257,183 households in
Kern County.
• 43% of Kern’s households
had one or more children
during 2013.
• At the same time, 36% of
California’s households
had children under age
18.
• Of these Kern County
households raising their
own children, 63% were
headed by married couples; 27% were headed by
a single mother; and 10%
by a single father.
• During 2013, an estimated 77,473 Kern County
children lived with just one
parent (35% of the total
child population).
• Children living in single
parent homes were more
likely to live with their
mothers than with their
fathers (76% versus 24%)
in Kern County.
• In Kern County, 23,289
grandparents lived with
their grandchildren under
18 years old in 2013.
• 7,081 of these grandparents were “grandparent
caregivers” (those who had
primary responsibility for
grandchildren under 18
years living with them), a
figure of 30%.
Families Raising Children
Families with Children
Kern County, 2013
37%
Single-Parent
Families
26%
Single
Father
74%
1
Single Mother
2
63%
Married-Couple
Families
American Community Survey, 2013
Living Arrangements of Children by Family Structure
Kern County, 2005-2013
68.7%
62.7%
23.8%
7.5%
2005
26.7%
66.3%
22.5%
10.6%
11.2%
2006
2007
68.9%
65.4%
63.4%
62.7%
63.5%
26.0%
26.7%
26.7%
25.9%
9.1%
8.6%
9.9%
10.6%
10.6%
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
22.0%
Married-Couple
Father Only
65.5%
• According to 2013 estimates, 17,436 Kern County children lived in the care
of their grandparents, or
7% of all children under
age 18 in county households.
• Kern’s rate of children living in the care of their care
rose from 5% in 2012.
• Statewide, 9% of California’s children lived in the
care of their grandparents
in 2013.
• 1,873 Kern County children
living with grandparents
had no parents present in
their grandparent’s home
in 2013.
• In 2013, 44% of Kern
County children ages 0-17
lived with one or more
foreign-born parents.
• In comparison, 49% of
California’s children lived
with one or more foreign-born parents.
26.1%
8.4%
2013
Mother Only
3
amily
conomics
F
E
Kern County’s economic recovery from the recession that began in 2007 continues to be slow and impacts a family’s capacity to provide safe and stable homes for their children. The Family Economics chapter presents an overview of the economic
resources of Kern County families and their ability to provide their children with such basic needs as housing and food.
Key Facts
• Kern County’s 2013 median family income was 32% less
than the state and 31% less than the nation.
•Kern‘s average annual unemployment rate continued to
decline in 2013, but remains double-digit.
•Children in single mother families were three times as
likely to be poor as children in married-couple families in
Kern County.
• About every third child in Kern County was poor in 2013
and very young children continue to be most at risk of
experiencing poverty.
• A Kern County renter earning minimum wage must work
71 hours weekly to afford a two bedroom rental unit at
Fair Market Rent.
•More than 72,000 Kern County children were at risk of
hunger at some time during 2013.
Jump to •
•
•
•
•
•
• The Self-Sufficiency Standard, or how much a
family would need to
meet basic needs, for a
Kern County family of two
adults, one preschooler
and one school-aged child
was $52,067 in 2014.
• The Census Bureau estimates the median income
for Kern County families
with children was $42,040
in 2013.
• By comparison, the 2013
median income for families
raising children in California was $61,410 and
$60,654 nationwide.
• Kern County’s 2013 median family income was 32%
less than the state and 31%
less than the nation.
• Median income varies by
type of family. The income
of single parent families
with children in Kern County was far lower than the
income of a married-couple families ($67,208) in
2013.
• The median family income for single fathers in
Kern County in 2013 was
higher than the median
income for single mothers
($25,151 versus $18,623).
• The Kern County Department of Child Support Services served over 57,000
children in the 2013-14
fiscal year.
Family Income
Self-Sufficiency Standard for Selected Families with Children
Kern County & California, 2014
$63,979
$59,744
$56,492
$55,730
$52,067
$49,990
$47,722
$44,857
$44,613
$43,354
$41,506
$35,244
Two Adults, One Infant
Two Adults, One
Preschooler
Two Adults, One
School-Aged Child
Kern County
Two Adults, One
Teenager
Two Adults, One
Preschooler and One
School-Age Child
One Adult, One
Preschooler and One
School-Aged Child
California
Median Annual Income for Families with Children by Year
Kern County, California & United States, 2008-2013
$64,155
$61,035
$60,435
$61,410
$59,537
$60,654
$42,035
$42,008
$42,040
2011
2012
2013
$59,147
$59,071
$58,314
$57,085
$58,035
$43,183
$44,166
$43,499
2008
2009
2010
$60,944
Kern County
California
United States
• The Department was able
to increase the percent of
child support payments
collected and distributed to
these children by 2.3% over
the prior year, for a total of
over $79 million dollars.
• During 2013, 40% of Kern
County children live in
households with Supplemental Security Income
(SSI), cash public assistance
income, or Food Stamp/
SNAP benefits.
• In California, 28% of
children resided in homes
receiving public assistance
in 2013.
• Rates of Kern County children living in households
with Supplemental Security
Income (SSI), cash public
assistance income, or Food
Stamp/SNAP benefits were
higher among single mother households (69%) and
single father households
(41%) than married couple
households (26%) in 2013.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California family
economic data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
5
Family Income cont.
$80,000
Median Annual Income
$70,000
Median Annual Income for Families with Children by Family Type
Kern County, 2013
$67,208
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$25,151
$20,000
$18,623
$18,750
Single Mother Family
Family Headed by
Grandparent
(No Parent Present)
$10,000
$0
Married-Couple Family
Single Father Family
Total Collected Distributions to Children & Families
Kern County Department of Child Support Services
Kern County, FY 2009-2014
$82,000,000
$80,000,000
$79,365,711
$77,594,876
$78,000,000
$76,000,000
$73,944,356
$74,000,000
$72,000,000
$70,000,000
$68,000,000
$69,285,114
$67,521,727
$67,241,459
FY 2009
FY 2010
• 115,599 children under
age 13 years in Kern
County were in need of
child care while their parents worked in 2012.
• Kern County licensed child
care providers and programs have the capacity to
serve 18% of the estimated
child care need of working
parents countywide during
2012 compared to 25%
statewide.
• The average annual cost of
full-time care for an infant
or toddler in Kern County is
$9,919 in a licensed center
and $6,010 in a family
child care home in 2012.
• The cost of care for a
preschooler is $6,553 for
a center and $5,794 in a
family child care home.
• Statewide, the average annual cost of infant/toddler
care in 2012 was $11,461
in licensed child care centers and $7,446 in family child care homes; for
preschool-age children, the
annual cost was $7,982 in
licensed child care centers
and $7,050 in family child
care homes.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
care data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
$66,000,000
$64,000,000
$62,000,000
$60,000,000
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
6
Employment
Annual Average Unemployment Rate
Kern County, California & United States, 2004-2014
15.9%
14.9%
14.4%
13.3%
12.4%
11.8%
11.7%
11.3%
10.5%
9.9%
8.4%
9.3%
8.2%
7.5%
8.9%
9.6%
8.9%
7.4%
5.4%
5.4%
4.9%
2004
7.5%
8.3%
7.2%
6.2%
5.5%
10.4%
9.8%
6.2%
5.8%
5.1%
2005
4.6%
4.6%
2006
2007
2008
2009
Kern County
California
2010
United States
2011
2012
2013
2014
• During 2014, 41,400 Kern
County residents, 10.4%
of the county’s workforce,
were unemployed.
• Kern County’s annual average unemployment rate
has declined from 11.8%
in 2013 to 10.4% in 2014.
• In comparison, the 2014
average unemployment
rate for California was
7.5% and 6.2% for the
nation.
• According to the 2013
American Community
Survey, 39.7% of Kern
County’s children lived in
households without secure
parental employment,
where no parent worked at
least 35 hours per week in
the past year, a decrease
from 40.7% in 2012.
• Kern County’s rate of children without secure parental employment was higher
than California (34.4%)
and the United States
(31.0%).
• Kern County had the 4th
highest rate of children
without secure parental
employment among California counties in 2013.
Additional customizable
Kern County and California
employment data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
7
• For 2013, the federal
poverty level was $23,550
for a family of four.
• According to Census
estimates, 27.1% of Kern
County families were
raising their children with
incomes below the poverty
line in 2013.
• In California, 19.0% of
families with children lived
in poverty.
• The poverty rates for Kern
County children in single
father and single mother
households were 36.8%
and 59.7%, respectively,
compared to 17% of
married-couple families.
• Among Kern County
families whose
householder had less than
a high school diploma,
36.2% lived in poverty
during 2013.
• Of those families whose
householder had a high
school diploma, the rate of
poverty dropped to 19.0%.
• For those families
in Kern County with
householders having at
least a bachelor’s degree,
the poverty rate fell
dramatically to 3.7%.
• According to the 2013
Census, 77,257 children
in Kern County (30.8%
of all children) lived in
households with incomes
below the federal poverty
line, a decrease of 7,915
children from the previous
year estimate.
Poverty
Families with Children Under 18 Years - Poverty Rates
Kern County, 2013
Single Father
13%
Married-Couple
31%
Single Mother
56%
Child Poverty Trend by Year
Kern County, California & United States, 2005-2013
35.1%
33.9%
28.8%
30.3%
29.0%
30.8%
30.4%
27.1%
24.7%
21.6%
19.6%
18.2%
17.7%
18.2%
17.9%
17.6%
17.8%
2005
2006
2007
2008
16.9%
18.1%
19.7%
Kern County
2009
California
21.2%
22.5%
23.5%
22.3%
23.1%
21.9%
22.2%
• By comparison, 19% of
children in California lived
in poverty during the past
year.
• In 2013, 33.5% of Kern
County children under age
5 lived below the poverty
threshold.
• Statewide, the poverty rate
of young children was
24.8% during the same
year.
• The 2013 poverty rate for
children under five years
of age being raised by
single mothers was 65.3%
compared to 27.7% of
young children in single
father homes and 20.8% in
married-couple families.
• African-American and
Latino children were
more likely to live in poor
families in Kern County
than were Caucasian and
Asian children.
• In 2013, 17.5% of
Caucasian children and
11.7% of Asian children
were poor, compared with
46.9% of African-American
children and 37.0% of
Latino children.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California poverty
data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
2010
United States
2011
2012
2013
8
Poverty cont.
Poverty Rates of Children Under Age 5
Kern County, California & United States, 2005-2013
37.7%
36.1%
53.4%
34.5%
31.6%
32.6%
Child Poverty Rates by Race/Ethnicity & Age
Kern County, 2013
35.8%
33.5%
46.9%
32.1%
44.4%
28.8%
40.9%
25.0%
25.8%
25.6%
23.2%
21.3%
21.0%
20.8%
21.2%
23.7%
37.0%
25.1%
24.7%
24.8%
35.5%
33.5%
30.8%
29.7%
22.0%
19.6%
19.2%
20.1%
18.7%
18.1%
17.5%
15.9%
11.7%
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
All Races/Ethnicities
African-American
Children in Poverty (0-17)
California
Ages 0-4
Caucasian
Latino
Ages5-17
United States
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
35.1%
33.9%
30.8%
California
22.5%
23.5%
23.1%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
29.2%
28.4%
27.1%
California
18.6%
19.3%
19.0%
All Families with Children
Percent Living in Poverty
12.0%
Asian
All Ages
Kern County
11.0%
Children in Poverty (0-4)
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
37.7%
35.8%
33.5%
California
24.7%
25.1%
24.8%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
54.1%
57.2%
California
37.4%
39.4%
Single Moms with Children
Percent Living in Poverty
Children in Poverty (5-17)
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
34.1%
33.2%
29.7%
California
21.7%
22.9%
22.5%
Students Enrolled in Free or
Reduced Price Meal Program
20112012
20122013
20132014
53.5%
Kern County
67.1%
68.9%
70.5%
38.8%
California
57.5%
58.0%
59.4%
9
• In 2013, Kern County had
256,000 occupied housing
units - 148,000 (58%) owner occupied and 108,000
(42%) renter occupied.
• 58% of Kern County children lived in a rented housing unit during 2013 with
higher rates among single
mother (71%) and single
father (60%) households.
• During 2013, the median
gross rent in Kern County
was $894 compared to
$1,224 statewide.
• Families paying more than
30% of their gross income
for housing are cost burdened and often have difficulty meeting other important financial obligations.
• The Census estimated 56%
of Kern’s renting households spent 30% or more of
their household income on
rent in 2013, a rate slightly lower than California’s
figure of 57%.
• The 2015 Fair Market Rent
for a two-bedroom apartment in Kern County is
$832 a month.
• Kern County’s Fair Market
Rent has increased by more
than 32% since 2005.
• In 2015, Kern County’s
monthly housing wage is
$2,773; the full-time hourly
housing wage is $16.00.
• Kern County’s housing
wage represents 178% of
the current minimum wage.
Housing
60%
Percent of Occupied Housing with Families with Children
Kern County, California & United States, 2013
50.8%
50%
38.6%
40%
35.7%
34.0%
32.3%
30.2%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Kern County
California
Owner-Occupied Housing
United States
Renter-Occupied Housing
Percent Change in Home Value & Residential Rent
Kern County, 2008-2013
Home Value
Rent
15%
11.0%
10%
5%
0%
• A renter in Kern County
earning minimum wage
must work 71 hours per
week, 52 weeks per year, to
afford a two bedroom rental unit at Fair Market Rent.
• In 2013, about 26% of
Kern County’s children lived
in crowded households
(crowded households are
defined as more than one
person per “room”), a decrease from 31% in 2012.
• The rate of children living in
crowded housing was lower
than the state rate of 28%,
but higher than the national
rate of 14%.
• The McKinney-Vento Act
requires school districts to
ensure homeless students
have access to education
and other services they
need to meet the same
standards as all students.
• In the school year 200708, there were 2,826 children identified as homeless
in Kern County.
• The most recent figures
from 2013-14 indicate the
homeless numbers have
more than doubled since
2007-08 to 7,605 children, countywide.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California cost of
living data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
-5%
-10%
-15%
-20%
-25%
-30%
-28.0%
10
Food Security
Free/Reduced Meal Enrollment
Kern County & California, 2003-04 through 2013-14
80%
70%
60%
Percentage of Students
• In 2013, 72,490 children
under age 18 living in Kern
County households experienced limited or uncertain
access to adequate food.
• Kern’s 29% child food insecurity rate was higher than
California (25%) and the
United States (21%).
• In December 2014,
62,861 households in Kern
County participated in the
food assistance program
called CalFresh.
• Since the recession began
in late 2007, the number
of Kern County households
participating in CalFresh
has increased 104%, a total of 32,075 more households.
• During the 2013-14 school
year, 71% of Kern County
students were eligible to
receive free or reduced
priced meals compared to
59% statewide.
• The percentage of students
enrolled ranged from 6%
to 99% in Kern County
school districts.
• The total number of students participating in the
free/reduced meals program has grown 43% from
88,750 in 2001-02 to
126,684 in 2013-14.
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
03-04
04-05
05-06
06-07
07-08
Kern County
08-09
09-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
California
California Department of Education
11
ducation
K 12 E
The chapter K-12 Education presents an overview of Kern County’s public K-12 students and their educational achievements.
Education provides young people a gateway to more opportunities and greater success in life. Indicators related to academic
performance, such as standardized testing and completing high school, often serve as a predictor of a child’s current and
future social, economic and physical well-being.
Key Facts
• Kern’s K-12 public school enrollment hit an all-time high
with nearly 180,000 students enrolled during the 201314 academic year.
• Double-digit achievement gaps persist between the performance of some socio-economic, ethnic/racial and
other groups of students on standardized tests.
• The majority of Kern students are passing the high school
exit exam on their first try in 10th grade.
•Kern County’s high school dropout rate declined for the
second year and reached a record low last school year.
• 3 out of 4 Kern County students graduated within four
years during the 2013-14 school year.
• 1 out of every 3 Kern County high school graduates met
entrance requirements for UC/CSU systems.
Jump to •
•
•
Students
• Kern County’s Special
Education system served
17,726 children and young
adults from newborn to
age 22 during the 201314 school year.
K-12 Public Student Enrollment by Year
Kern County, 2003-04 through 2013-14
179,680
178,671
175,835
174,132
174,180
174,099 173,733
171,585
170,362
165,817
160,157
2003-04
80%
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
Total K-12 Public Student Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity
Kern County, 2013-14
74%
70%
63%
Percentage of Total Student Enrollment
• In the 2013-14 school
year, 179,680 students
were enrolled in the county’s 270 public schools,
1,009 more students than
the previous year.
• Kern County averaged
27.0 students in each
classroom during the
2012-13 academic year,
a figure higher than the
state’s average of 25.0
students.
• The student-teacher ratio
in Kern County was 22.7
students for every full time
teacher during the 201314 school year compared
to 22.5 statewide.
• Kern schools are linguistically diverse, with 44
languages or dialects
represented by students
county-wide.
• During the 2013-14 academic year, 39,756 students (22% of total county
enrollment) were English
Learners.
• Most English Learner students were in the earlier
grade levels, and nearly all
spoke Spanish as their first
language (95%).
• 72% of Kern County students were considered economically disadvantaged
during the 2013-14 school
year, compared to 61% of
students statewide.
59%
60%
50%
40%
29%
30%
25%
20%
15%
9%
10%
6%
1% 0.5% 1%
2%
2%
2%
2%
0%
Native American
Asian/Pac Islander
Latino
Total Enrollment
N/A
Filipino
Special Education
6%
1%
1%
African-American
Caucasian
Economically Disadvantaged
1%
N/A
Two or more races,
not Latino
• Of the 5th grade students
surveyed in Kern County,
77% believed there was a
teacher or other adult who
cared about them all or
most of the time and 87%
reported that there was a
teacher or other adult who
believed they could do a
good job.
• In the 2013-14 school
year, 81% of the Class of
2016 passed the English
Language Arts portion and
82% passed the exam’s
Mathematics section of the
CAHSEE high school exit
exam in Kern County.
• In Kern County, 10,573
students met graduation
requirements during the
2013-14 school year, a
graduation rate of 79.8
per 100 students, an
increase from the previous
year’s rate of 76.4.
• California’s graduation
rate was 80.8 per 100
students during 2013-14
academic year.
• Of the students who started
high school in 2010-11,
14.4% dropped out, a
decrease from the previous
year’s rate of 16.5%.
13
• Kern County’s dropout rate
is higher than the state rate
of 11.6%.
• Students with the highest
dropout rates included English Learners (25.7%) and
African-American (22.6%)
students.
• In the 2013-14 school
year, 33.3% of students
graduated with all “A-G”
classes completed, a figure
slightly higher than the previous school year rate of
29.8%.
• In comparison, 41.9% of
students graduated with
UC/CSU entrance requirements statewide.
• In the 2013-14 school
year, 5,266 Kern County
students took the SAT.
• 34.4% of these Kern
County students scored at
or above 1,500, a figure
lower than the state student
rate of 47.8%.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
educational data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
Students cont.
Students Receiving Special Education Services by Primary Disability
Kern County, 2013-14
Intellectual Disability
9%
Autism
8%
Speech or Language
Impairment
25%
Other Health
Impairment
7%
Emotional Disturbance
3%
Other
6%
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
1%
Orthopedic Impairment
1%
Multiple Disability
1%
Visual Impairment
<1%
Specific Learning Disability
44%
14
Academic Achievement
California Standards Test Scores
Kern County & California, 2010-11 through 2012-13
Kern County
3rd Grade Test Scores (CST)
California
10-11
11-12
12-13
English Language Arts
37%
38%
36%
Mathematics
60%
62%
58%
10-11
11-12
12-13
English Language Arts
47%
52%
48%
Mathematics
42%
45%
44%
Percent “Proficient” or Above
7th Grade Test Scores (CST)
Percent “Proficient” or Above
3rd Grade Test Scores (CST)
10-11
11-12
12-13
English Language Arts
46%
48%
45%
Mathematics
68%
69%
66%
10-11
11-12
12-13
English Language Arts
57%
62%
60%
Mathematics
50%
52%
52%
Percent “Proficient” or Above
7th Grade Test Scores (CST)
Percent “Proficient” or Above
Students (Grades 2-7) Scoring Proficient or Higher on English Language Arts & Mathematics CST
Kern County, 2013
47%
All Students
54%
43%
Male
53%
50%
Female
36%
African-American
54%
39%
59%
61%
Caucasian
41%
Latino
51%
39%
Economically Disadvantaged
49%
61%
63%
Not Economically Disadvantaged
18%
Students with Disabilities
30%
16%
English Learners
36%
Parents Without High School
Diploma
33%
0%
10%
20%
English-Language Arts
30%
45%
40%
Mathematics
50%
60%
70%
15
Educational Attainment
Educational Attainment Indicators
Kern County & California, 2011-12 through 2013-14
Kern County
California
Out-of-School Youth
2011
2012
2013
Out-of-School Youth
2011
2012
2013
Percent of youth ages 16-19 not in school
and without high school diploma
8.5%
8.0%
7.8%
Percent of youth ages 16-19 not in school
and without high school diploma
5.4%
5.1%
5.4%
CAHSEE % of 10th graders passing exam
11-12
12-13
13-14
CASHEE % of 10th graders passing exam
11-12
12-13
13-14
English Language Arts
80%
79%
81%
English Language Arts
83%
83%
83%
Mathematics
80%
80%
82%
Mathematics
84%
84%
85%
Graduation Rates
11-12
12-13
13-14
Graduation Rates
11-12
12-13
13-14
Cohort Graduation Rate
76.2%
76.4%
79.8%
Cohort Graduation Rate
78.9%
80.2%
80.8%
High School Dropout Rate
11-12
12-13
13-14
High School Dropout Rate
11-12
12-13
13-14
Cohort Dropout Rate
16.8%
16.2%
14.4%
Cohort Dropout Rate
13.1%
11.6%
11.6%
College Prepared Youth
11-12
12-13
13-14
College Prepared Youth
11-12
12-13
13-14
% Grads w/ CSU/UC Require
29.2%
29.8%
33.3%
% Grads w/ CSU/UC Require
38.3%
39.4%
41.9%
% 12th Graders Taking SAT
scoring at or above 1,500
34.2%
31.9%
34.4%
% 12th Graders Taking SAT
scoring at or above 1,500
46.7%
46.4%
47.8%
2011
2012
2013
Community Education Levels
2011
2012
2013
27.2%
27.9%
26.0%
18.9%
18.5%
18.3%
Community Education Levels
Percent of all adults 25 and older
without at least high school diploma
Percent of all adults 25 and older
without at least high school diploma
16
Educational Attainment cont.
High School Dropout Rates – Kern County, 2013-14
30%
25.7%
22.6%
20%
18.0%
17.2%
15%
14.8%
14.4%
5%
17.1%
18.0%
12.9%
11.6%
10%
16.2%
9.8%
2.7%
0%
CSU/UC Eligibility Rates by Gender & Race/Ethnicity
Kern County, 2010-11 through 2013-14
80%
70%
60%
Percent of High School Graduates
Percent of Students
25%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
All
Male
Female
AfricanAmerican
Asian
Caucasian
Filipino
Latino
Native
Pacific
American Islander
2013-14
33.3%
27.9%
38.2%
27.8%
72.2%
37.2%
59.8%
29.5%
20.3%
45.5%
2012-13
29.8%
24.6%
34.9%
21.7%
55.7%
33.3%
57.1%
27.1%
25.6%
25.9%
2011-12
29.2%
24.0%
34.3%
22.2%
68.0%
32.4%
55.7%
25.7%
28.2%
43.2%
2010-11
29.0%
23.9%
34.0%
22.7%
59.9%
33.5%
50.8%
25.1%
21.8%
37.5%
17
Educational Attainment cont.
Median Earnings of Population 25 Years and Older by Education and Gender – Kern County, 2013
$15,826
$18,475
Less Than High School Graduate
$12,081
$27,065
$34,494
High School Graduate/GED
$21,083
$32,732
$42,061
Some College/Associate's Degree
$27,288
$60,397
$71,349
Bachelor's Degree
$51,103
$66,413
$81,893
Graduate or Professional Degree
$50,627
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
All
$40,000
Male
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
Female
Poverty Rate of Population 25 Years and Older by Educational Attainment – Kern County, 2013
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
Some College/Associate's Degree
High School Diploma/GED
Less Than High School Diploma
6.2%
14.6%
18.1%
29.6%
18
C
hild &
A
dolescent
H
ealth
Even before birth, the health status of a child can have long term consequences on his or her growth, safety and development.
The Child and Adolescent Health chapter provides an overview of key health indicators of Kern County’s infants, children and
adolescents including leading causes of infant death, maternal, child, and adolescent health, immunizations, tobacco and
substance abuse, obesity, depression, and risk for suicide.
Key Facts
• About 3 out of every 4 Kern County pregnant mothers
received prenatal care in their first trimester in 2013.
• Kern’s 2013 infant mortality rate rose 17% from the previous year to a rate 1.5 times higher than the State.
• Almost a quarter of Kern County’s 5th and 7th graders
fell within the high-risk category for body composition.
• Despite five straight years of decline, Kern County’s teen
birth rate was the highest in the State in 2013.
• Kern’s chlamydia infection rate among teen females was
59% higher than the State and 14% higher than the national rate in 2013.
• Alcohol is the leading drug used by Kern County teens.
•In Kern County, survey results show more 7th, 9th and
11th graders regularly smoked marijuana than tobacco.
Jump to •
•
•
•
•
Infant Health
Percentage of Babies Born by Selected Measures & Race/Ethnicity
Kern County, 2014
77.1% 78.1%
72.1%
67.5%
60.5%
28.1%
13.1%
12.7% 12.9%
5.6%
7.0%
6.9%
3.7%
All Mothers
9.4%
6.8%
1.3%
Mothers Received Prenatal Care in
First Trimester
African-American
Latino
Mothers Aged 15-19 Years Old
Caucasian
Born Low Birthweight (< 2,500
Grams)
Asian/Pacific Islander
Infant Death Rate by Year
Kern County & California, 2008-2013
8.0
7.0
Rate per 1,000 Live Births
• In 2013, 73.4% of pregnant mothers in Kern
County obtained prenatal care services during
the first trimester of their
pregnancies, compared to
72.5% the previous year.
• In California, 82.1% of
mothers received care
during their first trimester
in 2013.
• During 2013, 14,145
babies were born in Kern
County.
• In 2013, 10.3% of Kern
County babies were born
prior to 37 weeks, placing them at greater risk of
disability and dying during
infancy.
• By comparison, 8.8% of
California’s babies were
premature during 2013.
• In 2013, 1,041 babies
were born at a low birthweight, 7.4% of Kern
County’s total live births.
• In California, 6.8% of babies were born with a low
birthweight.
• Between 2006 and 2015,
a total of 45 newborns in
Kern County have been
delivered to a “safe surrender site,” a direct result of
California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law to reduce
the number of abandoned
baby deaths in the state.
• In 2013, 99 Kern County
babies died before their
first birthday, an infant
mortality rate of 7.0 per
1,000 live births.
7.2
6.0
6.0
5.0
7.0
6.6
6.7
4.9
5.1
4.9
4.0
4.7
4.8
4.7
4.5
3.0
2.0
• The three-year (20102012) average mortality
rate for infants in Kern
County was 5.8 per 1,000
live births, compared to the
previous average rate of
6.2.
• Kern’s 2010-2012 infant
mortality rate was higher
than California (4.8 per
1,000).
• Mirroring national and
state trends, African-American babies in Kern County
are at greatest risk of dying
as infants when compared
to other racial/ethnic
groups.
• The infant mortality rate
among African-American*
infants was an average of
8.5 deaths per 1,000 live
births from the years 2010
to 2012, a rate 32% higher
than Kern County’s overall
infant mortality rate.
• Deaths linked to an unsafe sleeping environment
continue to be the leading
cause of infant death in
cases reviewed by the Kern
County Child Death Review
Team.
• From 2009 through 2013,
54 infants died in their
sleep, representing 50% of
the infant deaths reviewed.
*Rates deemed unreliable
based on fewer than 20
data elements.
1.0
0.0
2008
2009
2010
Kern County
2011
California
2012
2013
...continued 20
Infant Health cont.
Infant Deaths by Top Five Causes - Cases Reviewed by Child Death Review Team
Kern County, 2009-2013
60
54
Number of Infant Cases Reviewed
50
40
30
20
15
10
4
5
5
Pneumonia
Asphyxia, accidental
0
Congenital Anomalies
Homicide from Child Abuse Unsafe Sleeping Environment
• These deaths were linked
to an unsafe sleep environment with most deaths
occurring between the
years of 2009 and 2010
when 25 babies died in
their sleep.
• During 2013, 87.8% of
Kern County mothers
breastfed in the hospital after giving birth, while only
54.7% of mothers breastfed exclusively after giving
birth.
• Throughout California,
93.0% of mothers breastfed in the hospital after
giving birth, while only
64.8% of mothers breastfed exclusively after giving
birth.
• Similar to statewide
trends, Caucasian mothers
(67.6%) were more likely to
breastfeed exclusively than
other racial/ethnic groups
in Kern County.
• African American and
Latina mothers were less
likely to breastfeed their
newborns exclusively after
giving birth, 35.1% and
50.4%, respectively.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California infant
health data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
21
Child Health
Percentage of 5th, 7th & 9th Graders - Aerobic Capacity & Body Composition
Kern County, 2013-14
70%
65.1%
59.2%
58.1%
60%
55.0%
Percentage of Students Tested
• 93.5% of Kern County
enrolling 2014-15 kindergarteners had all required
immunizations, surpassing
the state’s 90.4% coverage
rate.
• A total of 1,047 Kern kindergarteners were exempt from
immunization requirements,
a 6.5% exemption rate.
• During the 2014-15 school
year, 1.8% of Kern kindergarteners were exempt due
to their parents personal
beliefs and 0.6% for medical conditions.
• During the 2014-15 school
year, 98% of 7th grade
students enrolled in Kern
County public schools
reporting data completed
the pertussis immunization
(Tdap) requirement.
• During the 2013-14 school
year, 38,405 Kern County
5th, 7th and 9th graders completed California
Physical Fitness Testing for
aerobic capacity, abdominal, trunk and upper body
strength, body composition
and flexibility.
• Among these students,
21.4% of 5th graders,
29.6% of 7th graders and
33.1% of 9th graders
passed all six exercises.
• About 6.8% of Kern County’s 5th graders, 12.0%
of 7th graders and 11.3%
of 9th graders fell into in
the high-risk category for
aerobic capacity, indicating
55.2%
52.9%
50%
40%
38.2%
29.9%
30%
24.4%
22.7%
23.6%
23.3%
21.5%
22.3%
18.5%
20%
12.0%
10%
11.3%
6.8%
0%
Healthy
Needs
Needs
Healthy
Needs
Needs
Healthy
Needs
Needs
Fitness Zone Improvement Improvement - Fitness Zone Improvement Improvement - Fitness Zone Improvement Improvement High Risk
High Risk
High Risk
5th Grade
7th Grade
Aeorbic Capacity
9th Grade
Body Composition
Percentage of 5th, 7th & 9th Graders within High-Risk Category for Body Composition
By Selected Demographics – Kern County, 2013-14
All Students
18.6%
Male
18.9%
Female
16.8%
African-American
16.8%
Caucasian
13.7%
Native American
15.5%
Asian
11.9%
Latino
21.0%
Pacific Islander
19.1%
Filipino
14.2%
Economically Disadvantaged
20.1%
Not Economically Disadvantaged
0.0%
their fitness levels are not
sufficient for good health.
• Kern County results show
24.4% of 5th graders,
23.3% of 7th graders and
18.5% of 9th graders were
in the high-risk category
for body composition.
• Kern’s rate for asthma related child hospitalizations
was 9.2 of every 10,000
Kern County children ages
0-17 in 2013, down from
10.0 in 2012.
• Asthma hospitalization rates
were higher for the youngest children (ages 0-4) at
a rate of 18.4 per 10,000
population in 2013.
• In 2013, an estimated
93.1% of Kern County
children under age 18 had
health insurance, a rate
higher than the statewide
rate of 92.6%.
• Kern County’s child private and public insurance
coverage rates were 45.5%
and 51.5%, respectively.
• Data from 2013 showed
children ages 0-5 had a
higher coverage rate (96%)
than older children ages
6-17 (92%) in Kern County.
• Among Kern County youth
ages 12-17, an estimated
80% received a routine
health check-up within the
past 12 months in 201112, down from about 87%
in 2009.
16.9%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
...continued 22
Child Health cont.
Late or No Prenatal Care
(Percentage of live births)
Low Birth Weight Births
(Percentage of live births)
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
5.7%
5.6%
6.7%
California
3.2%
3.2%
3.5%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
11.9%
11.1%
10.3%
California
9.8%
9.6%
8.8%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
12.8%
11.2%
10.8%
California
7.6%
7.0%
6.2%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
52.7
49.4
44.9
California
28.0
25.7
23.6
United States
31.3
29.4
26.5
Premature Births
(Percentage of live births)
Births to Teen Mothers 15-19
(Percentage of live births)
Births to Teen Mothers 15-19
(Rate per 1,000 population)
Kern County Births
to Teens 15-19 (2013)
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
7.2%
6.7%
7.4%
California
6.8%
6.7%
6.8%
2011
2012
2013
Kern County
6.6
6.0
7.0
California
4.8
4.5
4.7
2011
-2012
2012
-2013
2013
-2014
Kern County
51.0%
50.5%
55.7%
California
55.6%
56.1%
61.7%
2011
2012
2013
Infant Mortality Rate
(Rate per 1,000 live births)
Healthy Body Weight
(Percentage of 5th/7th/9th grade)
Chlamydia Infection in
Female Youth (Ages 15-19)
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Kern County
3,505.7 3,723.9 3,471.6
California
2,293.4 2,355.0 2,184.7
United States
3,416.5 3,291.5 3,043.3
African
American
Caucasian
Latino
Asian/Pac
Islander
Native
American
Total *
Number of Live Births
101
272
1,106
7
9
1,524
Teen Birth Rate per 1,000
females in race/ethnicity group
55.1
28.0
54.7
6.3
38.0
44.9
•By comparison, 86% of
youth throughout California had received a routine
health check-up within the
past year during 2011-12.
• According to the 2012
California Health Interview
Survey, 79% of Kern County’s children, ages 2-11
years, had visited a dentist
at least one time in the last
12 months. Further, 18%
of Kern County children
surveyed, ages 2-11, had
never seen a dentist.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
health data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
* Figures will not total 100 percent as unknown or multiple races are excluded from these tables.
23
Adolescent Health
Students Reporting Depression-Related Feelings by Gender & Grade Level
45%
Kern County, 2009-2011
40%
39%
40%
35%
Percent of Students Surveyed
• In 2013, 1,524 babies were
born to mothers between
the ages of 15 and 19
years in Kern County, a
birth rate of 44.9 per 1,000
females in this age group.
• During the same year, California’s teen birth rate was
23.6 per 1,000 females.
• Kern County’s overall teen
birth rate decreased by
36% between 2008 and
2013, from 70.4 to 44.9
per 1,000 young women
ages 15-19.
• Kern County’s average
teen birth rate over a three
year period from 2011 to
2013 was 49.0—the highest in the state.
• Kern County had the highest chlamydia infection rate
in California during 2013.
• Kern’s Chlamydia infection
rate among females aged
15-19 in 2013 was 59%
higher than the state’s rate
and 14% higher than the
national rate for teen girls.
• Findings from the 200911 California Healthy Kids
Survey show older students
and female students were
most likely to report feeling
sad or hopeless almost
every day for two or more
consecutive weeks in the
last year.
• In Kern County, 20% of
9th graders and 17% of
11th graders reported on
the 2009-11 California
Healthy Kids Survey that
they seriously considered
attempting suicide during
the past year.
31%
30%
26%
25%
23%
23%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Female
Male
Female
7th Grade
Male
Female
9th Grade
Male
11th Grade
Chlamydia, Rates by Age & Gender
Kern County, 2013
30002500200015001000 500
26.1
0
Age
10-14
0
500 10001500200025003000
120.6
15-19
1,092.2
3,471.6
20-24
2,431.3
4,794.2
25-29
1,623.1
2,225.6
30-34
775.0
307.0
Male
50.2
544.5
35-44
45+
970.5
322.1
Female
58.4
Total
Rates are per 100,000 population.
STD Control Branch, California Department of Public Health
951.6
• From 2010 to 2013, Kern
County lost 10 youth the
ages of 13 and 17 years to
suicide.
• Males accounted for 70%
of Kern’s suicides in this
age group.
• Youth died by suicide between 2010 and 2013 with
either hanging/suffocation
(60%), a firearm (30%) or
poisoning (10%).
• From 2010 to 2013, 178
youth between ages 13
and 17 years were hospitalized for self-inflicted
injuries.
• Females (72%) had a higher rate of attempted suicide
than males (28%).
• The attempted suicide rates
for Caucasian (47%) and
Latino (40%) youth were
considerably higher than
any other racial or ethnic
group.
• African American (6%),
Asian/Pacific Islander (4%)
and other ethnicity (2%)
comprised the remaining
racial/ethnic groups with
self-inflicted injuries.
• Most youth attempted suicide by poisoning themselves (59%), followed by
cutting/piercing (38%) and
other method (3%).
Additional customizable Kern
County and California adolescent
health data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
24
Adolescent Health cont.
Birth Rates for Teenage Females Aged 15-19 Years
Kern County, California & United States, 2003-2013
Birth Rates for Teenage Females Aged 15-19 Years by Race/Ethnicity
Kern County, 2003-2013
89.7
66.9
68.6
69.8
88.8
70.4
66.0
85.0
62.2
65.1
87.1
88.6
87.8
81.7
58.1
91.9
87.9
86.0
86.9
79.4
77.6
74.8
71.6
75.1
65.7
52.7
49.4
41.1
39.4
40.5
39.0
39.7
38.6
41.1
40.2
41.5
40.1
40.2
65.5
64.2
61.0
44.9
54.7
37.9
34.2
38.3
35.4
31.3
31.5
28.0
39.7
25.7
39.8
44.5
42.7
41.2
38.0
38.8
29.4
36.6
31.6
26.5
23.6
28.6
28.0
30.2
17.5
24.1
19.4
22.0
19.7
15.3
12.9
10.4
6.4
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Kern County
2008
California
2009
2010
United States
2011
2012
2013
55.1
2003
2004
2005
2006
African-American
2007
2008
Caucasian
2009
2010
Asian/Pacific Islander
2011
2012
6.3
2013
Latino
25
Tobacco, Alcohol & Substance Use
Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol or Other Drugs
At Least Once in Their Life by Grade – Kern County, 2009-2011
27%
Alcohol (Whole Drink)
Prescription Pain Killers
Methamphetamine or Any Amphetamine
N/A
N/A
13%
48%
64%
21%
4%
5%
13%
15%
13%
Inhalants
10%
Marijuana
0%
10%
25%
20%
38%
30%
Grade 7
40%
Grade 9
50%
60%
70%
Grade 11
Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol or Other Drugs During
Past 30 Days (Current Use) by Grade – Kern County, 2009-2011
According to the 2009-11
California Healthy Kids Survey, rates of current tobacco,
alcohol and marijuana use
are higher among older students and males with the exception of alcohol use which
was higher among female
students than males.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California tobacco,
alcohol & substance use data are
available using Kidsdata.org.
15%
Alcohol (Whole Drink)
The California Healthy Kids
Survey (CHKS) is administered every two years in order
to meet the requirements of
the federal Safe and Drug
Free Schools and Communities Act. Between the fall of
2009 and spring of 2011,
the Survey asked 7th, 9th
and 11th graders health and
behavior questions to find out
what problems students face
in regards to substance abuse
and violence to help put programs in place to effectively
address problems.
26%
35%
N/A
Methamphetamine or Any Amphetamine
3%
2%
6%
6%
Inhalants
4%
6%
Marijuana
14%
19%
0%
Grade 7
5%
10%
Grade 9
15%
Grade 11
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
26
Tobacco, Alcohol & Substance Use cont.
Percent of Students Reporting Participation in High-Risk Behaviors
Associated with Alcohol, Tobacco or Other Drugs by Grade
Kern County, 2009-2011
3%
Smoked Marijuana on School Property in Past Month
8%
6%
6%
Tried Whole Cigarette During Their Life
13%
Tried Smokeless Tobacco During Their Life
6%
0%
41%
6%
Smoked During Past 30 Days
22%
16%
10%
Grade 9
8%
12%
27%
9%
Binge Drank in Past 30 Days
Grade 7
5%
21%
11%
Ever Been Very Drunk or Sick After Drinking
Ever Been High From Using Drugs
23%
32%
5%
Ever Been Drunk or High on School Property
Percent of Students Reporting Participation in
Various Levels of Tobacco Use by Grade
Kern County, 2009-2011
12%
14%
35%
1%
2%
Smoked Daily During Past 30 Days
4%
22%
20%
30%
40%
50%
0%
Grade 11
5%
Grade 7
Grade 9
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Grade 11
Percent of Students Reporting Use of Alcohol, Tobacco or Other Drugs During
Past 30 Days (Current Use) by Gender & Grade – Kern County, 2009-2011
35%
34%
29%
24%
22%
22%
20%
18%
15%
15%
8%
6% 6%
1%
14%
13%
6% 6%
5%
Male
6%
6%
5%
4%
2%
1%
17%
14%
Female
Grade 7
Smoked Daily During Past 30 Days
Binge Drank in Past 30 Days
Used Inhalants During Past 30 Days
Male
Female
Grade 9
4%
3%
2%
Male
Female
Grade 11
Drank Alcohol (whole Drink) During Past 30 Days
Smoked Marijuana During Past 30 Days
27
C
hild &
C
ommunity
S
afety
The Child and Community Safety chapter highlights Kern County’s capacity to provide children a safe environment in their
home and neighborhood from birth through young adulthood. Topics addressed in the section will help inform how and where
to concentrate local efforts to prevent injury and violence from occurring in the first place.
Key Facts
• Since 2003, Kern County averaged 27 child deaths annually from unintentional injury with motor vehicle crashes
as the leading cause.
• Kern County’s child death rate from unintentional injuries
has decreased by 63% between 2003 and 2013.
• Over half of Kern County students in 7th, 9th and 11th
grades felt safe or very safe at their school.
• About 1 out of every 3 Kern County high school students
said they were bullied in the past year.
• Although declining at a steady pace, Kern County’s rates
of domestic calls for assistance and juvenile felony arrests
remain higher than California’s overall rates.
Jump to •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Childhood Unintentional Injury
Fatalities Caused by Injury Type
Kern County, 2003-2013
Children Ages 0-12 Years
Teens Ages 13-17 Years
2%
3%
20%
19%
1%
Unintentional Injuries
Unintentional Injuries
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Assault Injuries
Assault Injuries
Other Intent
Other Intent
12%
66%
77%
Hospitalizations Caused by Injury Type
Kern County, 2003-2013
Children Ages 0-12 Years
<1%
3%
Teens Ages 13-17 Years
4%
6%
10%
Unintentional Injuries
Unintentional Injuries
13%
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Assault Injuries
Assault Injuries
Other Intent
Other Intent
71%
92%
• Unintentional injuries—
such as those caused by
falls, road traffic, burns,
and drowning—are the
leading cause of injury and
mortality among children
in Kern County.
• In 2013, unintentional injuries killed 15 Kern County
children under the age of
18 years and caused serious, non-fatal injury to 486
other children.
• Between 2003 and 2013,
292 Kern County children
under age 18 years have
been killed and 5,706
have been hospitalized
from an unintentional injury, an average of 26.5 and
518.7 children annually,
respectively.
• Kern County’s death rate
among children/youth
from an unintentional injury has decreased by 63%
between 2003 and 2013,
from 16.0 per 100,000 to
6.0.
• Kern County’s hospitalization rate among children/
youth from an unintentional injury has decreased by
20% between 2003 and
2013, from 240.8 per
100,000 to 192.8.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
unintentional injury data are
available using Kidsdata.org.
29
Falls
Burn Injuries
Hospitalizations & Fatalities From Unintentional Injuries Among
Children Under 18 Years by Race/Ethnicity - Incidence per 100,000 Children
Kern County, 2003-2013
450
425.5
400
350
Rate per 100,000 Children
• Falls are the leading cause
of emergency room visits
among Kern County children under age 18 years.
• In 2013, 6,378 children
had an initial emergency
department visit for injuries
from a fall in Kern County, a rate of 2,530.7 per
100,000 children.
• Between 2003 and 2013,
there were 1,646 Kern
County children admitted
as inpatients with injuries
caused by a fall, an average of 149.6 children each
year.
• Boys regardless of age
were more likely to have
injuries (64%) from a fall
than girls (36%).
• Caucasian and Latino children had the highest rates
of fall-related injuries, 58%
and 36%, respectively.
• Kern County children aged
0 to 5 years had a higher
rate of injuries from falls
than any other age group.
• Falls accounted for 33% of
the total nonfatal unintentional injuries for children
less than 6 years of age
between 2003 and 2013.
300
250
250.1
200
150
118.1
100
85.1
62.9
50
19.0
14.1
9.3
9.0
6.1
0
African-American
Caucasian
Asian-Pacific Islander
Hospitalizations
Fatalities
Latino
Native American
• In Kern County, 50 children
were hospitalized (19.8 per
100,000) and 1 child was
killed (0.4 per 100,000)
from injuries from fire,
flames, and hot objects or
substances during 2013.
• Between 2003 and 2013,
there were 325 children
admitted as inpatients and
6 children were killed from
with injuries caused by fire,
flames, and hot objects or
substances in Kern County,
an average of 29.5 and
0.5 children a year, respectively.
• Boys are at a higher risk of
fire and burn-related injuries (60%) than girls (40%).
• Latino and Caucasian children had the highest rates
of fire/burn injuries, 54%
and 37%, respectively.
• Nearly half of all accidents
involving fires and hot
objects from 2003 to 2013
involved children under the
age of two (48%).
30
Motor Vehicle Related Injuries
Drowning
Unintentional Injury Deaths Among Children Under Age 18 Years
by Age Group & Selected Causes
Kern County, 2003-2013
100%
90%
Percent of Unintentional Injury Deaths
• Motor vehicle-related injuries
are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death
of Kern County children.
• In 2013, 46 children were
hospitalized and 6 children
were killed from injuries involving motor vehicles in Kern
County.
• From 2003 to 2013, 1,134
children have been hospitalized and 144 children have
died from injuries caused
by motor-vehicle related
accidents throughout Kern
County, an average of 103.1
and 13.1 children a year,
respectively.
• Over half of the children
injured or killed in motor-vehicle related accidents between 2003 and 2013 were
occupants in a motor vehicle
(53%).
• Traffic-related injuries also
include those sustained while
walking, riding a bicycle, or
riding a motorcycle.
• From 2003 to 2013, 30
children died from traffic-related pedestrian injuries and
an additional 270 children
were admitted to Kern County
hospitals with serious injuries
after being struck by a motor
vehicle.
• In Kern County, 187 children
were injured after being struck
by motor vehicles while riding
a bike or motorcycle and
another 12 were killed from
2003 to 2013.
84%
80%
70%
57%
60%
48%
50%
40%
33%
30%
23%
27%
23%
18%
20%
13%
12% 13%
10%
10%
6%
4%
3%
Occupant in Motor Vehicle
Motor Vehicle - Pedestrian
8%
8%
3%
0%
Less Than 1 Year
1 to 4 Years
5 to 9 Years
Drowning
10 to 14 Years
Suffocation
15 to 17 Years
5%
• Drowning is the second
leading cause of accidental
death among children under the age of 18 in Kern
County.
• During 2013, 14 children
were hospitalized and 4
children were killed from
accidents involving drowning in Kern County.
• From 2003 to 2013, 120
children were hospitalized
and 49 children were killed
from accidents involving
drowning in Kern County,
an average of 10.9 and
4.5 children a year, respectively.
• The majority of the children who drowned in Kern
County between 2003 and
2013 were male (61%).
• Young children ages 5
years and under accounted
for 67% of all child drowning victims from 2003 to
2013.
• Latino (51%) and Caucasian (43%) children each
comprised nearly all of
the child drowning deaths
from 2003 to 2013 in Kern
County.
31
• The Kern County Child
Death Review Team (CDRT)
investigated 58 deaths of
children to better understand the circumstances
of the child’s death and
recommend local action to
prevent other deaths.
• The cases reviewed included 16 accidental deaths
(28%), 17 deaths from
natural causes (29%), 9
homicides (16%), 4 deaths
from suicide (7%) and 12
deaths of undetermined
manner (21%).
• Between 2009 and 2013,
deaths involving motor
vehicle and traffic related
accidents represented 50%
of the accidental death
cases reviewed by CDRT
members.
• Four of the children killed
in automobile crashes in
2013 were occupants in
the car.
• Of the remaining cases reviewed for 2013 involving
motor vehicles, 4 children
died as pedestrians.
• Among 2013 child homicide victims, 6 children
died from being beaten or
from blunt force trauma, 2
children died from gunshot
wounds and 1 child died
from stab wounds.
• 43% of the cases of child
deaths reviewed in 2013
involved the deaths of
infants.
Child Deaths
Submersion/Drowning
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
2011
1
2012
3
2013
4
16
15
14
2011
6
32
2012
5
29
2013
8
32
2011
2
29
2012
1
34
2013
1
19
2011
0
19
2012
4
15
2013
5
13
2011
2012
2013
1
33
0
61
4
57
2011
1
8
2012
2
3
2013
4
9
2011
0
30
2012
0
21
2013
0
17
2011
0
151
2012
0
141
2013
0
159
Assault/Homicide
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
Motor Vehicle Occupant
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
• The 25 cases reviewed
involving infants included 8
deaths from natural causes, 3 deaths caused by an
accident and 2 homicides
from blunt force trauma.
• The Coroner categorized
12 infant deaths as “undetermined,” meaning a final
manner of death could
not be identified, however,
these deaths were associated with an unsafe sleep
environment.
Pedestrian/Traffic
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
Self-Inflicted Injury/Suicide
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
Firearm
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
Bicycle
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
Falls
(Number of children 0-17 killed or injured)
Fatal Injury
Non-Fatal Hospitalization
32
Youth Violence
Grade 9
Grade 7
Percent of Students Who Feel Safe at School by Gender & Grade Level
Kern County, 2009-2011
Grade 11
• More than half of Kern
County students in 7th, 9th,
and 11th grades self-reported feeling safe or very
safe at school in 20092011; 10% of 7th graders,
9% of 9th graders, and 7%
of 11th graders reported
they felt unsafe or very
unsafe.
• Bullying is highest in Kern
County middle schools,
where 43% of surveyed 7th
graders report being bullied or harassed at school.
• When Kern County youth
are bullied or harassed at
school, the most common
specific reason cited was
their race or national origin.
• Although reports of bullying decline among older
students, it is still relatively
high at 34% in 9th grade
and 29% in 11th grade.
Female
63%
Male
57%
Female
55%
Male
62%
Female
57%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Percent of Students Surveyed
Reason for Bullying/Harassment by Grade Level
Kern County, 2009-2011
30%
26%
25%
Percent of Students Surveyed
Bullying includes assault,
tripping, intimidation, rumor-spreading and isolation,
demands for money, destruction of property, theft of
valued possessions, destruction of another’s work, and
name-calling.
60%
0%
What is Bullying?
Bullying has two key components: repeated harmful acts
and an imbalance of power.
It involves repeated physical,
verbal or psychological attacks or intimidation against
a victim.
Male
21%
20%
15%
18%
16%
15%
14%
• In 2009-2011, 16% of
7th graders, 21% of 9th
graders and 21% of 11th
graders reported they have
been harassed, threatened
or humiliated through
electronic means such as
email, texting or by using
social networking sites.
• In Kern County, 4.5% of
7th graders, 5.3% of 9th
graders, and 7.5% of 11th
graders reported that they
had been hit, slapped, or
intentionally physically hurt
by a girlfriend or boyfriend during the past year,
according to 2009-2011
survey data.
• 8% of Kern’s 7th grade students identified themselves
as gang members.
• Among high School Students, 9% of 9th graders
and 8% of 11th graders
in Kern County identified
themselves as gang members.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California school
safety data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
12%
9%
10%
10%
8% 8%
10%
8%
7%
8%
7%
5%
5%
4%
0%
Race, Ethnicity
or National
Origin
Religion
Gender
Grade 7
Grade 9
Sexual
Orientation
Grade 11
Physical/Mental
Disability
Any Other
Reason
33
Youth Violence cont.
50%
Violence-Related Behavior & Experiences During the Past 12 Months at School
Kern County 7th, 9th & 11th Graders
Kern County, 2009-2011
45%
45%
35%
31%
30%
27%
27%
25%
21%
21%
21%
20%
16%
15%
13%
13%
11%
9%
10%
6%
5%
5%
3%
0%
Been Afraid of Being
Beaten Up
Been Pushed, Shoved or
Hit at School
Grade 7
Been in a Physical Fight Carried a Gun onto School Carried any Weapon onto
Property
School Property
Grade 9
Grade 11
12%
10%
Percentage of Students Surveyed
Percentage of Students Surveyed
40%
Percentage of Students Who Consider Themselves a Gang Member
by Gender & Grade
Kern County, 2009-2011
11%
11%
9%
8%
8%
8%
6%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Male
Female
Grade 7
Male
Female
Grade 9
Male
Female
Grade 11
34
• In Kern County, 37 children and youth died from
firearm-related injuries
between 2003 and 2013.
• These include homicides,
assaults, suicides and unintentional injuries. Homicide
accounted for 76% of the
deaths; 16% were the result
of suicide and 8% were the
result of accidents.
• Latino (49%) and African-American (30%) youth
were most likely to be
homicide victims from gunshot wounds from 2003 to
2013.
• The average youth who
died as a victim of homicide or from an accidental
shooting was 14.9 years
old.
• Male children and youth
were about 13 times more
likely to be murdered with
a firearm than females.
• Between 2003 and 2013,
another 109 Kern County
children required hospitalization because of gun-related injuries.
• 80% of the firearm related
injuries were the result of
assaults and 20% were the
result of accidents.
• Again, males (86%) were
more likely than females to
be involved in intentional
and accidental shootings
that caused injuries.
Gun Violence
Firearm-Related Hospitalizations, Children Under 18 Years
Kern County, 2003-2013
17%
1%
Unintentional Injuries
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Assault Injuries
82%
Firearm-Related Fatalities, Children Under 18 Years
Kern County, 2003-2013
• The average age of youth
who were injured in assaults with a firearm was
15.5 years old.
• Caucasian (40%) and
African-American (39%)
children /youth were more
likely to be injured by an
intentional shooting in Kern
County than Latino (20%)
and Native American (1%)
from 2003 to 2013.
• Children were more likely
to be injured accidentally
with firearms averaged
13.5 years old.
• Caucasian (54%) children
and youth were more likely
to be injured by an accidental shooting in Kern
County than Latino (27%)
and African-American
(18%) from 2003 to 2013.
5%
15%
Unintentional Injuries
Self-Inflicted Injuries
Assault Injuries
80%
35
Missing Children
Missing Children by Circumstance
Kern County, 2013
Suspected
Runaways
97%
Other
3%
Unknown
Circumstances
2%
Lost
<1%
Suspicious
Circumstances
<1%
Family
Abductions
1%
• In 2013, 4,129 children
were reported missing in
Kern County.
• Of these, 3,999 were suspected runaways, 7 were
lost, 24 were suspected
family abduction, 3 were
missing under suspicious
circumstances and 96 were
reported under unknown
circumstances.
• At the end of 2013, 3,976
of the missing child reports
previously noted were canceled (96%).
• 2,672 children were
returned, 930 were located, 136 were arrested, 4
became emancipated, 6
were voluntary missing, 12
were withdrawn or invalid
and 215 were removed
from the system for other
reasons.
• A total of 153 children
remained missing at year
end.
36
• Among surveyed Kern
County students, 4 % of
7th graders, 5% of 9th
graders, and 8% of 11th
graders reported that they
had been hit, slapped, or
intentionally physically hurt
by a girlfriend or boyfriend
in the past 12 months, according to 2009-11 data.
• During 2013, Kern County
law enforcement officers
recorded 4,666 calls for
assistance in domestic violence situations, a rate of
8.3 calls per 1,000 population.
• In comparison, California
rate of calls for assistance
was 5.9 calls per 1,000.
• In total, 19% of these calls
for assistance involved
weapons: 36% involved the
use of firearms, knives, or
other dangerous weapons
and the remaining 64% involved personal weapons,
such as hands, fists or feet.
• During 2013, the rate of
juveniles (ages 10-17) arrested for a felony was 8.9
per 1,000 youth compared
to 7.5 statewide.
• Kern’s juvenile felony arrest
rate has fallen by 54%
between 2003 and 2013,
from 19.3 per 1,000 youth
to 8.9 per 1,000 youth.
Crime & Arrest Rates
Domestic Violence Calls for Assistance - Incidence Per 1,000 Population
Kern County & California, 2003-2013
8.5
8.0
7.7
7.4
7.9
7.4
8.4
7.2
8.0
6.8
8.9
9.0
6.8
6.7
7.1
8.6
8.6
6.3
6.2
2011
2012
6.6
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Kern County
2009
2010
8.3
5.9
2013
California
Juvenile Felony Arrest Rate by Year - Incidence per 1,000 Youth
Kern County & California, 2003-2013
19.3
14.0
14.7
14.7
13.7
13.9
16.6
16.8
14.8
15.0
16.1
14.8
13.3
13.2
12.9
13.8
10.4
12.2
8.9
10.3
• In 2013, 53% of juvenile felony arrests in Kern
County were for property
offenses, 23% for violent
offenses, 17% for other
offenses (e.g., weapons,
hit-and-run), 5% for drug
and alcohol offenses, and
1% for sex offenses.
• The 2013 juvenile felony
arrest rate for males (14.6
per 1,000) was nearly five
times the rate of females
(3.0 per 1,000) in Kern
County.
• In 2013, African American
and Latino youth together
comprised 80% of all juvenile felony arrests in Kern
County.
• Among racial/ethnic
groups, African American
youth are arrested at higher rates than their peers in
other groups with a felony
arrest rate of 47.3 per
1,000 youth aged 10-17
years.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California juvenile
arrest rates data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
8.8
7.5
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Kern County
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
California
37
Crime & Arrest Rates cont.
Juvenile Felony Arrest Rate by Offense
Kern County & California, 2013
53.1%
38.3%
26.9%
23.3%
20.9%
17.1%
11.0%
5.4%
2.8%
1.0%
Kern County
Drug and Alcohol Offenses
California
Property Offenses
Sex Offenses
Violent Offenses
Other Offenses
38
hild
elleing
C W B
Children, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status, are abused and neglected every day in Kern County. The consequences of child maltreatment can be profound and may endure long after the abuse or neglect occurs. The Report Card’s
Child Well-Being chapter presents the most recent data available on children who came into contact with Kern County’s child
welfare system due to abuse or neglect.
Key Facts
• In 2014, 18,602 children – 51 children each day – were
reported to Child Protective Services with child abuse and
neglect allegations.
•Kern’s substantiated child abuse/neglect rate fell for the
6th straight year – down 43% from its peak in 2001.
• Child neglect comprised 92% of Kern’s total cases of child
maltreatment.
• Younger children, particularly infants, were the most vulnerable to abuse and neglect at a rate more than 3 times
the County’s overall rate.
• 20 Kern County children died from abuse or neglect between 2011 and 2014 – 95% were younger than 5 years
old.
• Kern’s foster youth population has declined by 48% since
2003.
Jump to •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Child Abuse & Neglect Reports
Child Maltreatment - Allegations & Substantiated Reports
Kern County, 2004-2014
20,000
18,757
18,000
Number of Children Under 18 Years
17,620
17,092
16,000
17,946
17,655
18,412
17,975
4,295
4,016
2012
2013
18,602
15,782
15,559 15,259
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
4,118
5,615
5,183
4,762
4,613
5,214
4,700
4,559
3,575
2,000
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Allegations
2011
2014
Substantiated Reports
Child Maltreatment Allegation Rates - Incidence per 1,000 Children
Kern County & California – 2004-2014
80
74.0
70
73.4
71.3
69.4
69.1
67.8
67.1
74.1
71.6
64.1
64.0
60
Rate per 1,000 Children
• During 2014, Kern County CPS received 18,602
reports (allegations) of
suspected child abuse or
neglect of children -- an
average of 51 children per
day.
• Of these reports, 3,575
Kern County children were
found to have been victims
of abuse and neglect after
investigation by CPS--an
average of 10 children per
day.
• Kern County’s referral
rate was 74.1 children per
1,000 children in 2014.
Kern’s overall referral rate
increased 4% from the previous year’s rate of 71.6
per 1,000 children.
• Kern’s substantiated abuse
rate declined 11% from
16.0 per 1,000 children
in 2013 to 14.2 in 2014,
however, this rate remains
nearly twice California’s
child abuse rate of 8.7.
• Child abuse rates per
1,000 children in California counties ranged from 0
to 32.3 in 2014.
• Kern County had the 12th
highest substantiated child
abuse rate in the state
during 2014.
• In 2014, 92% of all child
victims of maltreatment in
Kern experienced general
or severe neglect, meaning a caretaker failed to
provide for the child’s basic
needs.
51.2
50
50.3
50.5
51.5
51.0
50.7
51.6
51.6
53.2
53.0
54.6
• Fewer children had allegations for physical abuse
(3%), caretaker absence/
incapacity (2%), or sexual
abuse (1%) substantiated.
• In 2014, 654 infants were
the victims of child abuse
in Kern County, a rate of
46.1 per 1,000 infants.
This rate is three times
higher than Kern’s overall
rate of substantiated abuse
and neglect.
• When compared to other
race/ethnic groups, African-American children experienced the highest rate
child abuse and neglect in
Kern County with 38.7 per
1,000 African-American
children.
• Kern County child maltreatment data shows 90.9%
of children for whom there
was a substantiated abuse/
neglect allegation did not
have another substantiated
incident within six months
of their first founded report
from January 2014 to June
2014.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California child
abuse & neglect data are
available using Kidsdata.org.
40
30
20
10
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Kern County
California
2011
2012
2013
2014
40
Child Abuse & Neglect Reports cont.
Substantiated Child Maltreatment Rates - Incidence per 1,000 Children
Kern County & California, 2004-2014
Child Maltreatment Allegations by Disposition
Kern County, 2014
25
22.0
20.6
19.3
20
Not Yet
Determined
3%
20.5
19.3
18.6
18.1
Inconclusive
16%
17.1
16.0
15
14.2
11.6
11.5
11.3
Unfounded
34%
11.2
10.2
10
9.9
9.6
9.5
9.3
9.2
8.7
Assessment Only
& Evaluated Out
26%
5
Substantiated
19%
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Kern County
California
2011
2012
2013
2014
Substantiated Child Abuse & Neglect by Type
Kern County, 2014
Substantiated Child Abuse/Neglect by Age - Incidents per 1,000 Children
Kern County, 2004-2014
60
55.0
52.8
52.0
Sexual Abuse
1%
Physical Abuse
3%
General Neglect
90%
Emotional Abuse <1%
Severe Neglect
2%
Other
5%
CaretakerAbsence/
Incapacity
2%
54.8
54.1
51.6
51.1
51.1
48.5
46.1
40
30
24.3
21.3
20
10
21.0
22.6
22.8
20.4
19.6
18.9
11.8
At Risk, Sibling
Abused
1%
52.0
50
Rate Per 1,000 Children
Rate per 1,000 Children
17.7
12.1
13.1
13.9
12.4
11.2
18.6
17.8
15.6
11.1
10.5
10.0
8.4
7.4
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Under 1 Year
2009
1 - 10 Years
2010
2011
11 - 17 Years
2012
2013
2014
41
Neglect
Substantiated Cases of Child Severe & General Neglect
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age
Kern County, 2014
60%
Percentage of Substantiated Neglect Allegations
53%
50%
50%
47%
40%
30%
25%
24%
19%
20%
18%
20%
15%
13%
10%
1%
0%
4%
0.2%
Number of Children with Substantiated Cases of Severe & General Neglect
Kern County, 2004-2014
5,000
4,500
4,714
4,501
4,000
4,248
3,851
3,500
3,000
4,043
3,927
4,003
3,898
3,724
3,407
3,298
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Child neglect is failure to
provide for a child’s basic
physical, emotional, medical
or educational needs which
threatens the child’s health or
welfare. General neglect is the
negligent failure of a parent/
guardian or caretaker to provide adequate food, clothing,
shelter, or supervision where
no physical injury to the child
has occurred. Severe neglect
refers to those situations of neglect where the child’s health is
endangered, including severe
malnutrition.
• During 2014, Kern County CPS responded to the
allegations of severe and
general neglect for 14,436
children to ensure they were
safe, 78% of Kern County’s
total allegations of child
maltreatment.
• 3,298 Kern County children
were confirmed as cases of
neglect upon investigation, a
substantiation rate of 23%.
• 781 children were placed
into foster care as a result of
CPS’ investigation of neglect
allegations.
• The three largest percentages of substantiated report
sources were from such
professionals as legal and
law enforcement personnel (58%), other mandated
reporter professionals (15%)
and medical professionals
(9%).
• 65% of children placed in
foster care due to neglect returned home in less than 12
months during 2014
42
calendar year.
Physical Abuse
Substantiated Cases of Child Physical Abuse
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age
Kern County, 2014
57%
50%
• During 2014, Kern County
CPS responded to the allegations of physical abuse
for 1,613 children to ensure they were safe, 9% of
Kern County’s total allegations of child maltreatment.
46%
43%
40%
30%
30%
28%
21%
20%
20%
12%
23%
• 101 Kern County children
were confirmed to be
victims of physical abuse
upon investigation, a substantiation rate of 6%.
14%
10%
4%
3%
0%
• 46 children were placed
into foster care as a result
of CPS’ investigation of
physical abuse allegations.
Number of Children with Substantiated Cases of Physical Abuse
Kern County, 2004-2014
350
• The three largest percentages of substantiated
report sources were from
such professionals as
legal and law enforcement
personnel (48%), education
(19%) and family/friend
(9%).
300
293
266
250
239
Number of Children
Percentage of Substantiated Physical Abuse Allegations
60%
Physical abuse is the injury to
a child that is not an accident.
This may include: beating,
burning, biting, kicking, cutting, shaking, or punching a
child.
200
248
236
248
212
208
• 46% of children placed in
foster care due to physical
abuse returned home in
less than 12 months during
2014 calendar year.
150
150
100
112
101
50
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
43
Sexual Abuse
90%
85%
Sexual abuse is any situation
where a child is used for
sexual gratification. This may
include indecent exposure,
fondling, rape, or commercial
exploitation through prostitution or the production of
pornographic materials.
Substantiated Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
by Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age
Kern County, 2014
70%
66%
60%
• During 2014, Kern County CPS responded to the
allegations of sexual abuse
for 863 children to ensure
they were safe, 5% of Kern
County’s total allegations
of child maltreatment.
53%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
26%
17%
15%
11%
9%
• 47 Kern County children
were determined to be
victims of sexual abuse, a
substantiation rate of 5%.
9%
2%
0%
• 18 children were placed
into foster care as a result
of CPS’ investigation of
sexual abuse allegations.
Number of Children with Substantiated Cases of Sexual Abuse
Kern County, 2004-2014
160
• The three largest percentages of substantiated
report sources were from
such professionals as
legal and law enforcement
personnel (38%), school
personnel (18%), and
counselor/therapist (18%).
140
135
120
Number of Children
Percentage of Substantiated Sexual Abuse Allegations
80%
129
111
100
133
108
90
80
84
86
60
62
52
47
40
• No children placed in
foster care due to sexual
abuse returned home in
less than 12 months during
2014 calendar year.
20
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
44
Child Abuse & Neglect Statistics
Substantiated Child Abuse Rates
per 1,000 Children
2012
2013
2014
Kern County
17.1
16.0
14.2
California
9.3
9.2
8.7
Percentage of CPS Referrals Substantiated
2012
2013
2014
3.8
Kern County
23.3%
22.3%
19.2%
3.5
California
17.4%
17.4%
15.9%
CPS Referral Rates per 1,000 Children
2012
2013
2014
Kern County
73.4
71.6
74.1
California
53.2
53.0
54.6
Foster Care Rates per 1,000 Children
(Entry + Re-Entry)
2012
2013
2014
Kern County
3.3
3.2
California
3.4
3.5
African
American
Caucasian
Latino
Asian/
Pac Islander
Native
American
All Children
Kern County
38.7
13.8
11.4
5.0
5.5
14.2
California
23.1
7.2
9.3
2.4
22.6
8.7
Under 1
1-2 yrs
3-5 yrs
6-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
16-17 yrs
Kern County
46.1
22.4
16.8
12.1
8.4
5.1
California
22.6
10.8
9.8
8.3
6.4
4.8
African
American
Caucasian
Latino
Asian/
Pac Islander
Native
American
All Children
Kern County
13.1
8.0
5.3
1.9
1.6
6.1
California
24.0
5.2
6.0
1.2
21.6
6.0
Under 1
1-2 yrs
3-5 yrs
6-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
16-17 yrs
Kern County
10.0
7.2
5.9
5.3
5.8
6.5
California
7.8
8.2
6.3
5.2
5.1
6.8
Foster Care Population (2009-14)
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Kern County
2,080
1,990
1,808
1,744
1,541
1,537
California
59,141
54,734
53,455
51,734
53,016
54,631
Substantiated Child Abuse Rates per 1,000 Children (2014)
Substantiated Child Abuse Rates per 1,000 Children (2014)
Foster Care Prevalence Rate per 1,000 Children
(Children in care on 7/1/14)
Foster Care Prevalence Rate per 1,000 Children
(Children in care on 7/1/14)
45
• In 2014, 9 children suffered from severe injuries
as a result of abuse or neglect. Kern County defines
severe injury as any injury
that includes, but is not
limited to, multiple fractures, amputation of limbs,
burns requiring hospitalization, severe sexual abuse
and torture.
Severe Injury To Children
Child Near Fatalities
Reported Severe Injuries From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age
Kern County, 2011-2014
14
14
• Consistent with state and
national trends, very young
children were the most vulnerable population to sustain severe injuries. In Kern
County, seven children who
experienced severe injuries
from abuse or neglect in
2014 were under the age
of five years (78%).
8
7
6
2
• Among the children who
suffered severe injuries,
two were five years old,
one child was 16 months
old and six children were
under age one year old.
• In 2014, more boys (67%)
than girls (33%) were victims of severe injury from
child maltreatment.
2011
2012
0 to 4 Years Old
2013
2014
4 years or Older
Reported Near Fatalities From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age
Kern County, 2011-2014
9
9
• A near fatality is defined by
the state as: a severe childhood injury or condition
caused by abuse or neglect
which results in the child
receiving critical care for
at least 24 hours following
the child’s admission to a
critical care unit in a hospital.
• In 2014, there were 10
near fatalities resultant
from abuse or neglect in
Kern County.
• All child near fatalities from
abuse or neglect in 2014
were under the age of 5
years.
• For near fatalities, the
number of incidents involving females (60%) was
greater than the number
involving males (40%).
• Between 2011 and 2014,
36 Kern County children
experienced near fatal
injuries from either abuse
or neglect.
7
• Between 2011 and 2014,
51 children have experienced severe injuries from
abuse or neglect in Kern
County.
5
5
1
2011
2012
0 to 4 Years Old
2013
4 years or Older
2014
46
Child Fatalities
• In 2014, 2 Kern County
children died as a direct
result of child abuse or
neglect.
Reported Fatalities From Abuse/Neglect by Child Age
Kern County, 2011-2014
7
5
• Both fatalities were less
than a year old, consistent
with national and previous
county data that found very
young children to be most
vulnerable.
5
• In 2014, the two infants
killed were a boy and a
girl.
• Between 2011 and 2014,
20 children have died as a
result of abuse or neglect
in Kern County.
2
1
2011
2012
0 to 4 Years Old
2013
• Of the children who died
because of abuse or neglect, 95% were younger
than five years old between
2011 and 2014.
2014
4 years or Older
• Boys (50%) and girls (50%)
were equally likely to be
killed from abuse or neglect from 2011 to 2014.
Number of Child Fatalities, Near Fatalities, and Severe Injuries
Due to Abuse/Neglect
Kern County, 2011-2014
20
14
12
10
9
7
8
6
5
9
5
2
2011
2012
Fatalities
2013
Near Fatalities
Severe Injuries
2014
47
• Of the 3,575 Kern County
children with substantiated reports of abuse and
neglect during 2014, 961
were removed from their
family home and spent at
least one day in an out-of
home placement in order
to ensure their safety (27%
of substantiated cases).
• The 2014 rate of foster
care placement was 3.8
per 1,000 children compared to California’s rate
of 3.5 entries per 1,000
children.
• The number of children
and youth in foster care
continues to decline from
a decade peak of 2,950 in
2003 to 1,537 in 2014, a
48% overall decrease.
• During the calendar year
2014, 796 children (83%
of all entries) entered foster
care for the first time in
Kern County.
Children Entering into Foster Care
Children Served in Foster Care
Foster Care Entry & First Time Entry Rate - Incidence per 1,000 Children
Kern County, 2004-2014
All Entry Rate
6.3
6.0
First-Time Entry Rate
5.7
5.2
5.2
5.3
5.1
4.7
4.4
2004
2005
2006
4.9
5.0
3.9
3.9
4.7
4.1
2007
2008
4.2
2009
2010
2011
3.8
3.1
3.1
2.5
2.6
2012
2013
3.2
2014
First Time Entry into Foster Care by Removal Reason – Kern County, 2014
Sexual
Abuse Other Physical
2%
1%
Abuse
5%
• On July 1, 2014, there
were 1,537 children in the
foster care system across
Kern County.
• Infants (10.0 per 1,000
infants) and toddlers (7.2
per 1,000 children 1-2
years old) experienced the
highest in-care rates in
Kern’s foster care system.
• In 2014, African-American
children (13.1 per 1,000
African-American children)
were in foster care at a
rate greater than children
in any other racial/ethnic
group.
• During 2014, 23% of
children in the Kern County
foster care system experienced more than two
placements in less than 12
months.
• Statewide, the placement
in stability rate was 13% in
2014.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California foster
care data are available using
Kidsdata.org.
• Kern County’s first time
entry rate of children into
foster care increased 23%
from 2.6 in 2013 to 3.2
per 1,000 children in
2014.
Neglect
92%
48
Children Served in Foster Care cont.
Placement Settings for Children in Foster Care – Kern County, July 1, 2014
Guardian
Foster Homes
18%
Other
7%
Foster/Family Agency (FFA)
Homes
41%
Other
12%
Group Homes
4%
Pre-Adoptive Homes 1%
Runaway 1%
Court Specified Homes <1%
Selected Foster Care Placement Settings by Age Group
Kern County, 2014
100%
92%
90%
Percentage of Children Under Age 18 Years
Relative/Kin
29%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
30%
29%
19%
30%
25% 26%
22%
19%
8%
10%
0%
Foster Care Home
Under 3 Years
Group Home
3 to 5 Years
6 to 10 Years
Relative/Kin
11 to 17 Years
49
• Kinship care is the full time
care of children by relatives, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who
has a kinship bond with
a child. On July 1, 2014,
30% of the Kern County
children in out-of-home
care lived with relatives
compared to 39% statewide.
• Among children placed
with kin, 49% were between the ages of 0 and
5 years and 57% were
Latino.
Family & Sibling Connections
Teenagers in Foster Care
Percentage of Sibling Groups Placed Together in Foster Care
Kern County, 2004-2014
80%
73.3%
70%
60.9%
62.1%
63.7%
66.7%
65.5%
70.3%
70.3%
69.3%
71.9%
72.2%
60%
Percentage of Siblings
• Whenever possible, sibling units are placed in
the same foster home. On
July 1, 2014, the share of
Kern County’s foster youth
placed with at least one
sibling was 72% in comparison to 71% throughout
California.
51.2%
50%
51.7%
45.3%
40%
37.8%
38.7%
35.9%
46.3%
45.4%
47.5%
41.0%
37.5%
30%
20%
0%
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Placement With All or Some Siblings
2010
2001
2012
2013
2014
Placement With All Siblings
138
135
121
124
123
122
97
58
• Some children remain in
foster care until they are
18 or have graduated from
high school. In Kern County, 56 youth were either
discharged to emancipation or turned 18 while still
in foster care in 2014.
• Assembly Bill 12 (AB 12)
allows foster youth the
option to remain in foster
care and receive services
until age 20 years. On
July 1, 2014, 224 youth
between 18 and 20 years
elected to remain in the
foster care system.
Number of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care – Kern County, 2004-2014
128
• Teens exiting foster care
were reunited with their
families in less than a year
53% of the time during
2014.
• 66% of youth aging out of
Kern’s foster care system
had been in care for three
years or longer.
10%
2004
• On July 1, 2014, 419
youth between the ages of
13 and 17 lived in foster
care in Kern County, 27%
of the county’s foster care
population.
56
50
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
50
Exiting Foster Care
Number of Children Entering & Exiting Foster Care Placement – Kern County, 2004-2014
1,473
1,438
1,431
1,318
1,292
1,382
1,317
1,275
1,277
1,348
1,252
1,313
1,280
1,267
1,089
1,055
904
816
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Entries
2010
2011
2012
961
798
791
2013
732
2014
Exits
Where Children Went After Exiting Foster Care – Kern County, 2014
Other
5%
Emanicipated
8%
Kin Guardianship
7%
Other Guardianship
5%
Reunified
47%
Adopted
28%
• During 2014, 732 children
and youth exited foster
care in Kern County.
• 64% of Kern’s exiting children and youth were reunified with their families in
less than 12 months equal
to California’s reunification
rate of 64%.
• The median length of time
before Kern County children in foster care were
reunified with their families
was 8.9 months in 2014.
• Youth between the ages 11
and 15 were the least likely
to reunify in 12 months
(42%), and infants were the
most likely in Kern (100%).
• Children whose first placement type was a foster care
home were most likely to
reunify in less than a year
(90%) while kin caregivers (62%) and FFA homes
(62%) were the least likely.
• Of the 486 Kern County
children discharged from
foster care to reunification
during 2013, 89% did not
return to foster care in less
than 12 months from the
date of the earliest discharge to reunification, a
figure higher than the state
rate of 88%.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California exit from
foster care data are available
using Kidsdata.org.
51
Exiting Foster Care cont.
Percentage of Children Who Exited Foster Care to Reunify with Family in Less Than Year
Kern County & California, 2004-2014
50%
2004
59%
53%
2005
61%
61%
2006
64%
68%
2007
64%
62%
2008
62%
67%
2009
64%
66%
2010
65%
73%
2011
65%
64%
2012
63%
60%
2013
64%
64%
2014
Median Length of Time in Foster Care by Age Group
Kern County & California, 2014
64%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Kern County
50%
60%
70%
80%
California
14
13.1
12
10.2
9.7
10
Number of Months in Care
0%
8.9 8.8
9.6
9.7 9.5
8.7
8.5
8.9
7.8
8
6
5.1
3.7
4
2
0
All Ages
Under 1 Year
1-2 Years
Kern County
3-5 Years
California
6-10 Years
11-15 Years
16-17 Years
52
The goal for most foster
children is to return to their
family, however, sometimes
children are not able to return
home and need a permanent
family through adoption and
guardianship.
Adoption & Guardianships
Children Exiting Foster Care with Finalized Adoptions by Age Group
Kern County, 2014
11-15 Years
6%
• During the calendar year
2014, 201 children left
foster care in Kern County
through adoption.
16-17 Years
1%
Under 1 Year
7%
• During 2014, 92 children
exited foster care to a
guardianship.
6-10 Years
18%
• Over half of Kern County
guardianships (57%) were
for children ages 6 and
older in 2014.
• 47% of the Kern County
children adopted were
younger than age 3 when
their adoption became
final.
• 51% of the Kern County
children who left foster
care to guardianship were
females during 2014.
1-2 Years
40%
• 51% of the finalized adoptions in 2014 were female
children.
• Over half of the children
adopted in 2014 were
Latino (49%) followed by
Caucasian (38%), African-American (14%), and
Asian/ Pacific Islander
(0.5%) children.
• While the length of time to
achieve adoption varies by
age, the median time to
adoption was 23.3 months
for children whose adoptions were finalized in Kern
County during 2014, a decrease from 24.3 months
in 2013.
When a child cannot be
returned home and adoption is not in the child’s best
interests, then guardianship
is considered to be a more
permanent plan for a child.
3-5 Years
28%
Median Number of Months in Foster Care to Adoption by Age Group
Kern County, 2014
26.9
27.4
25.6
23.3
• Half of the children who
exited foster care to guardianship during 2014 were
Latino (59%) followed by
Caucasian (26%) and
African-American (12%)
children.
Additional customizable Kern
County and California adoption
from foster care data are
available using Kidsdata.org.
18.7
10.7
0.3
All Ages
Under 1 Year
1-2 Years
3-5 Years
6-10 Years
11-15 Years
16-17 Years
53
hat
e
an
o
W W C D
For many, the maltreatment of children can be very difficult to talk about. It may even be more difficult to acknowledge that
children, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status, are abused and neglected every day in Kern County.
Abused and neglected children are at increased risk of social and emotional problems, poor peer relationships, academic
problems, substance use and dependency, risky behaviors, and even death. As adults, child victims often suffer from persistent
physical and mental health problems, substance abuse,
homelessness, suicide, violence and criminal behavior.
Mandated reporters and other concerned adults often refer
potentially dangerous situations to Child Protective Services
(CPS) for investigation. While the number of reports to CPS
can indicate about how many children in the county are
potentially at risk of abuse and neglect, referral rates also
demonstrate the willingness of community members to report events where children may be in danger. By working
together as a community, we all can play a part in strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Jump to •
•
•
•
•
Ways to Get Involved
Despite the availability of child abuse prevention services,
the reality is that some families will not use them in time.
The prevention of child abuse and neglect is a community
responsibility. We all can do small things every day that
help children have healthy, safe lives. Anything you do to
support children and parents can help reduce the stress
that often leads to abuse and neglect. Below are ways you
can get involved.
When you report suspected child abuse or neglect, please
provide as much information as possible with regard
to the situation: child’s name, parent’s name, address,
phone number and the reason why you are concerned.
You do not have to give your name, but it helps Child
Protective Services if they have further questions. If you do
give Child Protective Services your name, your identity is
kept strictly confidential.
Know What Child Abuse Is, and What the Signs Are
Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitutes maltreatment, but so does neglect—the failure of parents or others to provide food, clothing and care. Children can also
be emotionally abused when they are rejected, berated or
continuously isolated. In addition to unexplained injuries,
depression, fear of a certain adult, difficulty trusting others
or making friends, sudden changes in eating or sleeping
patterns, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor hygiene, secrecy and hostility are often signs.
Encourage Help
If you know a family that is experiencing stress and is in need
of food, financial aid, utility assistance, housing, counseling, parent education, child care, clothing, etc., encourage
them to call 2-1-1, Kern’s comprehensive information and
referral service, visit a Family Resource Center located closest to them in their community or share the Department of
Human Services Resource Guide with them.
Learn more about becoming a resource to your family,
friends and co-workers about what is child abuse/neglect
and how to report with the California Online Child Abuse
Mandated Reporter Training.
Report Abuse
If you witness a child being harmed, if a child tells you
about abuse, or if you merely suspect abuse, report it to
Kern County Child Protective Services hotline at (661) 6316011—and keep reporting it—until something is done.
Support Prevention Efforts
Share your time and concern by volunteering with child
and family service agencies and organizations throughout
Kern County. Mentor a teen mom, become a foster parent,
volunteer as a CASA Advocate, donate items to a Family
Resource Center or Differential Response program for children and families in need, or organize a donation drive
at your workplace, school or place of worship for children
and youth who have experienced abuse and receive helping services at the Dream Center and/or Jamison Center.
55
Child Abuse in Public Places
Whether you are at a doctor’s office or in a shopping
mall, you may witness parenting situations that make
you uncomfortable. One of the main reasons for inappropriate parenting behavior is because a parent’s
expectations for their child are beyond the child’s development level. Stress and lack of effective disciple
methods are also possible causes.
If the child is in danger, offer assistance.
•If the child is left unattended in a grocery cart, stand
near the child until the parent returns.
You can play an active role in ending child abuse. The
key is speaking up. When you see or suspect child abuse,
don’t look the other way. If an adult is losing patience
with a child, intervene, but keep it positive. Intervening
in the situation will help to deescalate the situation for
the child and the parent may realize that their behavior
is not appropriate.
To learn more, please visit the Kern Cares website.
Avoid negative remarks or looks. Negative reactions are
likely to increase a parent’s stress or anger and could
make the situation worse for the child.
Taken from Blue Ribbons For Kids.
Start a conversation with the adult to direct attention
away from the child.
• “My child sometimes gets upset like that too.”
• “Children can really wear you out sometimes. Is there
anything I can do to help?”
• “Kids at that age have so much energy and can really
run fast. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with them.”
Divert the child’s attention by talking to the child.
• “I like your t-shirt. Did you get that on vacation?”
•That’s a great baseball cap. Are you a Dodger’s
fan?”
Look for an opportunity to praise the parent or child.
• “She has the most beautiful eyes.”
• “That is a very nice shirt your little boy has on. Where
did you get it?”
• “Your child is very cute. How old is she?”
56
Kern Cares
The prevention of child abuse and neglect requires the
involvement of the entire community—it can be a matter of life or death. Kern Cares is devoted to preventing
child abuse and neglect by building communities that
are committed to families and to the support and services they need to raise strong, healthy, and successful
children. And that begins with awareness.
Committee Members
Formed in 2010, the Kern Cares Children’s Advocacy
Committee is a group of private business, faith-based,
non-profit, education and public service organizations
that help guide Kern Cares outreach and education
efforts. The Committee utilizes child death and safety
data, and community needs information to develop
Kern Cares’ annual calendar of prevention campaigns
to address what each of us can do to prevent child
abuse and neglect and promote child safety.
Martha Gómez
Administrative Assistant, Kern County Network for Children
Heidi Carter-Escudero
Outreach & Communications, Department of Human Services
Tom Corson
Executive Director, Kern County Network for Children
Leslie A. Golich
Director of Hospital and Healthplan Operations, Kaiser Permanente
Carrie Kunzmann
Pastoral Assistant of Community Transformation,
The Bridge Bible Church
Jasmine Williams
Kern County Public Health Department
Brian J. Mendiburu
Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Administrator,
Kern High School District
Shirelle Perez
Program Facilitator II, Community Connection for Child Care
2015/2016 Prevention Calendar
April
May
June
Child Abuse
Prevention
Water
Safety
Burn Injury
Prevention
July
Keeping Kids
Safe In
& Around Cars
August
September
October
November
Teen Pregnancy
Prevention
Adolescent
Mental Health
Safe Sleeping
For Infants
Substance Abuse
Prevention
December
January
February
March
Celebrating
Foster Youth
Human
Trafficking
Safely Surrendered
Baby Law
Child
Personal Safety
Who We Are
The mission of the Kern County Network for Children
(KCNC) is to protect and enrich the lives of children in
Kern County by helping to build and sustain healthy families through the commitment of all community partners.
and parents can help reduce the stress that often leads to
abuse and neglect.
What We Do
What is Child Abuse and Neglect?
The prevention of child abuse requires the involvement
of the entire community. In an effort to involve our community, the Children’s Advocacy Committee was formed to
help guide our outreach and education efforts. This committee of private business, faith-based, non-profit, education and public service organizations assists in development of the Kern Cares calendar of themes to promote
child safety and well being.
How You Can Help
Do you
like us?
We all can do small things every day
that help children have healthy, safe
lives. Anything you do to support kids
/kerncares
Visit www.kerncares.org to access information and resources for each monthly topic and ways to get involved.
Child abuse is the purposeful physical injury inflicted on
a child by a parent, guardian or other adult. Child neglect
is the failure of a parent, guardian, or other caregiver to
provide for a child’s basic needs.
Report suspected abuse or neglect.
Child Abuse Hotline: (661) 631-6011
Visit www.kerncares.org each month
to learn important prevention
information and access free resources
It’s Our Responsibility!
Kristin Price
Reporter, KGET 17 News
Kim Silva
Research Associate, Kern County Network for Children
Eric Simpson
Pastor of Community Transformation, The Bridge Bible Church
Kristin N. Weber
Public Affairs Department, Kaiser Permanente
Barbara Zimmermann
Executive Coordinator, Department of Human Services
Information about child abuse and neglect, how to report suspected abuse and community resources can be
found at the Kern Cares website and on Facebook.
57
Kern County Network for Children (KCNC)
KCNC programs and initiatives serve to improve child
safety outcomes for Kern County children and families
by administering supportive services to families most
at-risk of experiencing child abuse and neglect; providing child abuse prevention education and awareness services; improving coordination and cooperation
among family serving agencies; and implementing
collaborative programs, public and private, to better
meet the most critical needs of Kern County’s children
and families.
We believe in:
•Personal responsibility and family self-sufficiency as
the cornerstones of resilient, stable communities
• Grassroots solutions to local problems
• Empowering local residents to address common concerns
• Locally-based, accessible services
•Program accountability and delivery of cost-effective
services.
Our primary roles:
• Kern’s Child Abuse Prevention Council
•Kern’s Coordinating Council for Child and Family
Services
• Planning, administrative and oversight body for child
abuse prevention and neglect services.
As Kern County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council,
KCNC takes its commitment to improving lives seriously
and believes in the power of collaboration as the most
effective way to support families and provide children
with positive, nurturing environments.
The Network, in partnership with government leaders,
local community collaboratives, nonprofit agencies, organizations, businesses and concerned individuals, administers the following services throughout Kern County:
Kern County Differential Response
www.kcnc.org/regionalDR
A research-based strategy that expands Child Protective Services‘ ability to respond differently to suspected
reports of child abuse/neglect by assisting families at
first signs of trouble with county-wide case management
services.
Parental Education & Time Limited Reunification
www.kcnc.org/tlfr
Specialized parent education, case management, counseling and other supportive services for families who
have experienced child abuse or neglect to learn how
to effectively parent their children and stop the horrible
cycle of abuse and neglect.
Kern Cares
www.kerncares.org
The Kern County Child Abuse Prevention Council’s annual child well-being calendar based upon community
child death and safety data that address what each of
us can do to prevent child abuse and neglect and promote child safety. Information about child abuse and
neglect, how to report suspected abuse and community
resources can be found at www.kerncares.org.
...continued 58
Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) cont.
The Dream Center
kcsos.kern.org/dreamcenter
A one-stop resource center that provides independent
living, mentoring, social/educational services and job
assistance for Kern’s current, transitioning and emancipated foster youth.
Kern County Report Card
www.kcnc.org/reportcard
Annual publication of more than 140 child well-being
data indicators that tracks the quality of life among Kern
County children, with a focus on child abuse and neglect. This interactive tool builds awareness in community of critical issues and provides data to local service
providers to focus their strategies build collaboration
and develop funding.
Community Discussion Forums & Quality Trainings
KCNC invites community partners and concerned individuals can take part in our regular monthly forums
including the General Collaborative, Group Home Coalition, Foster Youth Advisory Board and Domestic Violence Advisory Committee to network, foster best practices, raise awareness and share information on behalf
of children and families. KCNC helps partner agencies
and family support programs increase their capacity to
serve children and families with technical assistance,
contract administration, evaluation services and high
quality community trainings in the areas of child safety,
Mandated Reporting, and issues that Kern communities
and families face.
KCNC’s Annual Leadership Development Program
www.kcnc.org/leadership
A 6-month program to help those already in leadership positions in their neighborhoods or organizations
gain useful leadership skills in the areas of community
awareness, group, personal and self-image skills. The
recognized program has graduated almost 800 community members since 1998.
59
Community Collaboratives
Since 1992, Kern County communities have partnered together as Community Collaboratives to better care for children and families.
Seventeen of these partnerships have completed an in-depth application process and review by Kern County Network for Children and
have been designated Accredited Community Collaboratives. Most Community Collaboratives host a Family Resource Center (FRC)
or Community Resource Center (CRC). The following list can be used to refer individuals or families to needed services within their
own community.
Accredited Community Collaboratives
Arvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arvin Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.854.6526
Bakersfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . East Bakersfield Community Collaborative and CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.631.5895
Greenfield H.E.L.P.S. Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.837.3720
South Chester Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.631.5895
Southeast Neighborhood Partnership and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.322.3276
Buttonwillow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Buttonwillow Community Collaborative and CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.764.9405
Frazier Park Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mountain Communities Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.245.4303
Lake Isabella Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kern River Valley Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760.379.2556, ext. 601
Lamont/Weedpatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lamont/Weedpatch Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.845.2724, ext. 300
Lost Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lost Hills Collaborative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.797.3042
McFarland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McFarland Community Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.792.1883
Mojave Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . East Kern Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.824.4118
Ridgecrest Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indian Wells Valley Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760.375.4357
Shafter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shafter Healthy Start Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.746.8690
Taft Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greater Westside “Together We Can” Collaborative and CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.765.7281
Wasco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wasco Collaborative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.758.7100
Kern County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richardson Special Needs Collaborative and FRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.336.5482
Other Community Collaboratives
Bakersfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kern County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34th Street Neighborhood Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.324.3213
Oildale Collaborative and CRCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.392.2110, ext. 106
Delano Neighborhood Partnership and CRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.721.5000
Kern Senior Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661.832.1324
60
2015 KCNC Governing Board
Tammy Burns
Konrad Moore
Dr. Bryon Schaefer
Dena Murphy
Morgan Clayton
John Nilon
Matt Constantine
Stephen Pelz
Dr. Christine Lizardi Frazier
Bill Phelps
Louis Gill
Eric Simpson
Supervisor Mick Gleason
Judge Louie Vega
Leslie Golich
Bill Walker
Della D. Hodson
Chief Greg Williamson
Deborah Johnson
Sheriff Donny Youngblood
Early Childhood Council of Kern
Kern High School District
Tel-Tec Security
Kern County Department of Public Health
Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Bakersfield Homeless Center/Alliance Against Family Violence
Kern County Board of Supervisors
Kaiser Permanente
United Way of Kern County
California Veterans Assistance Foundation
Kern County Public Defender
Kern County Department of Human Services
Kern County Administrative Office
Housing Authority of the County of Kern
Clinica Sierra Vista
The Bridge Bible Church
Kern County Juvenile Justice Center
Kern County Mental Health Department
Bakersfield Police Department
Kern County Sheriff’s Department
Chief TR Merickel
Kern County Probation Department
Roland Maier
First 5 Kern
Magda Menendez
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
Thomas J. Corson
Executive Director, Kern County Network for Children
Theresa Goldner
KCNC Legal Counsel, Office of Kern County Counsel
61
2015 Data Sources
Children and Family
Indicator
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
County and State
Population
2
California Department of Finance
http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates
Child Population and Race/
Ethnicity
2
Center for Social Services
Research, UC Berkeley
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Population.aspx
Child Population Projections
2
California Department of Finance
http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates
Foreign-Born Children
2
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Family Structure
3
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Children in Families
3
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren
3
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Foreign Born Parents
3
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
Self-Sufficiency Standard
5
Kidsdata.org
http://www.Kidsdata.org/data/topic/table/self-sufficiency-standard.
aspx?loc=362
Family Median Income with
Children
5
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Median Income by Family
5
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Child Support
5
Kern County
Child Support Services
Data obtained through special request
Children in Households
Receiving Public Assistance
5
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Children with All Parents in
Workforce
6
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Child Care Supply and
Demand
6
California Resource
& Referral Network
http://my.rrnetwork.org/site/DocServer/Kern_County.pdf?docID=980
Child Care Cost
6
California Resource
& Referral Network
http://my.rrnetwork.org/site/DocServer/Kern_County.pdf?docID=980
Family Economics
Indicator
62
2015 Data Sources cont.
Unemployment
7
California Employment
Development Department
http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/Content.asp?pageid=1006
Children Living in
Households Without Secure
Parental Employment
7
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/761/secure-employment65/
table#fmt=1163&tf=67
Poverty Level
8
U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml
Child Poverty Demographics
8
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Family Poverty
8
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Household Poverty by
Educational Level
8
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Occupied Housing Units
10
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Children Living in Housing
Units
10
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Home Value
10
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Median Gross Rent
10
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Income Spent on Housing
10
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Fair Market Rent
10
HUD User, United States
Department of Housing and
Urban Development
http://www.huduser.org
Housing Wage
10
National Low Income Housing
Coalition (NLIHC)
http://www.nlihc.org
Children Living in Crowded
Housing
10
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/721/crowded-housing65/
table#fmt=1022&tf=67
Homeless Children in
School
10
Kern County Superintendent of
Schools Office
Data obtained through special request
Food Insecurity
11
Feeding America
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/our-research/map-themeal-gap/data-by-county-in-each-state.html
CalFresh Enrollment
11
California Department
of Social Services
http://www.cdss.ca.gov/research/default.htm
Free/Reduced
School Meal Enrollment
11
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Profile&submit1=Submit
63
2015 Data Sources cont.
K-12 Education
Indicator
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
Public School Enrollment
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Enrollment&submit1=Submit
Public School Student
Demographics
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Enrollment&submit1=Submit
Average Classroom Size
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Profile&submit1=Submit
Student-Teacher Ratio
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Profile&submit1=Submit
English Learners
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=LC&submit1=Submit
Special Education
13
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=SpecEd&submit1=Submit
School Connectedness
13
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&cTopic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTimeFrame=S
CAHSEE High School Exit
Exam
13, 16
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=ExitExam&submit1=Submit
Graduation Rates
13, 16
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Graduates&submit1=Submit
High School Drop Out Rate
13, 16
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Graduates&submit1=Submit
Graduates with CSU/UC
Requirements
14, 16
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=Graduates&submit1=Submit
California Standards Test
(CST) Scores
15
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=STAR&submit1=Submit
Youth Not in School and
Not Working
16
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/S0902/01
00000US|0400000US06|0500000US06029
12th Grade SAT
Participation
16
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=SAT&submit1=Submit
Education Attainment for
Population 25 Years
and Over
16
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Median Earnings by
Educational Attainment
18
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Poverty Rate by Educational
Attainment
18
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
64
2015 Data Sources cont.
Child and Adolescent Health
Indicator
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
Prenatal Care
20, 23
California Department of Public
Health, Vital Statistics Query
System
http://www.apps.cdph.ca.gov/vsq/default.asp
Births
20, 23
California Department of Public
http://www.apps.cdph.ca.gov/vsq/default.asp
Health, Vital Statistics Query System
Preterm Births
20, 23
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/560/pretermbirths/table#fmt=753&tf=67
Low Birthweight Infants
20, 23
California Department of Public
Health, Vital Statistics Query
System
http://www.apps.cdph.ca.gov/vsq/default.asp
Kern County Department of
Human Services
Data obtained through special request
Safely Surrendered Babies
Infant Mortality
20
20, 23
California Department of Public
http://www.apps.cdph.ca.gov/vsq/default.asp,
Health, Vital Statistics Query
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSP.aspx
System & California Health Profiles
Sleep-Related Infant Deaths
20
Kern County Child Death
Review Team
Data obtained through special request
Breastfeeding
20
California Department
of Health Care Services
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Pages/BreastfeedingStatistics.aspx
Immunizations
22
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/53/immunizations/
22, 23
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=STAR&submit1=Submit
Student Physical Fitness
22
California Department of
Education – DataQuest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/page2.
asp?level=County&subject=STAR&submit1=Submit
Asthma
22
Environmental Health Investigation
http://www.ehib.org,
Branch, California Health
http://www.chis.ucla.edu
Interview Survey
Oral Health Care
22
California Health Interview Survey
http://www.chis.ucla.edu
Health Care Insurance
22
US Census,
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Student Body Composition
Births to Teen Mothers and
Birth Rate
23, 24,
25
California Department
of Public Health, Vital Statistics
Query System
http://www.apps.cdph.ca.gov/vsq/default.asp
Chlamydia Infection
23, 24
California Department of Public
Health, STD Control Branch
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Pages/STDData.aspx
California Health Interview Survey
http://www.chis.ucla.edu
Depression
24
65
2015 Data Sources cont.
Suicide
24
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
EpiCenter CA Injury Data Online - http://epicenter.cdph.ca.gov/
Alcohol, Tobacco and
Substance Use
26
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&cTopic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTimeFrame=S
Child and Community Safety
Indicator
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
Unintentional Childhood
Injuries and Deaths
(Falls, Fire/Burn, Motor
Vehicle, Assault/Homicide,
Bicycle, Pedestrian Traffic,
Drowning)
29-32
EPICenter California Injury
Data Online
http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/epicdata/
Child Deaths
32
Kern County Child Death
Review Team
Data obtained through special request
Feel Safe at School
33
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&cTopic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTimeFrame=S
Bullying/Harassment
33
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&cTopic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTimeFrame=S
Youth Gang Membership
33, 34
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&c-Topic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTime-Frame=S
Violence-Related Behavior
on School Property
34
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&c-Topic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTime-Frame=S
Firearm Injuries and Deaths
35
EPICenter California Injury
Data Online
http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/epicdata/
Missing Children
36
Missing Persons, California Office
of the Attorney General
http://ag.ca.gov/missing/stats.php
Dating Violence
37
California Healthy Kids Survey,
2009-11
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/HKids/HKSearchName.asp?TheYear=&cTopic=HKids&cLevel=County&cName=&cCounty=15,KERN&cTimeFrame=S
Domestic Violence
Calls for Assistance
37
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/12/domesticviolence-rate/
table#fmt=1097&tf=67
Juvenile Felony Arrests,
Ages 10-17
37
Kidsdata.org
http://www.kidsdata.org/topic/165/juvenilearrest-rate/
table#fmt=1098&tf=67
66
2015 Data Sources cont.
Child Well-Being
Indicator
Page
Number
Data Source
Data Location
Referred and Substantiated
Child Abuse/Neglect
Allegations
40, 41,
45
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/RefRates.aspx
Allegation Demographics
& Disposition
40, 41,
45
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Allegations.aspx
Recurrence of Allegations
40
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/S1M1.aspx
Neglect
42
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Allegations.aspx
Physical Abuse
43
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Allegations.aspx
Sexual Abuse
44
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Allegations.aspx
Foster Care Prevalence Rate
and Demographics
45
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/InCareRates.aspx
45, 48
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/PIT.aspx
45
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/InCareRates.aspx
Foster Care Entry Rate and
Demographics
45, 48
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/EntryRates.aspx
Severe Injury, Near Fatality
and Fatality Due to Abuse/
Neglect
46, 47
Kern County Department
of Human Services
Data obtained through special request
Foster Care Placement
48, 49
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/PIT.aspx
Foster Youth Population
In-Care Rates
67
2015 Data Sources cont.
Family and Sibling
Connections
50
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/siblings.aspx
Teenagers in Foster Care
50
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/PIT.aspx,
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Exits.aspx
51, 52
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/C1M1.aspx
Foster Care Exits
51
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Exits.aspx
Median Time to
Reunification
51, 52
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/C1M2.aspx
Re-Entry After Reunification
51
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/C1M4.aspx
Adoptions
53
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/C2M2.aspx,
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Exits.aspx
Guardianship
53
Center for Social Services
Research, University of California
Berkeley, Quarter 4, 2014
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Exits.aspx
Reunification
68