Editor's note: This story was supposed to be published in Friday's Free Lance on A3. It will appear in Tuesday's print edition as well.
SAN BENITO COUNTY
San Benito County is tied with eight other counties in California for having the worst rating in a study of children's well-being, according to the 2008 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-being issued by Children Now, an advocacy group.
The "D+" grade given to the county is a reflection of 26 indicators of children's health, safety and readiness to learn, according to a statement from the group.
Kendra Bobsin, director of the San Benito County chapter of the child advocacy group, Go Kids, believes the state needs to take a share of the blame.
"I think it is horrible that such a wealthy state is not looking out for its most vulnerable citizens," Bobsin told the Free Lance. "California has a reputation for being progressive in the areas of education and health care, but looking at a study like this shows that we are not walking the walk."
Bobsin points to the fact that she has a waiting list with more than 1,000 needy children waiting for childcare as evidence that San Benito children's needs are not being met.
The first step, according to Wilma Chan, vice president of policy for Children Now, is to take a hard look at the data.
"Your county is not doing poorly in all areas," said Chan, who pointed to regular dental visits and after-school supervision of kids as examples where San Benito does well, despite "many areas of concern."
"The important thing is to act on the indicators receiving a 'low' rating," continued Chan, who noted how 25 percent of high school students indicated they felt safe - and called it a troubling example of something that can be addressed by "looking at state and national models for a solution."
Joyce Swett, the school readiness coordinator for the county's First Five program, cited the area she finds to be the most concerning.
"We are very concerned about the 'Children in a healthy weight zone' category," said Swett. "Children's diets are just not improving as much as we would like to see."Swett added that obesity levels are concerning for children throughout the county, and for that reason the state preschools now require that children attending three-hour programs must spend at least one hour outside.
"We have them running around, climbing things riding bikes, having fun while being active," explained Swett.
Among the indicators on which San Benito County received a low rating, contributing to the overall grade, are the following:
- the number of children who report "very good" to "excellent" health
children with health insurance
- children within a healthy weight zone
- children who live within walking distance of a park or open space area
- children with a school nurse
- young children who are read to often
- the number of eighth graders enrolled in algebra
Overall, San Benito received 10 ratings of "low" in the indicators, nine of "medium," and six of "high."
San Benito is in a cluster of six of the nine state counties to receive the rating of "D+" that includes Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties. The other three are Colusa, Del Norte and Modoc, all located relatively far to the north.
According to its Web site, Children Now believes that the solution lies in identifying problems that are composed of "...interconnected social, physical, service and economic components," and then bringing together all concerned agencies.
"Towns, counties, and state and national agencies need to get together," summarized Chan. "This study is county based, but we all must be involved."
Hazel Hawkins Hospital is one such institution that is stepping up to the plate, according to Frankie Arballo, spokeswoman for the hospital, who believes that local health care agencies are doing a lot to improve health issues for local children.
"We provide nutrition and education classes for school districts, exercise programs for kindergartens, we go to back to school nights with information for parents and we provide smoking cessation programs for parents," Arballo lists.
The spokeswoman also notes the hospital's Comprehensive Prenatal Services Program in which "Medi-Cal-eligible women receive comprehensive services, including prenatal care, health education, nutrition services, and psychosocial support for up to 60 days after delivery of their infants.
"We are absolutely trying to address the needs of the community and create a healthier county especially for children."
This is the first time the nonprofit organization has published its findings, and Children Now hopes the data will be compiled and compared over many years to benefit California counties, said Chan.
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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