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“Child well-being” analysis: St. Johns County ranks No. 1 but FL shows disparities across the state [1]

['Issac Morgan', 'More From Author', '- December']

Date: 2022-12-20  

Children and their families in certain counties thrived more in categories such as education, economic well-being and health, but an analysis revealed disparities across the state, according to a new report released by the Orlando-based Florida Policy Institute.

St. Johns County, in the coastal northeast area of Florida, ranked No. 1 overall for child well-being. In separate categories, the figures showed No. 11 in education out of Florida’s 67 counties, and health ranked 41 among the counties in the analysis for St. Johns, according to the 2022 Florida Child Well-Being Index.

Of the top five in the overall rankings, Seminole County was No. 2 for overall well-being, followed by Broward, Nassau, and Santa Rosa counties. Seminole is further down the Atlantic Coast; Broward is in South Florida, Nassau is coastal northeast, at the top of the state and Santa Rosa is in the Panhandle.

Counties with the highest rankings “tend to be well-resourced places, where families can afford to invest in things like high-quality childcare, education, and other opportunities for their children,” the Florida Policy Institute noted.

The report is based on data from KIDS COUNT, associated with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The county rankings focused on key areas of family and community, education, health, and economic well-being.

North Florida’s Madison County ranked lowest, at 67 in the analysis, showing poor economic and family conditions.

Other counties with the lowest ratings included DeSoto, Hendry, Putnam and Franklin counties. DeSoto is in southwest Florida, Putnam is more northeast, Hendry is South Central and Franklin is in North Florida.

Sadaf Knight, CEO of FPI, said in a written statement this week:

“These snapshots of Florida counties can help us pinpoint which areas of the state are in greatest need of resources. Fostering strong public schools, bolstering the state’s safety net, and investing in a Working Floridians Tax Rebate to help boost income for Sunshine State families are all ways to reduce county-to-county child well-being disparities. We look forward to working with lawmakers to prioritize Florida children in the upcoming legislative session.”

Here’s a list of rankings for each county for 2022, from the Florida Policy Institute:

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[1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2022/12/20/child-well-being-analysis-st-johns-county-ranks-no-1-but-fl-shows-disparities-across-the-state/

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