Las Vegas NowKids Count Survey Shows Disturbing Data on Nevada's Children

Kids Count Survey Shows Disturbing Data on Nevada's Children

Nevada is improving when it comes to the well-being of our children. But the results of an annual state-by-state survey show the Silver State still has a long way to go.

When it comes to critical areas like teen birth rates and high school drop out rates, Nevada is making progress, just not nearly as fast as other states are. Experts say the Las Vegas Valley's explosive population takes a toll on the most vulnerable.

Myra Berkovits, homeless students outreach coordinator, said, "We make sure the kids get what they need."

No one has to tell Myra Berkovits and her staff that kids count. They spend every working hour proving it whether it's stuffing back packs full of free school supplies, or making sure a hungry child gets breakfast and lunch.

The Clark County School District's homeless outreach program has been providing critical support services for thousands of homeless students every year since 1998. Back then there were 1,200 homeless students registered in Clark County. Since then, that number has tripled to 3.500.

Myra Berkovits continued, "The reason we have more homeless children is because we have more children in the school district, period."

The executive director of Nevada Kids Count says the valley's explosive growth is taking a toll on our most vulnerable segment of the population: our at-risk children.

Keith Schwer said, "Anytime you have a rapidly growing community, like our state, children are coming and going, and we also have a higher percent of single-parent households, which traditionally means less income and support for children."

But in most of the key areas -- like infant and child death rates, teen birth rates and even high school drop out rates -- Keith Schwer says Nevada is moving slowly in the right direction.

Overall, Nevada ranked 33rd in the nation in the latest Kids Count survey. That's up from 36 in 2004 and 39 in the year 2000. Still, Nevada's high-school drop out rate, at 11-percent, is the worst in the nation.

Berkovits says that won't change until we instill in our children a value for education. "If our children and our parents don't understand that education is important they will remain in the same vicious cycle."

Superintendent Walt Rulffes called early Wednesday morning to point out that fewer high school students are dropping out than there were back in 2000, but he hasn't been available for an interview to explain why Nevada's hasn't made any progress since then and fallen behind every other state in the nation.

So just what kind of difference can a high school education make?

Keith Schwer, UNLV's director of business and economic research, says high school drop outs earn on average a quarter of a million dollars less over their lifetime and die an average of nine years sooner.

And 70-percent of Nevada's prison population dropped out of high school, which gives new meaning to the term stay in school.

The state ranked best is Minnesota while Mississippi is ranked the worst.

E-mail your comments to Reporter Alyson McCarthy.