Editorials

Year after year, Alabama is beset with news of how poorly we take care of our children and how inadequately the state Legislature funds programs vital to all citizens, especially the youngest.

So in some ways it wasn't shocking last week when the annual Kids Count Data Book placed Alabama 48th in the nation in its rankings of how well states care for their children. Disappointing, yes, particularly since that was five positions worse than our previous ranking. But shocking, no.

There are all kinds of nuggets to glean from this year's report. Good news does exist: Alabama's teen dropout rates have improved over the past five years — a 31 percent improvement, in fact — and the state's teen birth rate dropped 15 percent. Alabama's number of teens deemed idle — those out of school or not working — also decreased.

But the bad news is impossible to ignore. Alabama ranks poorly in the percentage of low birth-weight babies, in infant mortality rate, in child death rates, in teen death rates, the percentage of children headed by a single parent, and in the percentage of children in poverty. Those rankings are devastating to the reputation and marketability of any state, especially one fighting to recruit high-paying jobs from around the globe. Understandably, this isn't good PR for Gov. Riley to use in his industrial recruiting efforts.

It's also important to note that the programs funded by the Education Trust Fund, a normally stable source of money with a $6.07 billion projection for Fiscal 2008, often recorded significant improvements. An example: programs designed to combat teen pregnancy helped to improve Alabama's teen pregnancy ranking. Meanwhile, programs funded by the General Fund, often slashed in times of need, did not fare as well.

What's clear from this year's Kids Count report is what we've known for so long: Alabama gets what it pays for, and it doesn't pay for enough.

Kids Count statistics prove that our children — especially those in low-income households — benefit immensely when the state Legislature prioritizes their needs and pays for the programs they require. They're often healthier, have fewer unwanted pregnancies, and fewer of them live in squalor. When the Legislature takes money away from children's programs, kids suffer. It's an undeniable fact, just as it's undeniable that Alabama's image is tarnished because of it.

How's that for a mandate the next time the Legislature convenes? Invest in our children. Find a way to pay for the programs they need. Do what's right.