Facts on Arizona's Children - Arizona Parenting Alliance (APA)

According to the 2007 Kids Count Data Report KIDS COUNT 2007, Arizona ranks 36th in the nation on key indicators of child well being. (1= best, 50 = worst).

Arizona's rankings include:

• highest high school drop out rate
• 3rd highest teen pregnancy rate
• 12th highest rate of children raised in father-absent homes

• Arizona's divorce rate is above the national average
• Over 85% of all births to teens and young adults are non married births

Arizona's booming economy, rapid growth, and pleasant climate adds to the attraction of a wonderful place to live and raise a family. However, these good things are mitigated by Arizona's troubling scores on child well-being indicators. Why in such an otherwise wonderful environment, should Arizona's children fare so poorly? We must ask ourselves as individuals, parents, community, business, faith and government leaders, what we can do to improve Arizona's scores for children at the root level, and then follow up by participating in the solutions to these troubling statistics. Read more