What’s it like to be a child in our community? It depends on where you live.
Wide disparities and inequities exist at the county and neighborhood levels across Escambia and Santa Rosa, but newly released data on child well-being paints a picture of just how stark those differences are.
The 2019 Florida Child Well-Being Index ranks 67 counties according to how well they’re doing on 16 indicators clustered around four areas: economics, education, health and community. The purpose of the index is to keep our focus on where we can make life better for families, knowing we all do better when our children succeed.
Escambia’s overall child well-being ranking is 47, down from 41 in 2018. Santa Rosa jumped to No. 2 in child well-being, up from 6 in 2018.
One region, two counties, two vastly different childhoods.
This column originally appeared in the Pensacola News-Journal. Click HERE to read more.