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The Nevada KIDS COUNT Data Book: 2003 is funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.Nevada KIDS COUNT Data Book: 2003Prepared by The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER)Rennae Daneshvary, PhD, Assistant Director, Interim Nevada KIDS COUNT Project CoordinatorR. Keith Schwer, PhD, Director, Nevada KIDS COUNT Executive DirectorWilliam Cope, MS, Graduate AssistantFreda Klein, EdD, Data Book Project AssistantRobert Potts, MBA, Assistant DirectorIn collaboration with Nevada KIDS COUNT PartnersNevada KIDS COUNT Advisory CouncilNevada Title IV-D, Family Preservation and Family Support Steering CommitteeUniversity of Nevada Cooperative ExtensionNevada KIDS COUNT is a project of the Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las Vegas.Improving children’s well-being through research and service. Copyright 2003Permission to reproduce and disseminate information is granted provided acknowledgment is given and the source is cited as: Nevada KIDS COUNT Data Book: 2003.v4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-6002 vTelephone: (702) 895-3191 vFax: (702) 895-3606 vkids@unlv.edu vhttp://kidscount.unlv.eduNevada KIDS COUNTCenter for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las Vegashttp://kidscount.unlv.edu1

This Data Book is dedicated to the children of Nevada.Nevada KIDS COUNT thanks the following individuals and organizations for their assistance in providingkey information for this publication:Nevada Department of EducationMarianne Carr, Health Education Consultant, Health and Safety TeamTammy Rhiner, Child Support Assistant II, Child SupportEnforcement Program, Welfare DivisionCarol Crothers, Evaluation Consultant, Assessments, Curricula, andInstructional SupportLisa Roberts, Child Care Surveyor, Divison of Child and FamilyServices, Bureau of Services for Child CareOrval K. Nutting, EdD, Evaluation Consultant, Finance andAccountabilityJoan Robertson, Provider Relations Coordinator, Nevada Check UpTerry Marie Owens, PhD, Evaluation Consultant, Finance andAccountabilityDavid Smith, Evaluation Consultant, Assessment ProgramAccountability, and CurriculumNevada Department of Human ResourcesGerald J. Allen, Chief, Child Care and Development, Welfare DivisionElizabeth Breshears, MEd, MSW, LCSW, Family Programs Officer,Division of Child and Family ServicesGeorge B. Flamer, PhD, Coordinator of Rural Clinics CommunityHealth Centers, Division of Mental Health and DevelopmentalServicesWendy Lay, Clinical Planner, Division of Child and Family Services,Program Evaluation and Data UnitDeborah McBride, Immunizations Analyst, Health Division, Bureauof Community HealthTim Pollard, Health Resource Analyst, Health Division, Bureau ofHealth Planning and Statistics, Center for Health Data and ResearchSherry Torgerson, Health Division, Bureau of Community HealthWei Yang, PhD, State Biostatistician and Director, Health Division,Bureau of Health Planning and Statistics, Center for Health Dataand ResearchL.M. Zdanowicz, Health Division, Bureau of Community HealthOther ContributorsEva L. Essa, PhD, Professor, Department of Human Developmentand Family Studies, UNRKaty E. Hanson, Resource Center Assistant, Nevada Network AgainstDomestic ViolenceJeff Hardcastle, Nevada State DemographerTenna Herman, Uniform Crime Reporting, Program Supervisor,Records and Identification BureauSue Meuschke, Director, Nevada Network Against Domestic ViolenceSusan Moore, EdD, Millennium Scholarship Program Director,Nevada Treasurer’s OfficeKim Stalling, Program Officer, Juvenile Justice Program OfficeBob Reardon, Statistician II, Research & Statistics, Welfare Division2Nevada KIDS COUNTCenter for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las Vegashttp://kidscount.unlv.edu

Table of ContentsOverview of KIDS COUNT4Child and Youth Safety/WelfareNevada Demographics7Infant MortalityChild DeathsTeen Violent DeathsChild Abuse and NeglectChildren and Domestic ViolenceChildren in Substitute CareHealth Conditions and Health CareLow-Birthweight BabiesTeen BirthsBirths to Mothers Lacking Adequate Prenatal CarePublic-Health ProgramsHealth IssuesEconomic Well-BeingChildren in PovertyFamilies with Children Headed by a Single ParentChildren Who Live in a Family Where No Parent IsEmployed in the Labor MarketChild CareChild SupportEducation and AchievementCharacteristics of the Formal Education System inNevadaHomeschoolingTesting, Proficiency, and College-Entrance EffortsHigh School Dropout and Graduation InformationTransiencyTeens Not in School and Not WorkingProfile of Children and Youth Enrolled in SpecialEducationNevada KIDS COUNTCenter for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las 3538Juvenile JusticeJuvenile Violent CrimeAppendixCounty Data: 8606567697073747879848639404344475152533

Overview of KIDS COUNTWHAT is KIDS COUNT?v Nevada: Most recent state data for each indicator;KIDS COUNT is a well-known, well-respected project of The Anniev Counties: Most recent county data where applicable;E. Casey Foundation. Its purpose is to track the well-being of childrenat both the national and the state levels. All 50 states have a KIDSv Significant Factors: Summaries of current research;COUNT project, allowing for state-by-state comparisons of childwell-being indicators.In Nevada, the primary activities of the KIDS COUNT project areto:v collect, analyze, and distribute the best available data measuringthe educational, social, economic, and physical well-being ofchildren and youth in Nevada;v educate and inform decision-makers,citizens, serviceproviders, providers of funding, and community partnersregarding data, policy, and resource analysis;v provide linkages with community efforts to reach decision-makersv Definition: A description of what the indicator is and what itmeasures;v Map: Rates, percentages, and/or numbers presented for eachcounty.WHAT are the additions to the Nevada KIDS COUNTData Book: 2003?New in the Health Conditions and Health-Care section are healthinsurance coverage data from a CBER survey. Alcohol, tobacco, anddrug-use data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) add tothe section, as well as data on HIV/AIDS and STDs. Often-requesteddata on mental health are also presented.with information concerning relevant issues for children and youth.Primary data on child care, obtained from two university surveys,WHAT is the Nevada KIDS COUNT Data Book: 2003?This report represents the ongoing effort of the Nevada KIDSCOUNT project to provide a profile of the children and youth in ourstate.WHAT is the layout of the Nevada KIDS COUNT DataBook: 2003?This year’s Data Book is similar to past years’ books. We provideindicators reflecting critical elements of child and youth well-being.The indicators are organized as follows:4are reported in the section on Economic Well-Being. Data on childrenin single-parent families, children living in families where no parentis in the labor force, and housing costs are also featured.Education, always an important indicator for Nevada, again receivesspecial attention. New are High School Proficiency Examination(HSPE), TerraNova, and SAT and ACT data by county and teens notin school and not working data from the 2000 Census.The Juvenile Violent Crime section features data on referrals ofchildren and youth into the Nevada juvenile justice system.Nevada KIDS COUNTCenter for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las Vegashttp://kidscount.unlv.edu

Overview of KIDS COUNT ContinuedHOW were the data indicators selected?In recent years, Nevada KIDS COUNT added additional indicatorsNevada KIDS COUNT collects data on 10 indicators identified bybased on recommendations by Data Book users. Practicalconsiderations guided the selection process of the additionalThe Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Foundation believes: (1) “Theyreflect a wide range of factors affecting the well-being of children(such as health, adequacy of income, and educational attainment).(2) They reflect experiences across a range of developmental stages—from birth through early adulthood. (3) They permit legitimatecomparisons because they are consistent across states and over time.”1The 10 indicators are:v percent low- birthweight babiesv infant mortality ratev child death ratev rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicidev teen birth ratev percent of teens who are high school dropoutsv percent of teens not attending school and not workingv percent of children living in families where no parent has fulltime, year- round employmentv percent of children in povertyv percent of families with children headed by a single parent.indicators, including whether the individual indicators were:v relevantv substantially researchedv regularly measuredv representative of selected segments of children and youthv available at the county levelv verifiable with reliable data sources.Additionally, Nevada KIDS COUNT hosted conferences in LasVegas, Elko, and Winnemucca on the status of Nevada’s children.The main event was unveiling the Nevada KIDS Count Data Book:2002, followed by presentations on issues related to children’s wellbeing and feedback discussion sessions on the Data Book. The KIDSCOUNT Advisory Council and friends of KIDS COUNT, in an effortto improve the well-being of children, met for general discussion ondata and how data influence programs. The discussion was organizedinto working groups. Each group identified major issues, priorityareas, and new topics to consider for next year’s book.Fernando Serrano, a member of the Advisory Council, wasinstrumental in organizing the meetings in northern Nevada. KIDSCOUNT also thanks the following individuals for their presentationon children’s issues during the meetings: Assemblyman JohnCarpenter; Dr. Robert McCord, Director for Education, PolicyStudies, Department of Educational Leadership, UNLV; Richard A.Wagner, Sixth Judicial District Court Judge; and Garth Winckler,President, Garth Winckler and Associates.Nevada KIDS COUNTCenter for Business and Economic Research, University of Nevada Las Vegashttp://kidscount.unlv.edu5