LANSING (WKZO-AM/FM) — The Michigan Kids Count report for 2016 indicates child well-being is getting worse in Kalamazoo County.
The county finished 47th in the statewide listing. Last year, Kalamazoo County was 44th.
Project Director Alicia Guevara Warren said there were multiple areas of concern.
“Forty percent of births in Kalamazoo County were to mothers without adequate prenatal care,” Guevara Warren said. “Looking at the number of kids that were confirmed as victims of abuse, that rate increased by 22 percent.”
More children are getting placed in out-of-home care because of abuse. The rest of Michigan is trending in the opposite direction, Guevara Warren said.
A couple of positive trends: Teen birth and infant mortality rates are down.
You can view the report for Kalamazoo County here. The statewide data book can be seen here.
