High-quality data on the well-being of �鶹��ý’s keiki are now available through a long-standing partnership between the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and (HCAN). The new is an interactive website that monitors the well-being of �鶹��ý’s children. It includes demographic, education, economic, and health and safety data.

“This project gives the public and decision makers a clearer picture of how keiki are faring across the state,” said Deborah Zysman, executive director of �鶹��ý Children’s Action Network—an organization that has long invested in research and uses data to promote policy that aims to ensure that all children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. “We hope this data dashboard will spark conversations and inspire solutions to ensure all children and families in �鶹��ý can thrive.”

The �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard provides statewide and county-level data on 19 metrics and allows users to track changes over time. Data is gathered from various state and national sources, with rolling updates to the dashboard as new data become available from original sources. The �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard represents a subset of child well-being indicators that the partnership shares on the .

“It’s difficult to make policy without good data,” said Kathleen Gauci, data center manager at the UH Mānoa Center on the Family. “We hope that the dashboard, as well as other data we make available through the �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project, will serve as tools to assess where we are doing well for our children and where we need improvements.”

• Read more on KIDS COUNT research.

Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project is a partnership between , the , and the .

�鶹��ý has been hit particularly hard with record-high unemployment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. While all major industries have experienced employment losses, the state’s tourism and related industries have sustained the biggest blows. In its latest brief, , the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (COF) presents data highlighting the vulnerable workforce in most affected industries by the COVID-19 pandemic.

COF‘s Hua Zan, Ivette Rodriguez, Noreen Kohl and Kathleen Gauci used data from the American Community Survey collected by the U.S. Census Bureau to examine characteristics of the workforce in the most affected industries. Researchers found that the most impacted workers were those already struggling to make ends meet prior to the COVID-19 crisis, earning very-low or low wages; Filipinos are overrepresented among the lowest-wage industries (i.e., retail trade and leisure and hospitality); and young adults under 35 make up more than 4 in 10 workers in the industries most impacted.

Half of the workforce in these industries have a high school diploma or less education and women make up much more than half of workers in retail trade, which has the largest share of low-wage workers. The findings further suggest that as �鶹��ý looks to rebuild its economy, it must do so with innovation and the goal of generating higher-quality jobs, not with the goal of returning to the February 2020 economy.

“The pandemic crisis stands to exacerbate the economic hardship that so many of �鶹��ý’s vulnerable workers and their families were already experiencing. Understanding this workforce is critical for identifying solutions to support them,” said Zan, an associate researcher at COF. “In the brief, we highlight immediate support such as CARES Act funding and policy solutions such as updating tax credits that allow low-income workers to keep more of what they earn. In the long-run, we need a diverse economy that generates more high quality jobs for �鶹��ý’s workers.”

The research was done as part of COF’s �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT, which aims to provide unbiased and high-quality data and research to policymakers, child and family advocates, and other stakeholders in an effort to inform their work and advance sound policies and initiatives that support �鶹��ý’s children and families.

Income loss in �鶹��ý is worse than the United States as a whole, according to a new by faculty at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa . The graphics were published to raise awareness of the current economic struggles in �鶹��ý and highlight the implications on family and child well-being roughly two months into the COVID-19 crisis.

Ivette Rodriguez Stern, Barbara DeBaryshe and Hua Zan use data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey to highlight what local families are going through amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent survey results show that many households in �鶹��ý have experienced job loss and expect employment income loss, while some have experienced food scarcity and housing insecurity. Adults have delayed medical care, and K–12 learning has been significantly modified during the current crisis.

“When the current moratorium on evictions is lifted, will homelessness increase? What will the long-term effects of food and housing insecurity be on �鶹��ý’s families, especially children?” asked Rodriguez Stern.

“The federal data confirms what we know already, that �鶹��ý is being hit harder than the mainland on income loss,” said DeBaryshe. “The stopgap measures to help struggling families—how long will they last, and are they enough to meet the need? We hope the economic policies to rebuild our economy will focus on families’ ability to pay rent and put food on the table.”

Financial and emotional stresses ripple through homes as COVID-19 lockdown orders continue. That tension has left some parents feeling overwhelmed as they attempt to juggle the roles of provider, home-school teacher and counselor during an unparalleled pandemic.

“This is uncharted territory for all of us,” said University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa Director Barbara DeBaryshe. The child development specialist offers tips on how parents can face those daily stresses during the crisis.

Routines are comforting

• Keep a consistent bedtime and daily routine that pinpoints time for school work, household chores, play and downtime.

Give kids a role

• Children want to contribute to family life. Allow them to help cook, care for pets, plan fun family activities or assist younger siblings with schoolwork.

Physical activity

• Daily outdoor time does wonders. Kids can also burn off energy through active play in the living room or on the lānai.

Maintain social contacts

• Let children keep in contact with grandparents, friends and teachers via the phone or platforms like Zoom or Facetime.

Be loving, cuddly and a good listener

• Physical affection is a stress reliever for both parent and child. Ask
  your child what he or she knows about the virus or why we are staying at home. This lets you answer questions or correct misinformation at an age-appropriate level.

Take care of yourself too

• Focus on your own physical and mental well-being. Sleeping, healthy eating, me time, virtual contact with your friends and family, exercise and/or meditation—whatever works for you in terms of helping you handle your own stress.

Experts fear child abuse cases will skyrocket during the COVID-19 outbreak as strain within the home builds. DeBaryshe wants to help parents avoid reaching a boiling point.

“Ask for help. There is no shame in feeling at the end of your rope. Talk to your friends. Talk to your family members. Call a help line if needed,” said DeBaryshe. If frustration mounts and a parent feels like he or she is losing control, she suggests taking a parent time out by leaving the room until you are calm.

DeBaryshe advises parents to be sensitive to how stress affects their keiki. “Your child’s behavior is not misbehavior, it’s a signal. It’s communication of their fears, feelings of loss or confusion. So as much as you can, stop and think about your child’s perspective,” she explained.

As �鶹��ý enters month two of the stay-at-home order, DeBaryshe believes there is a silver lining for our ʻohana. “We have a lot of time together now which gives us a chance to learn more about each other, to strengthen our bonds and really reflect on our priorities and values. We all have the potential to emerge from this crisis even stronger than we were when we started,” she said.

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—By Moanikeʻala Nabarro

• Related UH News stories and videos:
  • How to manage COVID-19 anxietyHow to manage COVID-19 anxiety, March 24, 2020
  • Pandemic stress can debilitate those with pre-existing anxietyPandemic stress can debilitate those with pre-existing anxiety, April 3, 2020
  • Data on children and youth spotlighted at Center on the Family symposiumData on children and youth spotlighted at Center on the Family symposium, February 24, 2017

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa released the most recent , which examines the well-being of communities throughout the state.

The latest series—an expansion of work conducted in 2018—presents measures of quality of life and community well-being for 42 communities throughout the state, as well as state and county-level data. Data from a variety of national and state sources on 38 indicators are organized into five key well-being domains: family and social environment, economic well-being, education, health and community. The profiles present the relative conditions of each community in comparison to the state, and communities are also ranked into five tiers (tier 1 being the highest and tier 5 being the lowest) based on overall well-being.

While Oʻahu has a number of communities in the top tier of overall well-being, the county offers a mixed bag with communities on the Leeward coast and urban Honolulu landing in the bottom tier. Communities in Maui and Kauaʻi counties tend to place in the mid-range tiers, while �鶹��ý Island has a number of communities in the lower tiers.

Having an informed understanding of a community helps in the planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and services. The individual profiles can be used as a tool to assist anyone who is interested in using data to inform efforts that improve the well-being of these communities and their residents.

Authors invite the public to provide feedback on the series . Additionally, those who would like to host a data party or workshop to discuss their community’s data and how it can be used to inform their efforts, can contact Kathleen Gauci, �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT Project Coordinator, at kt728@hawaii.edu.

�鶹��ý once again ranks 24 out of 50 states on overall child well-being, according to the , released June 17 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book is the 30th edition of an annual data study that examines trends in child well-being across areas that represent what children need most to thrive.

While all four indicators of child economic well-being tracked by the report have improved since 2010, conditions have shown little to no improvements in more recent years, with the state’s rank for this domain slipping from 30 in 2018 to 34 in 2019.

“�鶹��ý now ranks in the bottom third when it comes to the economic well-being of our children,” said Ivette Rodriguez Stern, �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project director at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s in the .

Affordable housing challenges

Of concern is the large proportion of children living in households with a high housing cost burden. �鶹��ý ranks among the bottom five states on this indicator, with nearly two in five children living in these households.

“Affordable housing remains a challenge in �鶹��ý. High housing costs present a significant challenge to low-income families that already have limited resources. When families are paying too much for housing, they have a harder time meeting other basic needs, such as child care, food and health care, and they can’t save or build financial stability,” said Stern.

�鶹��ý’s ranking in the education domain has also slipped—going from 37 in 2018 to 40 in 2019—signaling the ongoing need for greater investments in children’s education. Despite improvements over the past decade, the state continues to rank in the bottom third on reading and math proficiency and is ranked 33 in the on-time high school graduation rate.

• See how �鶹��ý has fared in previous KIDS COUNT rankings.

Findings in other domains

The annual Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains—economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

• With nearly all �鶹��ý’s children covered by health insurance, the state ranks among the top 10 states in the health domain. The percent of low birth-weight babies, the child and teen death rate, and the percent of teens who abuse alcohol or drugs have all remained relatively stable during the period examined.
• �鶹��ý is similarly doing well in the family and community context, ranking 15 in this domain. With only seven percent of children living in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma, �鶹��ý ranks among the top 10 states on this indicator. Following the national trend, the teen birth rate has also seen a dramatic 42 percent decline during the period examined.

Not every child counted

This year’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book also calls attention to the roughly 4.5 million young children in the United States who live in neighborhoods where there is a high risk of failing to count kids in the 2020 census. With roughly 39 percent of �鶹��ý’s young children living in hard-to-count census tracts, an undercount of young children would shortchange child well-being over the next decade by putting at risk hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding for programs that are critical to family stability and opportunity.

For more information, read the .

�鶹��ý falls in the middle range on overall child well-being, ranking 24th out of 50 states according to the , released June 27 by the .

The KIDS COUNT® Data Book—which examines trends in child well-being across areas that represent what children need most to thrive—found that while there have been some gains on education measures, �鶹��ý still falls behind in the education domain, ranking 37th in the nation.

“Reading and math proficiency rates have seen improvements over the past decade,” said , the �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project director at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s in the . “But our proficiency rates are still below the national average and �鶹��ý has hovered in the bottom third in the country when it comes to education for a good part of the decade. This signals a need for greater investments in our public education if we’re going to work toward greater improvements.”

Findings in other domains

The annual Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains—education, economic well-being, health and family and community.

• Economic well-being: �鶹��ý has seen improvement in almost all indicators of economic well-being over the post recession years, including the percentage of children in poverty, children whose parents lack secure employment, and children in households with a high housing cost burden. However, �鶹��ý continues to have one of the worst housing cost burden rates in the nation, ranking 48th on the housing indicator, and 30th in the economic well-being domain.
• Health: �鶹��ý continues to do well in the health domain, ranking 13th. The state has among the smallest share of children without health insurance (2 percent), tying for second in the nation on this indicator.
• Family and community: �鶹��ý is also doing well in the area of family and community, ranking 12th. There were no significant changes in the percentage of children in single-parent families, in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma and living in high-poverty areas over the past decade. However, following the national trend, the teen birth rate in �鶹��ý has continued its impressive decline and is down 42 percent from 2010.

Not every child counted

This year’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book also calls attention to the roughly 4.5 million young children in the United States who live in neighborhoods where there is a high risk of failing to count kids in the 2020 census. In �鶹��ý, about 39 percent of children under five years live in hard-to-count census tracts.

An undercount of young children in the upcoming decennial census would short-change child well-being over the next decade by putting at risk hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding for programs that are critical to family stability and opportunity, including Head Start, SNAP, school lunches and child care subsidies. Based on census data, �鶹��ý receives more than $630 million annually in federal funding for programs that impact children.

For more information, read the or or (PDF).

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa , and released the first comprehensive research study of its kind since the 1980s on homeless and runaway youth in �鶹��ý. The study offers a detailed snapshot of homeless and unaccompanied youth on Oʻahu, allowing for a more current and relative understanding of this population’s experiences and service needs.

Homelessness among youth is a serious and complex problem, with research showing that youth aged 12–17 are at higher risk than adults of becoming homeless. Older youth between 18 and 24, considered as transition-aged youth, are one of the fastest growing homeless populations. Nationally, most of the unaccompanied youth (89 percent) in the point-in-time estimates of homelessness were between the ages of 18 and 24. Transition-aged youth are still developing as young adults and need support until they are able to care for themselves. They require unique housing and services that are different than those tailored for adults or families.

�鶹��ý’s 2017 homeless point-in-time count reported 319 unaccompanied youth, with 82 percent of these youth living unsheltered and 92 percent of them between the ages of 18 and 24. In fiscal year 2016, the state’s homeless service system served a total of 624 unaccompanied youth and almost all of them (93.6 percent) were transition-aged youth. Among service users, unaccompanied youth aged 18–24 had the lowest rate of permanent housing placement with only 26.1 percent moving to a permanent home compared to 49 percent of all homeless service users.

The Street Youth Study includes data that describes the basic demographics, homeless and runaway experiences, risk factors, well-being and service utilization and needs of Oʻahu’s unaccompanied youth. The data paint a picture of street youth on Oʻahu, but only in broad strokes. Being able to accurately describe the breadth of youth homelessness across the state is imperative for providing effective supports that will transition youth from the streets and toward a brighter future.

For more on the Street Youth Study read the or .

A new report from the University of �鶹��ý finds that �鶹��ý lacks sufficient childcare and preschool seats to meet the community’s needs, and has some of the nation’s least-affordable care.

The report provides a statewide assessment of the early learning system for children from birth through age five and focuses on child care and preschool centers, family child care homes and family-child interaction learning programs.

• (PDF)

The report serves as a critical tool to evaluate and improve how �鶹��ý supports the development of all of its children. Findings reveal areas of crucial need and bright spots.

Action needed

Areas in need of action include increasing the number of childcare and preschool seats. Overall, there are only enough seats to serve about one in four children, but many communities are childcare deserts with few or no options for families.

The report shows there is a critical shortage of infant-toddler care. �鶹��ý has 37 children under age three for every licensed infant-toddler center seat, and some islands have no infant-toddler centers. As a result of the shortage, parents try to get on a waiting list long before their baby is born.

Cost is a factor

Cost is a second key concern. �鶹��ý has the nation’s least affordable center-based care, relative to family income.

The federal government defines affordable childcare as 7 percent of family income for all children, combined. However, care for only one child in �鶹��ý consumes approximately 13 percent of the typical �鶹��ý family’s income.

A third area of need is support for the early childhood providers themselves, many of whom do not earn a living wage. Some providers need access to on-site professional development and a pathway to earning a credential or college degree in the early childhood field.

Finally, the cost of running a childcare program is prohibitive. Centers and family childcare providers struggle to keep tuition as low as possible while remaining a viable business.

Bright spots

“�鶹��ýhas much to be proud of,” said , interim director of the UH Center on the Family and lead author of the report.

“We have many childcare centers with national accreditation, which is an indicator of quality. Public pre-kindergarten is growing and we have unique options such as Hawaiian language immersion, family-child interaction groups where parents and children play and learn together, and programs for children who are homeless,” DeBaryshe added.

According to the study, a strong, high quality early childhood system is a necessary investment in �鶹��ý’s future. High quality early learning programs help children develop to their full potential. Reliable, affordable child care allows parents to remain in the workforce, increasing family self-sufficiency and ensuring stability for employers.

The study was conducted in partnership with the �鶹��ý Children’s Action Network with funding from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation.

To learn more see the complete .

Economic conditions may finally be improving, and families continue to offer a strong foundation for �鶹��ý’s children, according to the released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Data Book, which examines trends in child well-being during the post-recession years, found that �鶹��ý now ranks 23 in child economic well-being, and 17 for child well-being overall.

“We’re seeing a steady decrease in the number of children living in families where the parents lack secure employment,” says Ivette Rodriguez Stern, the �鶹��ý KIDS COUNT project director at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa . “As parental employment improves, we begin to see improvements in other indicators of economic well-being.”

The rate of children living in households with a high housing cost burden—defined as a household spending more than 30 percent or more of income on housing—is one indicator that has steadily improved, decreasing from 46 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2015. However, �鶹��ý still has among the worst housing cost burden rates in the nation, ranking 46th for this indicator.

“High housing costs remain a significant challenge in our state. When families spend so much of their income on housing, they have fewer resources to meet other basic needs. We all—including government and the private sector—need to come together to build more affordable housing in �鶹��ý,” said Nicole Woo, senior policy analyst at the .

Despite some improvements on individual indicators, �鶹��ý is lagging in the education domain, ranking 36th. Although there have been some improvements in reading and math proficiency, �鶹��ý’s children are still below national proficiency rates and more than half of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool programs.

“Access to high-quality, affordable child care and preschool must remain a priority in our state,” said Barbara DeBaryshe, interim director of the UH Center on the Family. “Strong programs support school readiness and give an extra boost to children facing the difficult odds of poverty or family hardship. Sadly, we simply do not have enough child care seats in our state, especially for infants and toddlers. We need policy incentives that allow providers to serve more children, give families more assistance paying for care and help more programs reach quality benchmarks. Investments in our keiki now will have large payoffs in the future.”

Significant �鶹��ý findings

The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains that represent what children need most to thrive. Findings for �鶹��ý include the following:

• Three of four economic indicators—the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment, children in households with a high housing cost burden, and teens not in school and not working—have improved since the release of the 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The percentage of children living in poverty has failed to improve past 2010 levels and returned to 14 percent in 2015.
• There were improvements in three of the four indicators in the education domain compared to 2010 data—reading and math proficiency and the percentage of high schoolers graduating on time—however, the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds not in preschool increased by 18 percent from 2010 to 2015.
• With only 2 percent of our children lacking health insurance coverage, �鶹��ý continues to lead the nation in health, ranking eighth in this domain. This represents a 50 percent decrease in the percentage of kids without insurance compared to 2010.
• �鶹��ý is also doing well in the family and community context, ranking 10th in this domain. The teen birth rate has continued an impressive decline of 36 percent since 2010, and we have fewer children living in high poverty neighborhoods in 2015 than in 2010.

Besides emphasizing investments in early childhood education programs, with the Data Book, the Annie E. Casey Foundation demonstrates the need for protecting health insurance coverage for children and expanding programs that create economic stability for families at the state and federal levels.

“We’ve done well in making sure that our children have health insurance coverage. However, health care reforms that limit federal funds coming to our state for Medicaid or that allow insurers to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions will threaten the well-being of our most vulnerable children and youth. We must continue to work hard at all levels to make sure that coverage is not jeopardized,” said Stern.

Woo adds, “On a positive note, this year the Legislature approved a state earned income tax credit (EITC). Unfortunately, the state credit is non-refundable, which will limit tax refunds available to families when the amount of their EITC is larger than what they owe in state income tax. Nevertheless, this is a great start and represents breakthrough legislation that supports low-income families and children in our state.”