RI Kids Count's factbook is out. What does it say about the state of RI's kids?
Data released Monday present an unflinching look at the staffing crisis within the state's education system, which is now threatening to further damage Rhode Island's youth.
Within the mountain of statistics presented in Rhode Island Kids Count's nearly 200-page fact book, the organization's executive director, Paige Clausius-Parks, said she is "very concerned about how our children are faring during the continuing workforce crisis."
"This staffing shortage is very serious, and if it’s not addressed immediately, it could send Rhode Island back in the wrong direction for our youngest kids," she said.
For years, Kids Count, an educational advocacy group, has released annual stats spotlighting weaknesses, disparities and improvements in education.
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Some teacher wages lower than fast-food pay
The latest information shows that children are now being kept out of Head Start preschool programs because hiring and retention of teachers has diminished and low wages fail to attract enough applicants. During the 2022-2023 school year, Kids Count reports, 30 Head Start classrooms closed and 14 classrooms cut enrollment as 237 children sat on a waiting list to get in.
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Rhode Island's educational challenges are not unique, but they are local reflections of a national phenomenon. Across the country, "20% of Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms are closed, and there is an estimated waiting list of over 100,000 children," Kids Count said.
Clausius-Parks is troubled by a lack of competitive pay. For child care educators and preschool teachers, hourly wages fall somewhere between $13 and $14. Meanwhile, Clausius-Parks said that at the State House, she has seen "many early-childhood educators testifying that they could be paid more working fast food than in our early-learning program."
Racial disparities in education, health, justice system continue for youth
Kids Count's report also highlighted severe racial disparities that persist in many areas. Of the 15% of Rhode Island kids who lived in poverty from 2017 to 2021, 76% were children of color.
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Children of color are also disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system at a young age. During 2022, Black youths made up 24% of children at the juvenile correctional facility's training school and accounted for 20% of kids on probation. That's despite being 6% of the state's total child population. That same year, Hispanic youth accounted for 42% of children in the training school and 37% of kids on probation, despite being 27% of Rhode Island's total child population.
The pandemic also remains a prevalent factor, still hampering educational outcomes and mental health. This, too, has had a disproportionate impact. According to Kids Count, LGBTQ+ students and kids of color are more likely to see mental-health issues because of the pandemic, and also more likely to encounter barriers to treatment.
Bright spots are there, including low 'disconnection rate'
Kids Count's report has its bright spots, too. From 2017 to 2021, an estimated 4% or more of Rhode Island teens age 16 to 19 were neither in school nor working — a metric defined as the "disconnection rate." That's low compared with the national rate. In 2021 alone, Rhode Island saw a 3% disconnection rate, while the nation overall logged a 7% rate.
"Most of our youth are connected to some type of program," Clausius-Parks said. "We had the lowest percentage of teens not in school and not working in the nation, which is really wonderful, and we don’t talk about that a lot."
A link to the report will be added to this story as it becomes available.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Kids Count RI factbook: Teacher shortage a looming crisis
