Number of Nevada children living in poverty climbs

One out of every five Nevada children lives in poverty, marking the highest youth poverty rate in the state's recent history, according to the newly released 2011 installment of an annual report that tracks the well-being of children.

"It's not a surprising finding but a disappointing one," Stephen Brown, executive director of Nevada Kids Count, said Tuesday.

The increase is a marked one from 2001, when one out of 10 children lived in poverty. The report charted improvements in other areas: the rates of teen births, infant mortalities, child deaths, teen deaths and high school dropouts all declined, according to the report, which is based on statistics obtained from numerous public agencies and state sources.

"We expect poverty to exacerbate those problems," said Brown, who also is an economics professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and director of the Center for Business and Economic Research.

According to the report, the Census Bureau estimated that 21.3 percent of Nevada children younger than 18 were living in poverty in 2010, slightly lower than the 21.6 percent for the nation. Nevada's rate in 2009 was 17.6 percent.

Increased rates of poverty will have a negative effect on children, just not immediately, said Shannon Monnat, a UNLV assistant professor of sociology specializing in health disparities and social inequality. Children who live in poverty will experience deteriorating health, something that will manifest in a few years, she said.

The current improvement in youth health is a reflection of the "relatively strong Las Vegas economy of the early 2000s," said Monnat, adding these gains will be "lost within the next few years."

"Children who grow up in poverty are less likely to finish high school," which will increase their chances of un­employment, physical and mental health problems, and involvement with the criminal justice system as adults, she said.

Even though Nevada's results were released Tuesday, state rankings won't be revealed until July 25, when the national Kids Count report is made public, said Louise Helton, a member of the Nevada Kids Count Executive Committee.

She expects the state to fall lower on the list because Kids Count changed its ranking system this year, taking into account more than just the health indicators that improved in Nevada. Kids Count is now looking at the whole picture, making for a "more realistic" ranking, she said.

"I would be surprised if it were flattering," she said. "We're going to lose ground."

In 2010, Kids Count ranked Nevada 40th among all states for children's well-being. In 2009, the Silver State ranked 36th in the nation.

Kids Count, funded in part by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, publishes annual reports for every state to assemble a national picture of children's health and well-being.

"We're near the bottom but improving," Brown said, emphasizing that even though it's a statewide look, three- fourths of the population lives in Clark County, making Nevada's results largely representative of the Las Vegas Valley.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.