Report card mixed for kids in U.S.: report

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - More children in the United States are living in a household with at least one working parent and fewer teens than ever are having babies, the annual federal report on children has found.

But the news is not all good.

More U.S. children breathe air and drink water that is polluted, more are living in crowded, costly housing that strains the family budget and more babies are being born at low birth weights that threaten their survival and set them up for problems down the road.

The 10th annual report tracks 38 indicators that affect the well-being of the nation's 73.7 million children from birth to age 17.

For the most part, the report saw no change in key trends, but in many cases -- such as the number of kids in poverty or the number of kids who smoke or go on drinking binges -- no change means no progress.

"A most welcome development is the slight increase in the number of children who live with a parent who is working full time," Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, told reporters.

In 2005, 78.3 percent of children had at least one parent working full time, up from 77.6 percent in 2004, but below the peak of 80 percent in 2000.

Alexander said a working parent helps reduce the psychological strain on families and their children.

But not all enjoy employment equally.

Black, non-Hispanic children were less likely than white, non-Hispanic children to have a working parent.

About 74 percent of Hispanic children and 62 percent of black children lived in families with secure employment, compared with 84 percent of white, non-Hispanic kids.

The report also found that 60 percent of children lived in counties in which air pollutants exceeded allowable levels, up from 46 percent in 2004, but down from 65 percent in 1999.

And water quality got worse, with 10 percent of children in 2005 living in communities whose water systems failed to meet health standards, compared with 8 percent in 2004.

DROP IN TEEN PREGNANCY

Officials said they were pleased that teen pregnancy rates had fallen to the lowest level ever, with 21 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17, down from 22 per 1,000 in 2004.