Children Now Organization

Orange County ranks among the best in the state in providing for the health and welfare of children, but it is home to a "troubling" rise of children living below the poverty level, according to a statewide study released Thursday. The county-by-county report, released by the advocacy group Children Now, paints a picture of an Orange County burgeoning with children of diverse backgrounds, growing up in conditions of extreme wealth and poverty.

I can't remember if this is the Year of the Children, or the Decade of the Children, or merely the Long Weekend of the Children. It seems that President Bush proclaimed that we were going to start paying more attention to the children, and Lord knows they need it. All of which makes the timing of a survey released today all the more relevant.

A dramatic upswing in the number of children in California growing up in extreme poverty is documented in a report issued Thursday by a children's advocacy group, which also found disturbing increases in the statewide rate of juvenile incarcerations, child abuse reports, foster care placements and teen-age pregnancies.

California's 7.7 million children are less likely to be immunized or go to college compared to their counterparts nationally, and are more likely to be murdered, drop out of high school or become teen-age parents, according to Children Now, a statewide advocacy group that issues annual report cards on the status of the state's children.