The 30th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County is now available. The report offers a comprehensive portrait of the conditions of health, economic well-being, education and safety of Orange County’s children.
As a means for better understanding the state of children’s health, two new indicators have been added to the report: child care and perinatal behavioral health.
Affordable, consistent child care is vital to child development and family financial stability. In 2023-2024, the number of early child care spaces in Orange County is at a decline while the cost of child care continues to increase, demonstrating a lack of accessible child care.
A close look at perinatal behavioral health shows a 55.9% increase in referrals for substance-exposed infants to the Social Services Agency. Unborn babies exposed to substance use face long-term challenges, including premature birth, low birth weight, a higher risk of congenital anomalies and developmental and behavioral concerns.
Mental health also continues to be a challenge during pregnancy; indicators show a modest recent rise in depression, with 15.1% experiencing depression during pregnancy and 11.2% postpartum. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and postpartum psychosis can inhibit parents' ability to care for themself and bond with their newborn. Talking about these concerns and creating an understanding social environment may encourage more parents and families to seek mental health treatment and support.
The following areas have shown improvement in the lives of local youth:
- Good Health: The percentage of uninsured children continues to drop to 3% as access to regular care improves. Rates for 2-5-year-olds enrolling in licensed child care are at a 10-year high, and 95.6% of children enrolling in school are adequately immunized by kindergarten.
- Education: Orange County high school graduates have consistently higher rates of college readiness compared to the state average. The percent of college ready students increased for the 11th straight year and is now at 57.3%.
- Economic Well-being: The number of children receiving CalWORKs in Orange County stabilized after eight years of decline. In 2022-2023, 3.3% of children received CalWORKs assistance, a 47% decrease from 6% of children from 2013-2014.
- Safe Homes and Communities: The rate of foster care placements in permanent homes within 12 months improved, exceeding the national standard. Juvenile crime rates also decreased with the number of arrest rates per 100,000 youth down to 458 arrests in 2022.
While much progress has been made, continued areas for focus include behavioral health, chronic absenteeism, racial and ethnic disparities and insecure housing, among others. Reports of depressed-related feelings, sadness and hopelessness continue to rise in students. Chronic absenteeism is at a slight decline from the previous year; however, the numbers remain elevated, with the highest rates among students enrolled in Foster Youth and Homeless Youth.
Post-pandemic family stability continues to waver across Orange County, seriously affecting the health and growth of the children in our community. Understanding the key factors impacting our children leads to awareness and progress, bettering our community for current and future generations.
To read the full report, visit ssa.ocgov.com.
