Children and teens could be facing a more healthful and prosperous future because poverty and dropout rates are falling in the La Plata County.
The rate of children living in poverty fell from 15 percent in 2013 to 13 percent in 2014, keeping the county below the state average, according to “Kids Count,” an annual report by the Colorado Children’s Campaign. The campaign is a nonpartisan children’s advocacy group.
Statewide, the number of children living in poverty fell from 17 percent to 15 percent during the same time period.
Improving economic conditions help ensure more kids have access to healthful food and improve their chances for better health.
“Poverty is one of those issues that impacts every single area of a child’s life,” said Sarah Hughes, research director with the Children’s Campaign.
Compared with 25 other populous counties, La Plata County also moved up in the rankings from 11th to eighth. However, the comparisons were skewed because researchers did not have fresh data to calculate the number of families relying on low-cost food, Hughes said.
In addition to the rankings, the county did show improvement year-over-year keeping kids in school and saw a substantial fall in the number of teens having children.
Better dropout rates are likely driven by a countywide coalition working to tackle truancy and more options to complete school through alternative methods, said Durango School District 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger.
All the county school districts, La Plata Youth Services, Axis Health System and the Durango Police Department formed the School Multi-disciplinary Assessment Review Team or SMART collaborative in 2013.
The team works to address family and social problems, not just academic issues, that may be causing truancy at any age.
“I think our intent has really been to catch the pattern of behavior,” he said.
Alternatives to traditional high school also help students stay engaged. For example, Gateway to College through Southwest Colorado Community College started three years ago, and it allows students to take classes to earn their high school diploma and college credits.
“For some kids, the drama of a typical high school is what is causing them not to be successful,” Snowberger said.
These students are also far more likely to have a higher earning potential as adults, he said.
Another group working to steer students from risky behaviors, like sex, is the Celebrating Healthy Communities Coalition, an organization that has educated hundreds of adults who work with youth in the county. Rather than focusing on negative messaging, the group focuses on developing traits such as restraint, a sense of purpose and motivation to do well in school.
Youth activities through the Southern Ute Community Action Programs have been guided in part by this philosophy.
“Some people coin what we do prevention without mention,” said Zach Bertrand, the director of youth service for SUCAP.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
