Kids Count Says VT Kids Fare Well

Vermont fared well compared to other states in an annual report on children's welfare and health. This year, Vermont is ranked eighth among states by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count report, and it is normally among the top 10. The small number of Vermonters - there are 131,000 children in the state, according to the study - means the state is susceptible to wide swings in its statistics based on a relatively small number of incidents. For instance, the number of children dying by age 14 jumped several percentage points in 2006, the latest year for which data is available. However, the state's small size also means every one of those deaths is tracked and studied by public health officials, and it appears to be a statistical anomaly, said Dr. Donald Swartz, a pediatrician who is medical director of the Vermont Department of Health.