COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND NINE COPIES OF THIS REOUEST AND DOC[TMENTS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT. MADE BY: Fred Henneko~ OFFICE: MEETING DATE: Febt t 2002 SUBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC) TIME PREFERRED: Consider and discuss presentation by Pastor Bill Blackburn on the Children's Initiative sponsored by Partners in Ministry. EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON) NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT: ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION: IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE: County Jude County Judge Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title 5, Chapter SSI and 552, Government Code, is as follows: Meeting scheduled for Mondays: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON: 5:00 P.M. previous Tuesday. All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine ff adequate information has been prepazed for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings. Your cooperation will be appreciated and contribute towazds you request being addressed at the eazliest opportunity. See Agenda Request Rules Adopted by Commissioners' Court. Research Report on the Needs of Young Children in Kerr County Initiated and coordinated by Partners in Ministry and Sponsored by a grant from The Cailloux Foundation Research conducted by The Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute at The University of Texas at San Antonio Some Highlights from the Research on the Needs of Young Children Kerr County is growing older. It went from a median age of 40.45 in 1990 to 43.8 in 2000. From 1980 until 2000, the number of persons over the age of 85 increased from 571 to 1483. 18% of Kerr County households have an individual under 18, while 23% of the households have an individual over 65. Many children in Kerr County live in or near poverty. 47.2 % of students in KISD come from economically disadvantaged households. That is 50.5% in Ingram and 54.4% in Center Point. Growing numbers of Kerr County children are minorities. 37.3% of all births in the county are Hispanic. Almost one fifth of school students are minorities with KISD having the highest percent at 39%. There are fewer young children. The number of children from birth to four declined 12.2% from 1990 to 2000. The number of children from five to nine declined 7.4%. There is an increase of single mothers. There was in the last decade a 26% increase of households headed by women with their own children present in the home. Demographic Analysis, Kerr Connty Texas 2001 Dr. Richard J. Harris, Ph.D. Dr. Juanita M. Firestone, Ph.D. Sociology and Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute August 30, 2001 Demographic Report, August 29. ?001 Demographic Analysis, Kerr County Texas 2001 The population of I~ r t~.~ k ! 3rd, r2r t... `.i ~ -3. !~ `y t xa T4 ~r t F ~~ ~ °.. - ?rva'&! F" n .~7 `air iF E li <,~ } y'u 4 e +,i ,~ y '* f~ ~1 xt{.s ~ a4Yc°'` r .t ~,.k ;. evr , ~ ~ ~ S• -v^~'r`*`-~~'~~ C ,~",r ~'~r°4'"dT~~~r ~~~,~> t 4 Y `i. s ~a ~`~~tr~ ~ a '~'~` gip-,, F +~a as y r 'y,~ .; a~' ` t"4~P 7r~~"'~;,.` e~~M,~ ~ r'~~',h~ ,~~ 4~6 ~ ~A :. ~~ Iw ~ .a ^,. ~r~qr. 4 1 µyw,EF ~ ~ Gi+~. Y,e \ >`c.d..S ~~k,.. w+1 y a ~{fo xh ~ ix+)['.'`- ~ra"... u~z: Q '~~ 2 re r 4d~ ~._, p^rrfi ~ a~xA.. 'r'aw °7~ et+? ~~~ .t~'~. `",~~t" `~' s rent., ;F 7xs~'~`s~ ~# ~}, c`~7,y .:~$ Ry„ 1970 1975 d~ 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 44.5 44 43.5 43 42.5 42 41.5 41 40.5 40 7 Demographic Report, August 29. 2001 Figure 3 above illustrates changes in the median age of Kerr County over time. As shown, the median age declines steadily from 44 yeazs old to about 40 yeazs old between 1970 and 1990. Between 1990 and 2000 the median age climbed back up to 43.8 years old which is almost the same as it was in 1970. Table 1 below illustrates the numerical and percentage change in different types of households during the last decade. As indicated female householder families with no adult male present represent the largest increase of 33%, closely followed by non-family households (27%) and female householder families with their own children present with an increase of 26%. The large increase in female-headed households with children is likely to indicate an increased need for affordable day caze. Both other groups aze likely associated with older/retired individuals and may have implications for health care services as well as public transportation. Table 1: Households by Type with Numerical and Percent Change for Kerr County Kerr County Ho 1990 useholds 2000 Change in Number Households Percent Total Households 14,384 17,813 3,429 24% Family Households 10,045 12,300 2,255 22% With Own Children under 18 years 3,923 4,534 611 14% Married-couple Family 8,488 10,119 1,631 19% With Own Children under 18 years 3,044 3,293 249 8% Female Householder, no husband present 1,234 1,641 407 33% With Own Children under 18 years 729 921 192 26% NonfamilyHouseholds 4,339 5,513 1,174 27% Householder Living Alone 3,936 4,896 960 24% Householder 65 years and over 2,679 Households with individuals under 18 years 4,316 5 076 760 IS% Households with individuals 65 years and over 5,773 7,115 1,342 23% 3 Demographic Report, August 29, 20(11 The next four figures (Figures 4 - 7) represent population pyramids for Kerr County. The first three show the entire population of Kerr County by age and sex for 1980, 1990 and 2000, and the last graph represents the 2000 population for the entire population and the Hispanic population. The lavender colored area represents the number of males and the burgundy azea the number of females. The age group is located inside the lavender section of the pyramid. The pyramids for the entire population clearly show the increasing bulge in the older ages over time along with decreases in young children. As one would expect given life span differences, most of the older population are women. The 1998 comparison of the general population to the Hispanic population is interesting. (Be sure to notice the different scale for the Hispanic population, which of course is considerably smaller than the total population.) Note that Hispanics are a much younger group and likely to continue to increase much more rapidly than the population as a whole. Given lower socioeconomic levels and more families with children for Hispanics compazed to Anglos this could have a strong impact on the types of services needed by County residents. Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 m Fi re 4: Po ulation ramid for Kerr Coun 1980 192 85plus ~ ~~~~ 399 297 80 84 492 545 75 79 741 854 70 74 1,024 1,073 65 69 1,239 96 60 64 1,116 850. SS 59 L066 696 50 54~ 857 632 45 49 773 579 40 44. ~ 714 623 35 39 728 783 30 34 818 811 25 29 817 95 20 24 921 1,154 IS 19 1.051 4 10 14; 899 861 5 9 835 90 0 4 ' 805 Q,000) (S00) 0 500 Population (Numbers of Pcoplc) 1,000 1,500 Male Female S Demographic Report, August 29. 2001 Figure 5: Population Pyramid for Kerr County, 1990 26685p1us 619 472 80 84 766 794 75 79 1,066 1,057 70 74 1,209 ,264 ~_~ 1.480 9 1 60 64 1,18.9 55 59 958 736 50_54 888 45 4B 933 1,001 40_44 1,100 1,166 35 39 1,161 1,198 30_34 1,206 1,044 25 29. 1,055 1 20 24 919 1,135 15_19 1,0~ 1,214 10 14 1,141 1,206 5 9. 1,247 1 203 0 4 1,131 Population (Numbers of Peopled 1,000 1,500 2,000 Male Female F Demographic Report, August 29. 2001 Fi ure 6: Po ulation P ramid for Kerr Cou 2000 490 SSplus 993 680 80 84 8 1,708 75 79 t 1,243 70_74 442 ,fig 65_69 ~ 1 1,171 60 64 7 1,p53 55 59'. 1 1,213 50 54~ 13 1 316 45_4: 443 1 qg6 40 44: 1483 ,276 35 39 1 23 1,060 30 34 1096 25 29 62 1037 20 24. 2 1 qg3 15 19 ~. 1 10 1588 10 l4~ 444 1 5_9; 1266 1 208 0_4G 1123 -2000 -1500 -1000 ~ 0 SOD 100D 1500 2000 Population (Numbers of People) Male Female 7 Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 ure7: Population Pyra _ -1.as ~ 7 -1 ~ 70 74 -2.53 ~ 69 -2.12 60 64 -3.26 55_59. -3 .82 i 5o sa 4.79 45_49 • 1 I x.89 -8.54 I -7.88 $ 56 -7.72 -10.53 -10.57 -10.24 -10.36 -15.00 -10.00 ~ 3s ~ 34 25 29 20 24 15 19 10 14 0~ -5.00 O.DO 5.00 Population las Percent of Each Sex) for Kerr 1.sa 2.02 2.62 2.75 2.75 2000 4.11 5.10 6.05 6.09 8.38 7.39 6.66 9.77 10.01 110.23 Y 10.47 10.00 15.00 Male Female R Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Sex Ratios by Age The general distribution of males and females in the population varies significantly by age. The most common way of representing this information is with a "sex ratio." The sex ratio is simply the number of males divided by the number of females and multiplied by 100. If there aze equal numbers of males and females the result is a value of 100. When the value exceeds 100 that means there are more males than females and when the value is less than 100 there are fewer males than females. Typically there are more males than females in the younger ages, largely because more males are born, and there aze more females than males in the older ages because, on average, women live longer. Figure 8: Sex Ratio by Age, Kerr County, 1990 Demographic Report, August 29. 2001 This general pattern is well displayed above (Figure 8) with data from the 1990 census. Beginning at about the age group of 35-39, the ratio declines substantially. By the age group of 85 and over there are only about 43 males for every 100 females. Figure 9 displays the sex ratio by age for Kerr County by the yeaz 2000. Figure 9: Sex Ratio by Age, Kerr County, 2000 Migration can have a substantial impact on the ratios. For example, as shown in Figure 10, the sex ratios for the Hispanic population in 2000 differ substantially from those for the total population. 'the lazger number of males compazed to females for the Hispanic population in the in Demographic Report. August 29, 2001 adult years is probably due to migration of males seeking employment opportunities in the county. Figure 10: Sex Ratio by Age for Hispanic Population, Kerr County, 2000 ~ t zao ~, 0 in ~ ~ o n 11 Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 The Children of Kerr County The following two graphs (Figures 1 I & 12) show the numbers of people aged 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 from 1970 to 2000. The sharp increases in numbers of young children from 1970 to 1990 were replaced with a decline in numbers in the latest decade. Ultimately this will mean a decline in school aged children, unless the pattern is offset by in-migration of people with young children. Figure 11: Kerr County Population Under Age 5 3000 zsoo ~s0o tooo Sao v 0 ~s~0 ts~s ~sao ~sa5 ~sso lass z00o Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 sooo z5oo zooo t5oo tooo soo 0 1970 Figure 12: Kerr County Population Aged 0-4 and 5-9 7ss zso --- - ' i I teas tees trio _ _~ ttto -- ~ I I 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 ~-Pop < 5 't' Pop 5-9 In contrast to the younger ages, the population aged 10-14 showed a small increase from 1990 to 2000. As another indicator that the population of Kerr County is again becoming older, the percentage of children under age five declined by 12.2% and the percentage of children between the ages of 5 and 9 declined by 7.4% between 1990 and 2000. While children between the ages of 10 and 14 increased slightly by 4.7% during the same decade, this is not enough to offset the declines among the younger ages. Thus without in migration of families of child bearing age the population is likely to continue to age during the next decade. tz Demographic Repoli, August 29, 2001 Data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as depicted in Figure 13 indicate that at least one fifth of students across Kerr County School Districts will be minority students. Kerrville has the highest minority enrollment at 39% and Divide the lowest at 19%. Figure 13; Percent Minority Students in Kerr County School Districts Kerrville Ingram Hunt Divide Center Point Data from the 2000 census by age indicate that Hispanic children accounted for more than one fourth of the 10 - 14 age group, and about 40% of the infant (0 - 4) group (see Table 2). Since Hispanic children aze more likely to come from lower income families and may have parents with language barriers this could have strong impacts on family and educational needs in Kerr County in the neaz future. to O% 5% 10% 15% 2096 25% 30% 35% 40% Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Table 2: Hispanic Children as of All Children by Age Census 2000 0 - 4 years 37.3% 5 - 9 years 32.9% 10 - 14 years 28.4% As depicted in Figure 14, most of the minority students will be of Mexican heritage. While the proportion of Hispanics in the County overall is small (15%), the proportion of Hispanic students enrolled in Kerr County School districts is higher. Because the school district keeps data on every child enrolled these figures may be capturing some of the undocumented workers living in Kerr County. Hispanic students comprise 34% of the 39% minority students in Figure 14: Percent of Students of Hispanic Origin Kemille Ingram Hunt Divide Center Point 15 0% 5% 70% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Kerrville ISD, 21 % of the 24% minority students in the Ingram district, 23% of the 24% in Hunt, all 19% of the minority students in Divide, and 24% of the 26% in Center Point. This could have important consequences for programs such as bilingual education. If some of these students are children of undocumented workers, this could impact the need for programs designed to help low income families (e.g. breakfast, subsidized lunches). Figure 15: Percent Black Students in Kerr County School Districts Kerrville Irgram Divial6 Center Poirt In contrast, a very small percentage of students in Kerr County districts are Black or African American (see Figure I5.) Kemille ISD, which has the largest percentage of Black students reported only 4%. Two of the districts Hunt and Divide reported no Black students. As indicated in Figure 16, all Kerr County School districts report a high proportion of students who aze economically disadvantaged. Over 50% of students in Ingram (50.5%) and lfi 0% 1% t% 2% 2% 3% 3% 4% 4% 5% Demographic Report. August 29, 2001 Center Point (54.4%) and close to 50% in Kerrville (47.2%) are categorized as economically disadvantaged by the Texas Education Agency. Figure 16: Percent of Kerr County Students Classified as Economically Disadvantaged by School District Kemitle Ingram Hunt Divide Center Point Tables 3 - 5 presents data on Kerr County from The Texas Kids Count Projcct (Center for Public Policy Priorities focusing on indicators of children's well being. Table 3 presents all of the data for the yeazs available. This discussion focuses on the latest year for which data aze available. The child overall child poverty rate for children 5 - 17 years old was 24.3% and for children 0 -16 years old was 25% in 1995. At that time, Kerr County was ranked 122 in child poverty for ages 5 - 17, 109 for children 0 - 17 among all Texas Counties. According to 1998 data, Kerr County had the fewest child deaths among all Texas Counties, including data for all ro 0.0% 10.0% Z0.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 race and ethnic groups. The County also has a low rate of confirmed child abuse victims at 6.3% per 1000, which gives the County a rank of 75 Also according to 1998 data about 16.4% of children between 0 and 17 yeazs old were living in families receiving food stamps (rank among Texas counties 117). The overall percent of low birth weight babies in 1998 was 7.1 %, although among those who listed their race/ethnicity as `Other," the rate was 14.3% (County ranking for overall rate, 11 I ). Also in 1998 the total infant mortality rate per 1000 infants was 15.6%, with the rate for whites infants the highest (18.4%), and lowest for Hispanic infants (12%). Interestingly for the same time period, only about 6% of Hispanics were reported as receiving little or no prenatal caze. While these percentages seem high (overall ranking among Counties 235) the actual number of deaths is low because there are few live births occurring in Kerr County. In 1998 about 20% of children between 0 and 18 years old in Kerr County were eligible for Medicaid. The County ranked 156 with respect to teen births in 1998. The percent of white teen pregnancy was 19.9%, of Black teen pregnancy was 50%, Hispanic teen pregnancy was 22.9%, and for those identified as "Other" the rate was 42.9%. Again the rate for Black teens appear extremely high, but there were only 41ive births, 2 of which were to teen mothers, and for the "Other" category there were only 7 live births, 3 of which were to teens. Kerr County reported no violent teen deaths during 1998, which is the lowest among Texas Counties for that year. to Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Table 3. INDICATORS OF CHILDREN'S WELL BEING KERR COUNTY, TEXAS Child Povertv YEAR CHILD POVERTY RATE (5 TO 17 YR. OLDS) COiJN"CY RANKING (Poverty rate 5 - 17 yr. Olds) WHITE CHILD POVERTY RATE (0 TO 17 YR. OLDS) BLACK CHILD POVERTY RATE (0 TO 17 YR. OLDS) HISPANIC CHILD POVERTY RATF. (0 TO 17 YR. OLDS) OTHER CHII,D POVERTY RATE (0 TO 17 YR OLDS) TOTAL CHILD POVERTY RATE (0 TO 17 YR. OLDS) COiJN"1'Y RANKING OF TOTAL Child Death Data YEAR WHITE CHILD DEATHS WHITE POPULATION OF 1 TO 14 YR. OLDS WHITE DEATH RATE PER 100,000 CHILDREN BLACK POPULATION OF 1 TO 14 YR. OLDS HISPANIC POPULATION OF 1 TO 14 YR. OLDS OTHER POPULATION OF 1 TO 14 YR. OLDS TOTAL CHILD DEATHS TOTAL POPULATION OF I TO 14 YR. OLDS TOTAL DEATH RATE PER 100,000 CHILDREN COUNTY RANKING OF TOTAL Child Abuse Data SCHOOL YEAR NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CHILD ABUSE VICTIMS POPULATION OF 0 TO 17 YR. OLDS RATE OF CONFIRMED CHILD ABUSE VICTIMS PER 1,000 CHII,DREN COUNTY RANKING 1990 1993 1995 23.40% 24.20% 127 122 18.00% N/A N/A 45.50% N/A N/A 30 80% N/A N/A 37.00% N/A N/A 20.60% 25.10% 25 00% 63 120 109 1985 1991 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 N/A N/A 2 4 1 0 0 N/A N/A 4,787 5,048 5,189 5,210 5,141 N/A N/A [41.8] [79.2] [19.3] 0 0 N/A N/A 187 192 200 197 ]92 N/A N/A 1,835 2,013 2,235 2,292 2,312 N/A N/A 60 73 79 79 RO 3 1 2 4 1 0 0 6,060 6,984 6,869 7,326 7,703 7,778 7.725 [49.5] [14.3] [29.1] X54.6] (13.0] 0 0 182 106 153 197 106 1 1 1992 1994 1997 1998 102 102 113 63 8,840 9,330 10,026 10,020 11.5 10.9 11.3 6.3 123 123 222 75 Children in Foster Care YEAR 1992 1994 1997 1998 CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE 27 30 58 52 POPULATION OF 0 TO 17 YR OLDS 8,840 9,330 10,026 10,020 RATE OF FOSTER CARE PER 1,000 CHIIDREN 3.1 3.2 5.8 5.2 COUNTY RANKING 160 139 234 210 Children in Families Receiving Aid YEAR CHILDREN IN FAMILIES RECEIVING FOOD STAMPS POPULATION 0 TO 17 YR. OLDS PERCENT OF CHILDREN RECEIVING FOOD STAMPS COUNTY RANKING NUMBER OF FAMILIES RECEIVING WIC 1992 1994 1997 1998 NA 2,199 1,918 1,645 NA 9,330 10,026 10,020 NA 23.60% 19.10% 16.40% NA 137 122 117 618 979 1,125 NA 19 Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Low Birth Weight Births YEAR 1985 1991 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 WHITE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LBW) BIRTHS N/A N/A 21 24 21 IS 20 WHITE LIVE BIRTHS N/A N/A 298 280 300 303 272 PERCENT OF WHITE LBW B[RTHS N/A N/A Z00% 8.60% 7.00% [ 5.0%] 7.40% BLACK LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A 3 5 3 0 0 BLACK LIVE BII2THS N/A N/A 11 17 10 6 4 PERCENT OF BLACK LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A [27.0%] [29.4%] [ 30 0%] * 0.00% HISPANIC LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A 9 7 2 13 11 HISPANIC LIVE B[RTHS N/A N/A 139 152 147 164 166 PERCENT OF HISPANIC LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A ]6.5%] [4.6%] [1.4%] [ 7.9%] [6.6%] OTHER LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 1 OTHER LIVE BII2THS N/A N/A 4 4 3 6 7 PERCENT OF OTHER LBW BIRTHS N/A N/A * * * * [ 143%] TOTAL LBW BIItTHS 41 32 33 36 26 28 32 TOTAL LIVE BIRTHS 493 482 452 453 460 479 449 TOTAL PERCENT LBW BIRTHS 8.30% 6.60% 7.30% 7.90% 5.70% 5.80% 7.10% COUNTY RANKING OF TOTAL 204 92 141 168 49 47 1 l 1 Infant Mortality YEAR 1985 1991 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 WHITE INFANT DEATHS N/A N/A 3 0 1 1 5 WHITE LIVE BIItTHS N/A N/A 298 152 300 303 272 WHITE INFANT MORTALITY RATE PER 1,000 N/A N/A [10.1] 0 [3.3] [3.3] [18.4] INFANTS BLACK INFANT DEATHS N/A N/A 1 1 1 0 0 BLACK LIVE BIItTHS N/A N/A I1 17 ]0 6 4 BLACK INFANT MORTALITY RATE PER 1,000 N/A N/A [90.9] (58.8] [100.0] 0 0 INFANTS HISPANIC INFANT DEATHS N/A N/A 1 2 1 0 2 HISPANIC L[VE BII2THS N/A N/A 139 280 147 t64 166 HISPANIC INFANT MORTALITY RATE PER 1,000 N/A N/A [7.2] [7.1] [6.8] 0 [12.0] INFANTS OTHER INFANT DEATHS N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 OTHER LIVE BIl2THS N/A N/A 4 4 3 6 7 OTHER INFANT MORTALITY RATE PER 1,000 N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 INFANTS TOTAL INFANT DEATHS 5 2 5 3 3 1 7 TOTAL LIVE BII2THS 493 482 452 453 460 479 449 TOTAL INFANT MORTALITY RATE PER 1,000 [I0.1] [4.1] [I1.1] [6.6] [6.5] [2.1] [15.6] INFANTS COUNTY RANKING OF TOTAL 161 94 195 129 148 94 235 Other Child Health Indicators YEAR 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 PERCENT OF HISPANICS WHO RECEIVED LITTLE 18.70% [9.2%] 13.60% [9.1%] [6,0%] OR NO PRENATAL CARE NUMBER - 0 TO 18 YR. OLDS ELIGIBLE FOR NA 594 NA 2,2 14 2, 119 MEDICAID PERCENT 0 TO 18 YR. OLDS ELIGIBLE FOR NA 6% NA 21 % 20% MEDICAID ~n Demographic Repori, August 29, 2001 Teen Births YEAR 1997 1998 BIRTHS TO WHITE TEENS 46 54 WHITE LIVE BIl2THS 303 272 PERCENT OF WHITE TEEN PREGNANCY 15.20% 19.90% BIRTHS TO BLACK TEENS 1 2 BLACK LIVE BIItTHS 6 4 PERCENT OF BLACK TEEN PREGNANCY [ 16.7%] [50.0%] BII2TH5 TO HISPANIC TEENS 43 38 HISPANIC LIVE BIltTHS 164 166 PERCENT OF HISPANIC TEEN PREGNANCY 26.20% 22.90% BIRTHS TO OTHER TEENS 1 3 OTHER LIVE BIRTHS 6 7 PERCENT OF OTHER TEEN PREGNANCY [16.7%] [42.9%] BIRTHS TO ALL TEENS 91 97 TOTAL LIVE BIItTHS 479 449 TOTAL TEEN PREGNANCY 19.00% 21.60% COUNTY RANKING OF TOTAL 106 l56 Teen Violent Deaths YEAR 1985 1991 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 WHITE VIOLENT DEATHS N/A N/A 1 1 1 2 0 WHITE POP. OF 15 TO 19 YR. OLDS N/A N/A 1,730 1,849 2,005 2065 2.151 WHITE V[OLENT DEATH RATE PER 100,000 TEENS N/A N/A [57.8] [54.1] (49.9] [96.9] 0 BLACK VIOLENT DEATHS N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 BLACK POP. OF 15 TO 19 YR OLDS N/A N/A 88 78 74 85 101 BLACK VIOLENT DEATH RATE PER 100.000 TEENS N/A N/A ll 0 0 0 0 HISPANIC VIOLENT DEATHS N/A N/A 0 2 2 0 0 HISPANIC POP. OF IS TO 19 YR. OLDS N/A N/A 579 667 721 767 808 HISPANIC VIOLENT DEATH RATE PER 100,000 N/A N/A 0 [299.9] [277.4] 0 0 TEENS OTHER VIOLENT DEATHS N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 OTHER POP. OF 15 TO 19 YR. OLDS N/A N/A 19 2] 24 32 37 OTHER VIOLENT DEATH RATE PER 100,000 TEENS N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL VIOLENT DEATHS 6 3 1 3 3 2 0 TOTAL POP. OF 15 TO 19 YR. OLDS 2,167 2,242 2,416 2,615 2,824 2,949 3,097 TOTAL VIOLENT DEATH RATE PER 100,000 TEENS [276.9] [133.8] (41.4] [114.7] [106.2] [67.8] 0 COi1N1'Y RANKING OF TOTAL 235 206 113 193 197 155 1 CAU"fION: Rates and percentages repotted m bradkds [ ] reflex a number of cases less than twarty. These quamrties may na be reliable since small .ranges in the nutnba of cases wn produce large dtanges m the resukmg rate a percattage. This can lead to very differ®t rotes from ane year to the nett Therefore, we urge ksution when vrterpramg any quarrtities atclosed in brackets [ J as well as any rates or pamrtages that they may produce. Data Source:'Ihe Texas Kids Count Project-Carta fa Public Policy Priorities, Austin, TX.' 71 Table 4 presents data from The Texas Kids Count Project (Center for Public Policy Priorities related to the educational context of children in Kerr County Twenty percent of children were enrolled in public pre-kindergarten classes during the 1997-98 school year (rank among Texas Counties, 119). Slightly more than seven percent (7.1%) or 112 students were in Head Start Programs in 1998, which ranked Kerr County 100 among all Texas Counties. In the same year about 4.1% of children between 0 and 18 years old were receiving TANF support (County ranking, 93). During the 1997-98 school yeaz 3,228 (46.4%) received free or discounted lunches (County ranking, 123), and 1,078 (15.5%) were enrolled in special education classes (County ranking 158). Close to 80% of students passed the math portion of the TARS (79.6%, County ranking, 141), and over 90% passed the reading portion (90.2%, County ranking 131). Data for the writing portion of the exam were not available for that school year. About four percent (4.1%, County rank, 125) of students were enrolled in bilingual education or English as a second language (ESL) classes during this school yeaz. The estimated longitudinal dropout rate based on data between 1992 and 1997 was 8.2% which placed Kett County 160'" among Texas Counties. In 1990, about 7% of teens were reported as not in school and not in the labor force (County ranking, 99) The latest year for which there was data about children who aze physically challenged indicated that the rate per 1000 was 8.2 representing 85 children in 1994. Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Table 4: Children and Education, Kerr County Children in Pre-K SCHOOL YEAR 97-98 92-93 93-94 96-97 97-98 CHILDREN IN PUBLIC PRE-KINDERGARTEN 7.449 146 137 209 207 POPULATION OF 3 TO 4 YR. OLDS 45,789 926 1,047 1,033 1,033 PERCENT OF CHILDREN IN PUBLIC PRE-KINDERGARTEN 16.3% 15 8% 13.1% 242% 20.0% COUNTY RANKING 71 97 85 126 119 Head Start SCHOOL YEAR 1992 1994 1998 CHILDREN IN HEAD START PROGRAMS 75 92 112 POPULATION OF 3 TO 5 YR. OLDS 1,401 1.549 1,568 PERCENT OF CHILDREN IN HEAD START PROGRAMS 5.40% 5.90% 7.10% COUNTY RANKING 142 90 100 Eligible for Free Luuch YEAR 92-93 93-94 96-97 97-98 CHILDREN RECEIVING FREE OR DISCOUNTED LUNCHES 2,723 2,826 3,192 3128 TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN ENROLLED IN SCHOOL 6,058 6,267 6,926 6,955 PERCENT OF CHILDREN RECEIVING FREE/REDUCED LUNCHES 44.9% 45.1% 46.1% 46.4% COUNTY RANKING 141 135 123 123 Special Education SCHOOL YEAR 92-93 93-94 97-98 CHILDREN IN SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS 783 882 1.078 TOTAL CHILD ENROLLMENT 6,058 6,267 6,955 PERCENT OF CHILDREN IN SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS 12.9% 14.]% 15.5% COUNTY RANKING 153 177 158 TAAS Scores SCHOOL YEAR 92-93 96-97 97-98 97-98 GRADE 4 10 4 10 MATH: NUMBER TESTED 241 295 381 313 MATH: NUMBER PASSED 387 367 400 393 MATH: PERCENT PASSED 62.3% 80.4% 95.3% 79.6% MATH: COUNTY RANKING 42 79 30 141 READING: NUMBER TESTED 300 325 383 349 READING: NUMBER PASSED 386 353 396 387 READING: PERCENT PASSED 77.7% 92.1% 96.7% 90.2% READING: COUNTY RANKING 46 70 45 131 WRITING: NUMBER TESTED N/A 335 N/A N/A WRITING: NUMBER PASSED N/A 353 N/A N/A WRITING: PERCENT PASSED N/A 94.9% N/A N/A WRITING: COUNTY RANKING N/A 53 N/A N/A ~3 Demographic Report, August 29. 2001 Bilingual Education SCHOOL YEAR NUMBER OF BILINGUAL/ESL CHILDREN ENROLLED TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN ENROLLED PERCENT OF BILINGUAL/ESL CHILDREN IN SCHOOL COUNTY RANKING 92-93 93-94 96-97 97-98 165 155 267 285 6,058 6,267 6,926 6,955 2.70% 2.50% 3.90% 4.10% 111 91 125 125 Drop Outs SCHOOL YEAR 92-93 93-94 94-95 96-97 ESTIMATED LONGITUDINAL DROPOUT RATE 15.5°/a 14.5% 6.8% 8.2% COUNTY RANKING (LONGITUDINAL DROPOUT RATEI 214 203 109 160 Teens, not in school, not in labor force YEAR 1980 1990 HIGH SCHOOL GRADS NOT IN SCHOOL OR WORKING 43 32 NON-GRADUATES NOT IN SCHOOL OR WORKING 58 79 TOTAL NUMBER OF IDLE TEENS 101 111 POPULATION OF 16 TO 19 YR. OLDS 1,740 1,620 PERCENT OF IDLE TEENS 5.80% 6.90% COUNTY RANKING 25 99 Other demographic factors can directly impact the well being of children in Kerr County. As indicated in Table 5, in 1998, 131 (rate of 18.7 per 1000) children were taken care of in Department of Human Services subsidized day care centers. In 1990, ] 1.2% of the population of Kerr County was high school dropouts. This is an important figure, because high school dropouts aze at risk for poverty and concomitant service needs The youngest members of this group are at high risk for teen pregnancy, and family and other forms of violence, which are costly in terms of County services. In 1994 there were 79 (rate of 8.5 per 1000) children in family violence shelters. High school dropouts also contribute to the unemployment rate and overall poverty rate. In 1997, the Kerr County unemployment rate was 2.4%, and the total poverty rate in 1995 was 15%. While the county ranked among those with the lowest percent of individuals living below the poverty line among Texas counties (rank, 59), this is likely to 7d Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 increase given changing demographic structures. Indeed the large proportion of children in the county schools who are listed as poor is one indicator of this trend. Table 5: Other Relevant Demographic Factors Day Care YEAR 1992 1994 1997 ]998 CHII.DREN IN DAY CARES SiJF3SIDIZF.D RY DHS 114 141 127 131 POPUI,ATTON OF 0 TO 12 YR. OLDS 6,406 6.710 7,064 6;992 RATE OF DHS PAYMENTS PER 1,000 CHILDREN 17.8 21 18 18.7 COUNTY RANKING 215 235 210 201 Violence Shelters YEAR 1994 CHO,DREN IN FAMII,Y VIOLENCE SHELTERS 79 POPULATION OF 0 TO 17 YR. OLDS 9.330 RATE OF CHII,DREN IN SIR.LTERS (PER 1,000 CHII,DREN) 8.5 High School Dropouts YEAR ]980 1990 HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS 317 182 POPULATION OF 16 TO 19 YR. OLDS 1,740 1,620 PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS 18.20% 11.20% COUNTY RANKING 135 110 Unemployment Rate YEAR 1995 1997 WHITE UNEMPLOYMENT 3.60% N/A BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT 1.10% N/A HISPANIC UNEMPLOYMENT 7 40% N/A OTHER UNEMPLOYMENT 1.50°/ N/A TOTAL UNEMPLOYMENT 4.20% 2.40% Household Income YEAR 1990 1994 1995 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME $23,205 $25,461 $28,644 Total Poverty Rate YEAR 1990 1993 1995 POPULATION BELOW THE POVERTY LINE 5,231 6,282 6,132 PERCENT OF PEOPLE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE 15.00% 16.30% 15.00% COUNTY RANKING 42 71 59 Data Source:'Ihe Texas fads Coun[ Project-Carta for Public Policy Prioriti es, Austin, T~.' 75 The Older Population of Kerr County While not central to the focus of this report, basic support needs in the county will be affected substantially by the growth trend for the older population. As shown below (Figure 17), the population aged 65 and over has increased steadily from 1980 to 2000. While the numbers of people have increased, the increase is at about the same rate as that for the population as a whole so there has not been a large in the percent aged 65 or over - 23 8% in 1980 and 24.9% in 1990. Figure 17: Kerr County Population Aged 65 and Over and 85 and Over, 1990 ~i i 1085E GOOD i 89132 i 8000 .___. 6000 6836 I I I 4000 I 2000 1483 885 - 571 n 1980 1990 2000 "~-Age65P1 '~~Age85Pl It is also worth observing that numbers of people aged 85 and over is increasing. This is the category with the greatest support needs Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Summary The older average age of Kerr County residents and the decreasing numbers of individuals in their 20s, 30s and 40s suggests a retirement community. This has implications for the tax base, which typically provides funding for County services and for employment issues. If younger individuals cannot find jobs with adequate wages, they are likely to leave the County with their families. In addition, a lack of jobs that pay adequate wages means that it would be difficult for the County to attract individuals of younger ages into moving there. Retirees often have restricted incomes and pay lower levels of taxes, and sometimes object to taxes focused on school funding because their children are grown. While most older individuals are in good health, a larger percentage of this group is likely to have health based and transportation needs. At the present time there is a small percentage of minority, primarily Hispanic, individuals living in Kerr County. However, because undocumented workers and families are not likely to be counted by the Census, the proportion of Mexican Americans may be understated. Whether the current count is accurate or not, the Hispanic population is likely to increase rapidly in the future because the Hispanic population tends to be younger than the Anglo population and are more likely to be in childbearing ages. Data from the TEA are based on all students in the system and provide a more accurate estimate of school age children. As of 1998 about 25% of school age children were Hispanic compared to 15% of the population as a whole, and about one third of infants in the County were Hispanic. On average, Hispanics are more likely to have lower family incomes and to have young children, which will have important consequences for family and educational needs. Data from across Texas indicate that poverty levels are associated with school drop out rates, neighborhood deterioration, juvenile gangs, and higher crime rates. ~~ Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Day care is an important issue and becoming increasingly important. Although Kerr County is primarily an older population, families with young children at home are increasingly Hispanic and poor, which can have dramatic impacts on County resources. The economic context of an increasing demand and shortage of supply of affordable quality day care suggests increasing cost to consumers. This will undoubtedly create even more problems for city officials concerned with both boosting the Kerr County economy and providing citizens with employment opportunities that provide a living wage. Those individuals at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum will be most affected by a lack of quality and affordable childcare. For most of the indicators provided by The Texas Kids Count Project (Center for Public Priorities), Kerr County ranks in upper one third of Texas Counties. In some instances, such as child deaths and violent teen deaths in 1998, Kerr had the lowest ranking in Texas. Infant mortality increased dramatically in that same year, although the ranking is based on very small numbers of live births and deaths. With respect to total percent living below the poverty level, Kerr County ranked 59 among Texas Counties in 1995. These indicators attest to the fact that Kerr County officials have been striving diligently to meet the needs of residents. Given the changing structure of the work force, the increasing numbers offemale-headed households and the types of jobs available in the San Antonio area (tourism, health services, educational services, retail stores), child care systems must include school-age as well as infant/toddler programs, sick child caze, transportation, and after hours caze. The changing demographic composition of the County will necessitate that officials play close attention to future needs in order to continue to meet the requirements and desires of its citizens in the new millennium. The solutions are not simple. This report will provide a strong baseline of data for helping leaders engage in proactive, positive County management. 7R Demographic Report, August 29, 2001 Resources Adams, G. and Schulman, K. 1998. "The South: Child Care Challenges," Washington, D.C: Children's Defense Fund. Bloom. D. E., and Steen, T. P. 1990. "The Labor Force Implications of Expanding [he Child Care Industry." Population Research and Policy Review 9: 25-44. Casper, L. M. 1996. "Who's Minding Our Preschoolers?" Current Population Reports Household Economic Studies, P70-53, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Casper, L. M. 1995 "What Does ii Cost to Mind ow Preschoolers?" Current Population Reports Household Economic Studies, P70-52, Washington D.C.. U. S. Bureau of the Census. Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP), 2000. "State of Texas Children: 21)[10 Factbook 4," ! . Ciri of San Antonio, Children's Resources Division. 1999. "1999 Texas Child Care Portfolio." San Antonio, TX: City of San Antonio. Collins, AM., Layzer, J. L, Kreader, L L., Wemer, A and Glantz, F. B. 2000. "National Studv of Child Care for Low- Income Families; State and Community Substudy Interim Report." Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Senrices Administration for Children and Families. Commission for Children and Families.2000 iay~ _«_,~, _. .,._..~ •.r~~~,rt;•,::_~_~~, ~~ Firestone, ]. M and Farris, R J. 1994. "Hispanic Women in Texas: An increasing Proportion of [he Underclass," The Hispanic Journal o/'Behavioral Sciences, 16(1): 176-185. Kharfen, M. 2000. "New Statistics Show Only Small Percentage of Eligible Families Receive Child Care Help," HHS News. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Sendces. Southem Regional Task force on Child Care. 2000. "Sound Investments: Financial Support for Child Care Builds Wmid'orce Capacity and Promotes School Readiness,' Columbia, SC: Southern Institute on Children and Families. hnh .., ~ i. ith.~mL.~,i_ Stewart. D. 2000. "Protecting Our Future," CPPPnority Mni/, Spring 200(1. Austin, TX: Center for Public Policy Priorities. Stoney°, L. 2000. "Child Care in the Southern States: Expanding Access to Affordable Care for Low-Income Families and Fostering Economic Development," Columbia, SC: The Southem Institute on Children and Families. h~~_' ~~~ru.ki~tuwtL orb child carc.hUnl~~rcgxirts Texas Education Agency. 2000. "Snapshots 2000: 1999-2000 School District Profiles." Austin, TX: Texas Education Agency (TEA). U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998. "Data on Households and Families," hup 't~«~~ ^cnsa~~ n p~~ila+iou ~c?~domohh-fun U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1999. "Inmme and Poverty T7tresholds," 1ttIG i~~~~~ntus,~or hhcvl>n~ctlt'(hrophld;thr~tiho~!hugl U. S. Bureau of the Ceustvs, 2000. "Quick Facts," h[tp:/www.census.gov/ 79 Final Report. August 29, 2001 Report on Kerr County Survey of Population: Telephone Surveys and Individual Interviews Principal Investigators: Dr. Richard J. Harris, Ph.D. Dr. Juanita M. Firestone, Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistants: Jessica Bubenik Michael Tapia William Chance August 29, 2001 Final Report, August 29. 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Mevopolitan Research and Policy Institute (MRPI) Faculty Associates (from The University of Texas at San Antonio) conducted a probability survey of 399 Kerr county residents in cooperation with Kerr County Partners in Ministry between May 29 and June 3, 2001. The sample size allowed for precise estimates of countywide public opinion within + 5% error. • An additiona140 in depth interviews were completed from across various demographic groups living in the County. Interviews averaged about 45 minutes each with a range from 30 to 90 minutes. • Lack of employment opportunities and traffic congestion were the two problems most frequently identified as the most serious in the respondents' neighborhoods, followed closely by lack of affordable housing and lack of employment opporhmities. • Those interviewed commented on the lack of affordable public vansportation and lack of affordable day care and day care outside typical employment hours. • The most important indicators of dissatisfaction or of unmet needs among respondents were ethnicity and income. • The Mexican American individuals who completed interviews commented that there was still discrimination against them with respect [o wages and being allowed a say in government activities. In addition because [here are large numbers of undocumented workers, they believe [hat the Census figures are misleading with respect to the proportion of individuals living in the County who are of Mexican heritage. • Those individuals in lower income groups and those who identified themselves as Mexican American or Hispanic were most likely to say lack of affordable housing and flooding/drainage after heaW rains were a serious problem, to say they were dissatisfied with the quality of their housing, and [o say they had no health insurance. • The middle income-middle age goup indicated [hat lack of employment opportunities was a problem, as did those with advanced degrees. • In general, those who said they lived outside of the Kerrville area were also likely to indicate higher level needs and less satisfaction with services provided. These individuals tended to be younger, have lower family incomes and be more likely [o have young children living at home. • With respect to wer all health, Mexican Americans/Hispanics, older individuals and those with low family incomes were most likely [o say their health was only fair or poor. • Respondents who were Mexican Americans, those between 18 - 35 and 36 - 45 years old, and those with family earnings between $1,000 and $20,000 were most likely to say they had no health insurance. • Most individuals engaged in preventive medical and dental care for themselves and their children. • A majority of respondents said [hey would go [o a hospital emergency room for vestment of a minor medical problem, and a high percentage of those with lower incomes and those whose insurance is provided by Medicare said they had been to a hospital emergency room within the past year. Final Report, August 29, 2001 • Fire protection, police protection, emergency medical services, services for the disabled, juvenile probation, providing counseling services, adult literacy programs, and fair housing services were all considered important activities far Kerr County government. • Mos[ respondents see eldercare, programs for the elderly and long-term health care becoming an increasingly important future need In addition, emergency services (food, money, shelter), parenting education services, which are traditionally provided by other non-profit or private agencies, were also identified as important to individuals living in Kerr County. • Those respondents utilizing child care were equally likely to report using relatives and non-profit day care centers. Most who used day care were satisfied with the care given their children. Those using relatives had the highest percentage saying they were dissatisfied with their day care arrangements. • Few respondents were aware of the early childhood programs available in Kerr County (I-lead Start and Homespun Early Childhood Intervention Program). • Programs and services provided by the county need to be better advertised, and the information should be provided in both English and Spanish languages. • Less than one fourth of respondents said their children had been tested for disabilities, and close to one fifth said their children ate breakfast at school. • A clear majority of respondents believe that bilingual education classes in [he schools are important, and most say that these classes ought to be taught at the pre-kindergarten level. • An overwhelming majority of respondents said their family ate meals together daily, although about one third of individuals who had not completed a high school degree said their family never ate meals together. • Mosl importantly, results from both the phone survey and the interviews of Kerr County residents indicate that residents are very satisfied with living there. The majority reported being in good or excellent health, and about one third say the quality of services provided by Kerr County for residents is either above average or far above average. Most residents are either satisfied or very satisfied with schools in the County, and are at least satisfied with the quality of their current housing. Final Report, August 29. 2001 Introduction PURPOSE The survey reported in this document constitute one phase of a larger evaluation commissioned by a group of concerned citizens of Kerr County and spearheaded by Dr. Bill Blackburn and Partners in Ministry. The purpose of this survey was to gather information and opinions from a probability sample of adults living in Kerr County related to the family needs associated with population changes and commercial and residential development in Kerr County. Both English and Spanish versions of the survey were used during data collection. The phone survey was used as the basis for further in depth interviews of community residents. Results from the survey and interviews will be made widely available to Kerr county residents, service providers and other interested groups Those initiating the project hope the data will provide a baseline of information to help Kerr County residents enjoy a better quality of life by taking a positive and proactive approach to Ken County governance. OVERVIEW Kerr County is a unique rural environment not too distant from afast-growing, major metropolitan azea, and from a rapidly growing rural county (Kerr County). The County is fortunate to have resources such as, clean air, a local water supply, and a population that is generally happy to live there. The major objective of this evaluation is to provide baseline data as a proactive approach to long range planning, with a particular focus on the expressed needs of citizens. This study is primarily focused on presenting a reliable "big picture" of opinions expressed by Kerr county residents from all walks of life, countywide. The assessment is designed to contrast opinions by social and demographic groups, and by residence within the county. Final Report, August 29. 2001 ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT This report has the following sections: (1) sampling strategy and profile of phone survey respondents, (2) demographic profile of individuals who completed interviews (3) satisfaction with Kerr county and county services (4) community needs and (5) health status and concerns, (6) preschool and educational issues, and (7) future needs and (8) summary of findings. Sampling Strategy and Profile of Phone Survey Respondents Samplin Sg trategy Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute (MRPI) Faculty Associates (from The University of Texas at San Antonio) conducted a probability survey of 399 Kerr county residents in cooperation with Kerr County Partners in Ministry between May 29 and June 3, 2001. The sample size allowed for precise estimates of countywide public opinion within +_ 5% error. Respondents were asked to supply demographic information, and to report on their perceptions about community needs, perceived problems, and directions for future planning. A total of 3,314 random calls were made, of which 2332 were to working residential phones. The response rate was 22.7% (those who agreed to complete the survey) and the completion rate (those who were contacted and actually completed the survey) was 16.8%. Not all respondents could complete the survey at the time of the call and requested a call back. Due to scheduling of the cal( backs and the completion date for the survey, some respondents never did not complete the survey. Thus, the completion rate is lower than the response rate. The majority of the calls were completed in English (98.5%); 1.5% of the surveys were completed in Spanish. Profile of Survey Respondents Figure 1: Sex of Respondents © Mate ~ Female Final Report, Augus[ 29. 2001 Figure 2: RacelEthnicity of Respondents ^ White/Anglo ~ hispanic/Mex. Am. ^ Other ~ As is typical of most telephone surveys, results for the Kerr County telephone survey over-represents women somewhat compazed to their demographic representation in the community. As shown in Figure 1, overall, 37.1% of the survey respondents were male, and 62.9% were female. Figure 2 provides the race/ethnic distribution of the respondents. As shown, 90% (332) ofrespondents identified themselves as White, 8% (32) as Mexican American/Hispanic and 2% (5) aze placed in an Other. Figure 3 presents the education level reported by respondents. The largest percentage reported having a high school diploma (50%) and the next lazgest percentage (21%) reported having a bachelor's degree. Thirteen percent reported having an Associate degree (community college degree), 9% a Master's degree and 2% a Ph.D. or professional degree (e.g., Law, Medical). Only about 5%ofrespondents said they had not completed high school. Figure 4 presents grouped family income ofrespondents. Mean family income was $51,532.00 and the median was $30,000, indicating a wide disparity in economic level ofrespondents. Data analysis further revealed that those individuals who were retired were very unlikely to reveal their family income and this may have an impact on these averages. Figure 5 shows the age distribution ofrespondents; mean age was 56.7, and median age was 59. This includes 2, African Americans, 1 Native American and 2 Asians. Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 5: Age of Respondents, Grouped Tables 1, 2 and 3 below show education level, family income and age by area of the county. On average, the respondents outside the immediate Kerrville vicinity tended to have lower levels of education, lower average family incomes and also tended to be younger in age. This can have an impact on the utilization of county services. Residents who live outside the Kerrville azea may be less able to get to Kerrville where services aze offered, in spite of the need for those services. In addition, a windshield survey of the county by the principle investigators revealed that outside of the Kerrville area, residences were spread out across large areas, often hidden from the main road and varied from lazge well kept ranches to temporazy housing in varying stages of disrepair. This suggests their may be hidden pockets of high need in the rural azeas (see Figure 7 also) of the county which are both difficult to identify and to provide services. Table 1: Highest Educational Degree Completed by Area of Residence Kerrville Ingram Hunt Center Point < High School 5% 5% 20°h High School 47°~ 61% 30°~ 67% Associate 15°k 7% 10% 5°k Bachelor's 20% 25°~ 30% 14°h Advanced 13% 2% 10% t4% Mountain Home Garvin's Store Comfort 67°k 50°h 100% 33°k 50% 7 18-35 36-45 46-55 66+ Final Repor[, August 29, 2001 Table 2: Family Income (Grouped) by Area of Residence Kerrville Ingram Hunt Center Point Mountain Home Garvin's Store Comfort $1-20K 19% 17% 50% $21-40K 40% 46°k 29% 44% 50% 100% $41-75K 28% 21% 43% 25% 50% 50% $76K + 14% 17% 29% 31% Table 3: Age (Grouped) by Area of Residence Kerrville Ingram Hunt Center Point Mountain Home Garvin's Store Comfort 18 - 35 12% 9% 5% 50% 50% 36-45 15°k 16% 46% 35% 50% 46 - 64 33°k 34% 18% 50% 67% 50% 65 + 40°k 41 % 36°h 10% 33% Figure 6: Phone Prefixes/Locations of Respondents O1 Comfort f __'___..--_ Kemille ~~~x * :, -' °i Kerrville " ~ oun aln °1 Kenville d. arnn s ~ n, r tO Ingram "' Kerrville N Hunt 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% ', Most respondents reported living in Kerrville (see Figure 6) and there were completed responses from all areas of Kerr County as indicated by phone exchanges. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents indicated that they were employed full time and R Final Report, August 29. 2001 5.4% were employed part time (see Figure 7). Almost half of respondents were retired (47%), 3% were stay home moms or dads, 3% reported some "other" unspecified employment situation, 2.4% said they were unemployed, and 0.5% reported being in school. Among the 11 who reported they were "stay at home pazents," 10 were females Figure 7: Work Status of Respondents 3% 3% 1~ 39% ~ 47% S% 2% ~Fulltime ~PartTime Unemployed Refired ^ In School Stay Home Mom/Dad ®Other (91%) and one was a male Women were more likely than men to report part time employment (6.8% women; 2,9% men). Figure 8: Respondents Urban/Rural Location ®City Town Rural Final Report, Augus129, 2001 As seen in Figure 8, most respondents said they lived in a rural azea (45%), while 37% said they lived in a city and 19% said they lived in a town. This is the subjective judgment of the respondent and not based on the actual geography of the household. Thus it is possible that some residents living on the outskirts of Kerrville would still consider themselves living in a rural area. Ofthose respondents who reported having children living at home (24.3%), most (20%) said the children were between the ages of 7 and ] 7 (see Figure 9). Seven percent reported having children between the ages of 3 and 6 and 6% reported children under 3 years. Figure 10 shows the years respondents had lived in Kerr County in groups. The mean number of yeazs respondents had lived in Kerr County was 19.8 years and the median number of years lived in Kerr County was 14. It seems likely that respondents had a strong knowledge of life in Kerr County on which to base their responses to the survey questions. Figure 11 indicates a high level of home ownership in the county (89%) compared to those who are renting (11%). io Final Report, August 29. 2001 Figure 10: Years Lived Respondents in Kerr County, Grouped ~~ Figure 11: Home Ownership ^Rent ^Own PROFILE OF THOSE COMPLETING PERSONAL INTERVIEWS Table 4 shows that the personal interviews completed provided information from a broad cross section of Kerr County residents. Individuals who completed interviews crossed all education levels, family income groups, employment situations, age groups, yeazs lived in Kerr County, included Anglos and Mexican Americans and one African American, men and women, lived in urban/wal areas and were located across the county tied to their phone prefixes. The interviews averaged about 45 minutes each with a range of 30 to 90 minutes. Substantive results from the interviews reinforced the findings from the phone interviews. The information from the interviews, including some direct quotes from the individuals who participated is included in the results sections of this report. About 93% of the completed interviews took place either in the library or cafeteria at Starkey Elementary in the City of Kemille. The remaining 7% were completed by telephone because the individual specifically requested a telephone interview. In these cases, the individuals could not work out transportation during the hours that interviews were being completed. Two interviews were completed in Spanish. ti Final Report. August 29, 2001 Table 4: Demographic Profile of Personal Interviews ltace/Ethnicity White/Anglo Hispanic/Mexican American African American/Black Highest Degree Completed no high school degree high school degree Assoc. degree Bachelor's degree Master's degree Ph.D./Professional degree Family Income 88.6 $1 - 20K 8.5 $21 - 40K 2.9 $41-75K $75K and over Mean = $53,952.00 Median = $45,000.00 9.1 33.3 Own Home? 12.1 Rent 21.2 Own 12.1 Other 12.1 14.3 33.3 28.6 23.8 Employment Sea % Full time Male 29.4 Pari time Female 70.6 Retire Stay home mom/dad Age 18-25 36 - 45 46 65 65 and older Mean = 59.2; Median =64 Ycars in Kerr County OtoS 6 to 15 I6 [0 24 25 and over Mean = 14.5; Median = 8 14.7 Where in Live in Couuty 11.8 City 29.4 Town 44. I Unincorporated Rural Phone Prefix 238 29.4 257 41.2 367 11.8 634 17.6 792 895 896 8.8 88.2 2.9 35.3 8.8 52.9 2.9 25 12.5 62.5 8.6 14.3 8.6 5.7 17.1 11.4 34.3 t~ Final Report, August 29, 2001 SATISFACTION WITH QUALITY OF LIFE 1N KERB COUNTY A majority of respondents reported that they were very satisfied with the quality of their housing (58.2%) and another 38.2% reported being satisfied (Figure 12). Only 2.5% said they were dissatisfied and 1% reported being very dissatisfied. While satisfaction levels remained high across, different age, income, race/ethnic groups, and for both men and women, it is important to note the higher percentages of dissatisfaction among women and Mexican Americans (Figures 13 and 14). Figure 12: Satisfaction with Living in Kerr County ~'~ Very Satisfied 58.2%~ y ~ ~ Satisfied ~ 38 296E ' ! °F _ a ~+ `Eti' n~ 4 j ~ arc Dissatisfied 2 5% t^,,3 ``~ -` ' ~i h ,, ~ s7: ~~ ., } N t ll% . j Very Dissatisfied • ~ ~, 0.0% 20.0% 40.0°h 60.0% Figure 13: Satisfaction with Kerr County by Sex OMale OFemale Personal interviews confirmed the high level of satisfaction with life in Kerr County. For the most part, those interviewed were worried about unplanned growth ruining the ambience of life in the County. As one individual remarked: The chamber of commerce calls this place the Texas Riviera. Many snowbirds retire here. In general Mexican Americans who were interviewed were more likely than Anglos to express dissatisfaction and to comment on continuing discrimination. One Hispano respondent noted that there is a lot of anecdotal information about wealthy ranchers who employ undocumented workers and have government connections which allow them to call in the INS when they not longer need the workers services. One Mexican American respondent noted: After 18 years of living here, I can say that this county is very [p[ejudiced] against Hiepunoe, I've seen it. Now, I'm not [he type of person that lets this get to him, but nonetheless it is there. I once had to be hospitalized here in Kerrville and they would not take me even though I had insurance. I 1i JeN Sei~st~ed Syi~sh~O~ssat~sF~Q~sSeNs~ed ~Je~Y Final Report, August 29. 2001 believe a racist hospital administration was the reason I wound up having to go all the way to Fredericksburg to get medical attention. And another person of Mexican origin responded: Pay scales and labor practices are discriminatory. Employers and major contractors are all white and workers and subcontractors are all Hispanos (recurrent). As a laborer, if you are white, you get about $12.00/hr to start a construction job, and if you are Hispano, you start at about $8.00/hr. The boss equates the Hispano worker with the mojado [wetback], whether you have papers or not, you get that mojado wage. Figure 14: Comparing Satisfaction of Life ~ in Kerr County of Whites and Mexican Americans ~o°~ 60°~ O White i 50°b 4YX ~ Me>acan American 30°~ 20°.6 ~' '~, I 0°~ i J eH $ehsfi~ $ehst`~ D.~Sa6 V eN ~e59gsfied Residents reported high levels of satisfaction with their current housing (Figure 15), although those who were renting reported more dissatisfaction than those who owned their homes (Figure 16). Figure 16: Satisfaction with Housing by Home Ownership ~. ~, ~- ' ~~''" % Very Dissat~ed ~ c . f^, f w4 x. .: Dissatisfied `+s~ as ~ '~ . Satisfied " +t..r 'i. ~ c' Very Sahsfred ~ 0% O ~~'"+ 20% 4096 60% 80% Rent Own td Final Report, August 29. 2001 Interviews also reported being satisfied with their current housing although some suggested that rents were too high for those who could not afford to buy a home: Rentals are high, unless you can find arun-down house and make repairs, you can negotiate with the owner. Anyone with children will have a hazd time finding good, affordable housing. In response to the question, "Thinking about where you live, would you say that the county services that you are provided are far above average, above average, average, below average or faz below average?" the majority of respondents stated that they thought that the services provided were average (61.6%, see Figure 17). Over one fourth of respondents (26.7 %) said that services were above average, and 3.6% said far above average. Only 6.4% responded that services were below average, and 1.7% said faz below average. Figure 17: How Respondents Ranked County Services v~.vro ^ Far Abode Avg. ~ Above Avg. ^ Average ~ Below Avg. ^ Far Below Avg. As indicated in Figure I8, respondents reported that they were satisfied with the schools in Kerr County; about 49% said they were satisfied and about 31% said they were very satisfied. Only 15% reported being dissatisfied and 9% said they were very dissatisfied with the schools. Again this was reinforced by interviews, although one woman described the fact that language barriers can be a problem for some Spanish speakers: The language can be a barrier for some Spanish speaking pazen[s of children at some schools, but we do come to participate [in the pre-K steering committee meeting], even though our English is not so goad. 15 Final Report, August 29. 2001 As noted earlier most respondents had no children living in their household at the time of the survey (75.7%, see also Figure 8). Of those with children the largest percent reported one child (45%), with 30% reporting 2 children, 13% reporting three children and 12% reporting 4 or more (see Figure 19). About 83% of those with children had one child needing childcaze arrangements, and 17% had two children needing childcaze. (Figure 20). Figuretg: Number of Children Living in Household Figure 20: Number Children Needing Child Care ~1 02 ~3 ~4ormore Figure 21 presents the childcare arrangements of respondents. About 39% reported their child(ren)stay with a relative, while 39% said they used anon-profit childcare center. About 11 % reported their child(ren) were cared for in a for-profit childcare center. Six percent reported their children stayed with friends, and another 6% said their child(ren) were in after school programs of some kind. No one who responded to the survey reported that their child(ren) remained home alone until they returned from work. These figures mirror trends across the U. S., where a lazge percentage of families needing childcare report that their children stay with relatives. iF Final Report, August 29. 2001 Interview data suggested that the cost of good quality child care was prohibitive, which might explain some of the use of relatives, as well as the dissatisfaction with having to do so. In general there was agreement that there were very few affordable profit oriented day Gaze centers and that the waiting list for church related day care was often very long. A quote from one of the women interviewed is illustrative: Childcare is not affordable here. I take my two younger kids to a sitter who chazges me $1.25 per child, per hour. But if I sent them to a regular daycare, they would chazge me from $50-$70 per child, per week, regazdless of how many hours they were actually there. The sitter is moving on with her life, getting marred and such, so I won't be able to use her for much longer. So now I haven't found anybody who's going to take them at an hourly rate that I can afford. My neighbor offered to do it, but she wanted $2.00 per hour, per child. At my wage of $5.90/hr., I saw no point in doing that bemuse I'd only be taking home $1.90 per hour! In addition some noted the absence of childcare outside of typical business hours (lam - 6 pm) lack of weekend care options and lack of care for children with special needs: We need a childcare facility for kids with special needs in Kemille. It is sorely missing. Most day care centers have waiting lists.... (for example, Zion, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist churches) ... They do not take children in diapers. They're very strict that the child is `potty-trained'.... Child care is available from Gam to fipm, Monday through Friday .. Moat day care is in churches. No commercial daycare. There's not enough centers for Kemille's growth. To afford good daycare workers, centers need [o have either high rates or a waiting list Of those using childcare, most reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their arrangements (see Figure 22). This held true for all types of care arrangements, although interestingly those who said their children stayed with relatives were more likely to report dissatisfaction (28%). t~ Final Report, August 29. 2001 COMMUNITY NEEDS To determine the kinds of needs individuals living in Kerr County might have, respondents were asked about problems that families living in their neighborhood might experience, and were provided a list of eighteen different problems. The list of problems included: Streets are in poor condition; Fire station too far; Lack of police protection; Lack of emergency health services; Too much commercial development; Drainage/Flooding problems during rain; Neighborhood safety; Traffic Congestion; Lack of parks and recreation areas; Lack of close shopping (groceries, cleaners, etc.); Lack of child care; Lack of transportation; Crime (i.e., violence or theft); Drug abuse; Alcohol abuse, Child Abuse, Uncontrolled growth; Lack of continuing education; Lack of affordable housing; and Lack of employment opportunities. Individuals could select more than one of these choices. 1R Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 23: Most Frequently Mentioned Neighborhood Problems t`J~\\~5 `~~ ~~w~e~ eN~s~t~9 pack- ~°~.P~°~a~ 9~bo° c~ '(ca~~ or ae sCp~ ~(<~` va~~ ~ac~ Jn~ ~~9d 6~\O~ ~5e aada9 ~a9 P Pb°~ P~~d ~~ e~e\~e ~ Jc~~m ~~ ~°d~0 .~cp ~~¢e~y oQ~ng e`'~ C,~pS ~,a~ About 13% respondents selected only one problem, while about 14% mentioned two and 16% mentioned three. Thirteen percent of respondents said they were not aware of any problems that families in their neighborhood experienced. At the opposite end of the spectrum a one or two individuals mentioned that families in their neighborhood experienced between 13 and 19 of the problems mentioned. Between 2% and 9% of respondents mentioned between 4 and 12 problems that they believed were experienced by families in their neighborhood. Figure 23 displays those problems, which were mentioned by the lazgest percentage of respondents. Lack of employment opportunities (40%) and lack of affordable housing (39%) were mentioned most frequently. Traffic congestion (37%) lack of transportation (31%) were the next most frequently mentioned followed closely t4 0°h 10°h 20°~ 30°h 40°~ 50°~ Final Report, August 29, 2001 by drainage problems when it rains (30%). Drug abuse and alcohol abuse were mentioned by slightly over one fourth of the respondents, while too much commercial development and streets in poor condition were mentioned by slightly under 25%. Seventeen percent of respondents mentioned lack of close shopping (for household necessities) was a problem. Traffic congestion was a recurrent theme of those interviewed. In addition, several of those interviewed suggested that the part of town "behind the HEB" was known for having problems with juvenile delinquency and with drug abuse. As with the phone respondents, those interviewed identified lack of good paying jobs and lack of affordable housing as serious problems. Those interviewed living in rural areas also mentioned that lack of County ordinances on maintaining property meant that some individuals allowed trash and junk to pile up in their yards creating health and safety hazards for those living in the vicinity. In addition some mentioned that a lack of public transportation was a problem, as illustrated by this man's remarks: [There is] no transit for non-seniors. The bus route for school started at 6:30am for elementary school You need a car to enjoy the parks and recreation, stating no alternatives outside of a ride from a friend or family, or a cab. [I think] Public vans would be used regulazly, if fair prices could be considered. Going to both work and school is tough in Kemille without personal transportation, regardless of [the presence of] children. I wonder about the lack of public transportation sometimes. The cab system runs only when the cab owner has free time. There's no bus service here, but a bus system would be IoseAose.... I don't know about a car or van service. Figure 24 arranges those problems that were least cited by respondents in order of response. Sixteen percent mentioned child abuse. Less than 15% mentioned lack of continuing education, lack of parks and recreation, crime, lack of child care and fire station too far as problems. Less than 10% mentioned lack of police protection, lack of emergency medical services, lack of mental health services or neighborhood safety as problems in their neighborhoods. ~n Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 24: Least Frequently Mentioned Neighborhood Problems c, ,~c a~`~ .~''~ vc° c4~° G~dA S,° R-~ e 5 Figure 25 indicates the one problem among those mentioned that the respondent considered the most serious for their neighborhood. Lack of employment opportunities (17%) is the problem most frequently mentioned as the most serious for Kerr County residents. This was followed closely by traffic congestion (16%) and lack of affordable housing (12%). Flooding/drainage problems, streets and poor condition and lack of transportation were mentioned by less than 10% of respondents. All other problems were mentioned as the most serious by 5% or less of those who answered the survey. The percentages ranged from 5% mentioning child abuse to 1% mentioning lack of police protection, lack of continuing education and lack of mental health services. ~~ 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 25: Most Serious Problem in Neighborhood Lack Employment Opportunities Traffic Congestion Lack-Affordable Housing Floading/Drainage when Rain Streets-Poor Condition Lack-Transportaion Drug Abuse Too Much Commercial Development Fire Station Too Far Lack-Close Shopping Crime Child Abuse Lack EMS Lack-Child Care Alcohol Abuse Lac k~arks/Recreation Neighborhood Safety Lack~ontinuing Education Lack Police Protection Lack MHMR Services Respondents were also asked the following: The County governments in Texas often provide a variety of services designed to help individuals and families. We are going to name some services and we want you to tell us which ones you believe are important for helping people in your community. Figure 26 displays the responses to this question. Respondents clearly thought that providing each of these services was important to the community. In particulaz, note the lazge percentage indicating that elder care (85%) along with programs for the elderly (82%) aze important. About 75% mentioned long-term health care, 73% mentioned outpatient medical care, 72% day care for children and 70% mentioned emergency assistance in the form of food, money and/or shelter. About 66% suggested parenting education would be zn important service for helping families in Kerr County. ~~ 0°,6 5% 10°,6 15°h 20°,6 Final Report, August 29. 2001 Figure 26: Percent Saying Service is Important for Helping Families in Their Comm unity a% 20% ao% so% so% too% Elder Care ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ `~ l Programs for '-, ~' ' ` Elderly t err+' ' 1 Long Term Medical .; y ~ `' ""~ ' ' ' "° ~ ~ Care s , Outpatient Care Day Care l J Emergency Help fi •,_ I ($ food shelter) , , , ~~ ~ }, _ ~ . ~ ~ ~"~ ; ~' s r, Parenting i ~ ~ 7. , ~,. ~. ~ ~ ~ ~ Education `• - ~ - (- -- - ~ ~, In addition individuals were asked about the importance of services provided by private or public agencies other than the County. Figure 27 presents those services mentioned as important for their community Police protection, fire protection and emergency medical Gaze were most frequently mentioned as important. Adult literacy programs, fair housing services and counseling services were least frequently mentioned, but about 59% of the respondents mentioned the service least frequently mentioned (fair housing programs). Interestingly, adult literacy was mentioned by a priority for a two of the individuals interviewed: [Kerr County has a] need for adult education and for certification in skilled trades no[ how to run a cash register, but some real trades, like electrical trades for eainful emnlovment. I don't know what happened to Alamo Workforce in town, I haven't heard of or from them much lately. I'm on the boazd of Families and Literacy Inc. and help teach English as a Second Language. We need help and money at our little literacy center so bad because there are waiting lists for the English language classes. One of the things we aze doing now, is coordinating with Headstart because what is the point of teaching children English when they go home to a completely non- English speaking home? We work with the parents of children in Headstart to help build a stronger economic base in the family as a whole. We only have 1.5 paid employees at Families and Literacy Inc. (non-profit). I think we are the most important agency in town. ~3 Final Report, Augus[ 29, 2001 Figure 27: Percent Saying Service Was Important for County to Provide 0% 20°h 40% 60% 80% 100% Police Protection Fire Protection EmertJency Medical Care Seruces for Disabled Ju~.enile Probation Adult Literacy Programs Counseling Seruces Fair Housing Programs Lack of employment opportunities is an important issue for Kerr County residents. Interestingly individuals with college degrees (Bachelors, Masters and Advanced degrees) were more likely than those with a community college degree or lower to mention this as a problem. This could indicate a "brain drain" for Kerr county in the future if individuals with higher level degrees must find employment elsewhere. Mexican Americans (48.4%) were more likely to mention this as a problem than White, non-Hispanics (41.3%) although the difference was small. As seen in Figure 28, younger respondents were more likely to see this as a problem, although this perception carries through the middle age groups yeazs when individuals are likely to have higher levels of financial responsibilities and experience the "middle income squeeze." This latter problem can also be seen in Figure 29 showing that families with higher level incomes (respondents tend to be older) may be feeling the "middle income squeeze" aze more likely to mention this as a problem. These themes were recurrent among those interviewed also as these quotes illustrate: It is a minimum wage town. Lots of people have two jobs in order to make ends meet. [A serious problem far Kerr County is lack ofJ Employment opportunities. There are not enough jobs with mid-range pay. There are a lo[ of retired folks and a lot of lower class [income] folks. ~a Final Report, August 29. 2001 Most of the jobs here are minimum wage jobs. That leads to revolving-door employment. At Sunday breakfast, I regulazly see new waiters.... Kemille is short on industry, particularly industries with traditionally better pay. With that, children tend to graduate and leave.... James Avery and the health facilities arc the main job bast.... The technology industry is not prescnl. i don't know what keeps it away, I guess people would WANT to work there (in technology). Figure 28: Perceptions of Lack of Employment as a Problem by Age Group 70% 60% 50% gpg6 r ONot mentioned i 3D% ~` Mentioned 20% 18- 36- 46- 6$+ 35 45 ~ figure 29' Perceptions of lack of Employment as a Problem by Income Group ~ Not mentioned ~ Mentioned Lack of affordable housing could be another important problem for Kerr county officials to consider. This problem is mentioned primarily by Mexican Americans (54.8% compazed to 38.6% of White, non-Hispanics) and those in younger age groups (see Figure 30). Similaz to lack of employment opportunities, this problem may face those individuals experiencing the "middle income squeeze" (see Figures 31). Fgure 30: F~rceptions of Lack of Affordable Fbusing as R'oblem by Age Group 65% °, , ~ ,% 55% - s t ,t t `' " 35% ~ 25% ~~ 16-35 36-45 46-~ 65+ p Not mentoned ~ Mentioned Figure 31: Perceptions of Affordable Housirg as a Robk:m try Income Group O Not Mentioned ~Mertioned Again this theme was reinforced by those completing personal interviews: Housing is expensive. Rental properly is high. Lower income families have a hard time getting settled Even as a middle class family, when we moved here from Houston it was tough. There are new apartment complexes going up, I just don't know of their price ranges. 75 $1-20K $2i-40K $41-75K $76K+ E1-20K E21 WOK $41-75K $76K+ Final Repori, August 29, 2001 The biggest problem with jobs here is that the rich retired people want service providers that live elsewhere. They don't want any low-income housing in the area. HEALTH STATUS AND CONCERNS Figure 32 displays the self-reported health status of respondents. More than a third of the respondents said their health was excellent (34%), while another 46% described their health as good. About 16% said their health was only fair, and 5% said poor. These findings held up across different demographic categories, although a higher percentage of Mexican Americans (33.2%) and those in lower income groups (31.6% of those whose family income was $20,000 or less per year) describe their health as only fair While the latter two groups aze small in proportion to those who said excellent and good, those saying fair or poor aze very likely to be need of city or county services. While this variable is not based on objective indicators of health, research has shown that self- reported health is a good indicator of objective health. Figure 32: Self~eported Health Status 1876 Survey results suggest that most Kerr County residents are engaging in preventive health care measures for themselves (Figure 33) and for their children (Figure 34). Note the high percentages of individuals who indicated they had sought medical services in a hospital emergency room £or themselves (25%) and/or for their children (34%). One man who was interviewed remarked on the lack of mental health care available in Kerrville, as well as the fact that County residents seem to perceive seeking psychiatric caze in negative terms: I was the last psychiatrist in the medical field in the area. I retired and now there's no psychiatrist in the field ... For some reason, [here are reservations towards psychiatrists in the area. I was in the area as the KSH director, but all other psychiatrists had to leave because they were not getting any references. Psychiatrists get most of their patients from doctor referrals, and that doesn't happen here. ~~ Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 33: Percent Saying "Yes" to Various Types of Medical Care for Themselves p~\ER Wer`l\~ `pyi~ons Oa~2\ Gh~MIP cK~p V,ed~ca\C~ 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Figure 34: Percent Who Said "Yes" to Fdlowing Types of Medical Gre for their Children 347GM, 1 lto~a\y\ER ~. T~ -I Often individuals without health insurance coverage will use the hospital emergency room for primary caze, which is very costly for taxpayers in the county. This is supported by Figure 35, which shows that those reporting no health insurance coverage had the second highest percent (38.4%) who have been to a hospital emergency room last year. This group was second to the 60% of those using Medicaid who had been to a hospital emergency room for treatment. Interview data suggest that those in lower income brackets may have more problems obtaining health care they need: There is a problem with health care for people that can't afford it. This ties into the high housing cost and low incomes. The community does not take tare of the families that take care of [he communiri. Figure 35: Percent Who said They had been to a Hospital Emergency Room by Type of Health Insurance ~~ ed` ~ ~~ -I I~ i,:.ii. ~i ~~,.,,: f i ' ~, `d\e ~ ~ ~ ovary ~ ~ 6~t,~ ~,~ f ,., qy~ a~'aT.~ t` J~' P d `" x PA .~ ~~ ~` st4. F~ i 4" k, ~ •.. ,. sa ~ ~ ~ etb'3~ 0% 40% 50% 60°h 10°k 20% 30°h Qw~ ~ E 77 Final Report, August 29, 2001 Most respondents had some type of health insurance coverage. As shown in Figure 36, only 8% reported no health insurance. However, this percentage is likely to under represent the uninsured. Previous reseazch has shown that telephone survey under report those without health insurance because 1) the respondent may have coverage, but other members of hislher family may not, and 2) individuals without telephones aze more likely to be without health insurance. Almost equal percentages of individuals said they were covered by employer-based health insurance (31%) or covered by Medicare (30%). This, in part, reflects the age structure of the Kerr County residents. Figure 36: Type of Health Insurance - '~ Nd`e I Mea~~ad I' M~~~aN I ~~~ I o~ P~\~~e ~M a aye ~ it a ~mp~oye~b~ 0% 10% 20% 30% I I Figure 38 shows a majority pf respondents (57%) said they would go to a hospital emergency room for treatment of minor medical problems like a bad cut on the hand. Very small percentages of individuals said they would go to one of the community Figure 37: Where Seek Care for Minor Health Problem l N Cli i S ti p 3+~6 ~~~+ ri9,y' i~'~Y """''NN ~qr? ~ p ikon c~(e~ ~y} <` "4~~,>k Y~~y ~~ , va on my n c a S ~ S~i w I ~F S t E~ ~ p ~ t~~9 ~~ 2 6v`s ,b ~ i ~ ~ t r ~ ~ ~ Raphael Community Clinic ~ '~ >'. `~,~' ~v•, ,~ ~~,~~'`~,x j WK'S ~ 5 ~ Self Care • . .,. y x~~~ ~~y ~ ~U. `GW " ~\J!^"~Yi I M1 ~ +~} 'fi't 10'9 Doctors Office , ~ ~ ~a ~~ '°`~~ +~'~~`"E k .J T. li Emergency Room ~'". 0°h 10°h 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% - ~~j - /° ~ 1 °~ 5% 8 h 16% 30% 31° /~ 7R Final Report, August 29. 2001 clinics. This finding held true for various race/ethnic, age and income groups as well as those with various types of health insurance and those with no insurance coverage. PRESCHOOL AND EDUCATIONAL ISSUES Keeping in mind that 24.3% of the respondents had children living at home and that 20% of those had children between the ages 7 -18, Figure 38 shows that of families with children, only 7% said they were enrolled in pre-kindergarten classes. Among those completing personal interviews, some mentioned the need for more schools in Kerrville, an elementary school and a high school in particular In addition, one individual mentioned a severe lack of programs for gifted and talented students: I am disappointed at this point with the education system, with the gifted and talented program in particulaz. We used to have a super G&T teacher, but not any more. I understand that a reason is there's not much financing for [he prograzn and there's a lack of support for i[ amongst [he teachers. We used to have a parent group [hat met, but that's also not [here any more. There's not much mind-growing organizations in the school Curly the middle school has club for [he gifted.... Not many kids participate. It's no[ well advertised. My grandson tried it and didn't like it. Figure 39: Whether Children were Tested for Disabilities 0 Ves ~ No Of those with children between the ages of 3 and 6, less than one fourth (23.6%) said they had children in pre-kindergarten classes. An equally small percentage of respondents with children said their children had been tested for disabilities (Figure 39). A small proportion of those interviewed suggested that there aze not enough services to help people of any age with disabilities. For example, one woman stated that: Not enough people care about their [those with disabilities] needs. We need more volunteer service here. There's a lot these people cannot do for themselves and they don't have the money to pay people to do stuff for them azound the house, so the living conditions deteriorate and it stays that way, and it's a shame. The home health care people come azound to my house, but they aze not allowed to do extra stuff like help defrost the refrigerator and things like that, so that's where help is needed The elderly need their lawns mowed and little things like [hat. ~v Final Report, August 29, 2001 Figure 40: Percent with Children Eating Breakfast at School 70°h 79°~ ' " 50°,G t ` i 40°h ' 30°.6 . 1ti96" ~~ n .. ~ 10% '„ ~ ' 0°.6 Yes No Not Eligible Individuals whose family income is low tend to have more needs and more extreme needs than others. As one indicator of economic need, Close to one fifth (18.5%) said their children ate breakfast at school. As one woman interviewed indicated, Kerr County must meet the needs of those families with few economic resources in order to support future residents: Jobs and Education are critical. The Chamber of Commerce is encouraging companies to come in and we have to have [he worli'orce in place that will be able to man those jobs that new business will bring. The language barrier and the level of education needs to improve -just the general level of sophistication. Population is the most important part of an infrastructure, not just bridges and roads, but human capital affects what you can do to develop. About 65% of respondents said they were in favor of bilingual education classes being taught in Kerr County schools (Figure 41). In addition about one third of respondents (30%) said the appropriate level to teach bilingual education is pre- kindergarten and over one fourth said in elementary school (26%, see Figure 42). About 21% said bilingual classes should be offered at all grade levels, 12% said kindergarten, 8% said middle school and 3% said high school. Those interviewed reinforced these findings as illustrated by the following quote: I personally feel strongly about us being a bilingual society. Even though Spanish-speaking people have to learn English because the language of legalese [most business is conducted] in English, but I'm always disappointed that more people in a community like this don't make more of an effort to learn Spanish 3(1 Final Report, August 29. 2001 Figure 47: Those In Favor ar Nat In Favor of Blingual 6Wptian in Pudic Shcools O Ves O No Figure 42: Grade at Which Bilingual Classes should be Taught ~\emRK ~de~9~te 096 5% 1tPb t5% 20°l6 25% 3096 P N~9" Sc~o\ ~rddd~c9a~er` K~P\\C'tade\ M Sah~ Figure 43) and even fewer indicated they knew about the Homespun Early Childhood Intervention Program (see Figure 4). Figure 43: Familiarity with Head Start Program Figure 44: Familiarity with Fbme~un Farly Childhood Intervention Program ~~~ Just as those surveyed by phone, few of those interviewed had heard about the Head Start or Homespun programs. Those who said they knew about them were now or had been associated with Cotmty services. One man suggested that part of the lack of awazeness could be because information about the programs is not printed in Spanish as well as English. There are in fact all these programs available, but there is not enough commtmiry awareness for them. The people who do find out about these programs are already well-connected. For Spanish speakers, there is not enough awareness placed out [here in Spanish. There aze not enough leaflets and pamphlets printed in Spanish ~1 Final Report, August 29.2001 At least one woman who was interviewed said that she believed that while both programs were effective, some children still fell through the cracks: There are barriers to Having the special needs of children me[. With Homespun, the children are ages 3 and under and through [he Headstart program of [he public school system, they have to be at least 4 years old. Some would-be clients fall through the crocks when the kids are between ages of 3 and 4, and thus tend to get discouraged. Family Activities On a positive note, a lazge majority of respondents said they their family always ate meals together (71%) while only 17% they never ate meals together (Figure 46). This finding held true across age, income, and race/ethnic groups. Interesting there was some disparity based on education; those who reported not completing high school were faz more likely to say the family never ate meals together (Figure 47). Figure 46: Frequency that Family Eats Meals Together t% 3% 9% 17% i 71% ^ Daily ~ Never O 2 - 3 TimesM/k ~ Weekly O Weekends Only Individuals who completed qualitative interviews also mentioned doing family oriented activities -going to various parks, the public library and the swimming pool. While describing working with the Head Start program one woman observed the strong family ties oflow-income Hispanic families: I observed that the children of the Hispanic families in the program came from more cohesive units and the white children had less family support, mostly a single mother situation. The strength of the Hispanic families was that they had the grandmothers and other family members supporting the child, so those kids felt very secure. When you went to the grocery store, you saw that they had their older brothers and sisters and everybody there to lovingly take care of them. And that isn't the case sometimes in the lower-income Anglo family situation ~~ Final Repon, August 29, 2001 While respondents like the YMCA programs, a couple of individuals mentioned the need for renovation as the following quote illustrates: The YMCA needs a new location and to become more accessible and needs more facilities and to become more affordable (recurrent). We have the family support center, but the "Y" situation needs to improve. Figure 47: How Frequently Family Eats Meals Together by Highest Degree Completed Advanced _ rinnrai --,I i Bachelor's Associate High School < High Sch. 0°,6 20°b 40°b 60°,6 80°,6 ^ Daily ^ 2 - 3 /week ^ Weekly ^ Weekends onty ~ Never Economic demands rather than lack of desire for family based activities may explain the findings illustrated in Figure 47. With both parents employed it is difficult to find "family time." The problem maybe exacerbated with the daycare problems discussed earlier, and would be compounded for single parent families and those families where one or more parent has two jobs. As one man reported: Several parents have 2-3 jobs per family. Nine dollazs per hour is considered above average. Not many people can raise kids on one job. Another individual remarked that schools would be one good place to identify families with needs: Doctors and Schools would be a good place to find needy families, just by finding families that have kids without custody 33 Final Report, Augusi 29, 2001 Future Needs As discussed earlier in this report most Ken County residents expressed concern for the future related to the lack of good paying job opportunities, affordable quality day care services, affordable housing and adequate public transportation. In addition, qualitative interviews elicited a few more items that residents think community leaders should be attuned to. Several individuals who were interviewed commented that water could become an important concern in the near future: Number one, we need an aggressive approach to water. There are five entities involved in the city's water supply. They straggle for control, need to focus more on conservation. We need to start buying the undergound reservoir (or "reservoirs"), instead of control-what-we-have. We need an aggressive approach to water (overtly restated)." We (Hill County Geoscientists Club) put together a water plan for the five entities to look at, but they don't want outside help ion their plans. We need a water recapture system I think we need to make water recapture systems a part of new development. Most individuals responding to the phone survey suggested that programs for the elderly would become increasingly important. All individuals who were interviewed remarked that the Dietert Claim does a good job of providing services for the elderly, although one man remarked that the cost of using their van for transportation was too high: The elderly have transportation problems. We need a bus to take the elderly back and forth across town for a reasonable fee. Dierert Claim provides this service, and it is a little costly, but what we really need is a transit system, not only for the elderly, but for people to get to work also. Two individuals remarked that there was a growing number of grandpazents raising grandchildren and not much support for this group. One grandmother who is raising her grandson mentioned that many grandpazents aze taking care of children and that there is not enough support for this group: There aze big problems with getting federal aid for grandparents. Many grandparents don't know they need custody of [heir grandkids to get them suppoR. Grandparents can't access many things that they need because they don't have custody. They can't get things like W.I.C. or social security. A major problem is [hat federal agencies aze too specialized. There's no umbrella agency that knows what the other agencies aze doing. There's also no booklet telling you which agencies do what. Nobody seems to know exactly where to go for specific problems. To get things (custody and support), you need [o work, work, work, work, work, until you have what you need from each agency. Having an agency that is an umbrella for the other agencies [would be helpfiil.] Finding a lawyer willing to help with custody is a hurdle. I went to Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM) for help, and even they did not know where I needed to go. It's hazd to get a doctor or get the kid in school without custody. Grandparents don't know they NEED custody. Z4 Final Report. August 29, 2001 Another individual commented: There's not much social support for grandparents mising grandidds. There are surprisingly many gandparents keeping grandkids. I know of 6 to 8 ... at least six are primary caregivers.... We could use Respite care. Respite care, R-E-S-P-I-T-E care. (malting sure I wrote it down.) We're older than we were when we had our kids. We get tired more easily. We need respite care for mental health, temporary relief. Now we (grandparents) need babysitters, and some cannot afford babysitters. ... This grandparents raising gandkids is definitely a Bowing issue... AARP sa}'s there are now 400,000 grandparents raising [heir grandkids, compared [0 40,000 just [en years ago. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The telephone survey and individual interviews of the adult population of Kerr County were designed to elicit public opinion related to unmet needs of citizens and possible future directions for community action. Lack of employment opportunities and traffic congestion were the two problems most frequently identified as the most serious in the respondents' neighborhoods, followed closely by lack of affordable housing. In addition, lack of public transportation was mentioned by most of those interviewed. The most important indicators of dissatisfaction or of unmet needs among respondents were ethnicity and income. Those individuals in lower income groups and those who identified themselves as Mexican American or Hispanic were most likely to say lack of affordable housing and flooding/drainage after heavy rains were a serious problem, to say they were dissatisfied with the quality of their housing, and to say they had no health insurance. The middle income-middle age group indicated that lack of employment opportunities was a problem, as did those with advanced degrees. In genera], those who said they lived outside of the Kerrville area were also likely to indicate higher level needs and less satisfaction with services. These individuals tended to be younger, have lower family incomes and be more likely to have young children living at home. With respect to over all health, Mexican Americans/Hispanics, older individuals and those with low family incomes were most likely to say their health was only fair or poor. Respondents who were Mexican Americans, those between 18 - 35 and 36 - 45 years old, and those with family earnings between $1,000 and $20,000 were most likely to say they had no insurance. Most individuals engaged in preventive medical and dental care for themselves and their children. A majority of respondents said they would go to a hospital emergency room for treatment of a minor medical problem, and a high percentage of those with lower incomes and those whose insurance is provided by Medicare said they had been to a hospital emergency room within the past year. Heavy use of hospital emergency rooms for other than urgent medical problems can pose a heavy financial burden on taxpayers. Avery small proportion of respondents said they would choose to go to a community clinic in case of a minor medical problem. Fire protection, police protection, emergency medical services, services for the disabled, juvenile probation, providing counseling services, adult literacy programs, and fair housing services were all considered important activities for Kerr County 75 Final Repon, August 29, 2001 government. Most respondents believe eldercare, programs for the elderly and long-term health care will become an increasingly important future need. In addition, emergency services (food, money, shelter), parenting education services, which are traditionally provided by other non-profit or private agencies, were also identified as important to individuals living in Kerr County. Those respondents utilizing child care were equally likely to report using relatives and non-profit day care centers. Most who used day caze were satisfied with the care given their children. Those using relatives had the highest percentage saying they were dissatisfied with their day care arrangements. Individuals who completed interviews focused on the lack of affordable quality day care and day care that was available outside of traditional employment hours or on a "drop in" basis. An overwhelming majority of respondents said their family ate meals together daily, although about one third of individuals who had not completed a high school degree said their family never ate meals together. The latter finding is likely related to socioeconomic status. Many of those interviewed suggested that the lack of available jobs which pay more than minimum wage meant that some parents held not one but two jobs each. Few respondents were aware of the eazly childhood programs available in Kerr County (Head Start and Homespun Early Childhood Intervention Program). Less than one fourth of respondents said their children had been tested for disabilities, and close to one fifth said their children ate breakfast at school. This suggests a need for an information campaign allowing residents to become familiaz with these important programs. In addition, since many of those in high need of services aze Spanish speakers, the information should be made available in both English and Spanish languages. A cleaz majority of respondents believe that bilingual education classes in the schools aze important, and most say that these classes ought to be taught at the pre- kindergarten level. Most importantly, results from the phone survey of Kerr County residents indicate that residents are very satisfied with living there. The majority reported being in good or excellent health, and about one third say the quality of services provided by Kerr County for residents is either above average or far above average. Most residents are either satisfied or very satisfied with schools in the County, and are either satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of their housing. These results were reinforced by the in depth individual interviews completed. ~~ Final Report, August 29, 2001 Resources Brooks-Gunn. Greg J. Duncan, and J. Lawrence Aber (eds.). 1997. Neighborhood Poverty New York: Russell Sagc Foundation. Butler, Amy C. 1996 "The Effect of Welfare Benefit Levels on Poverty among Single-Parent Families," Social Problems 43: 94-115. Craig, W. 2000. Childhood Social Development: The Essential Readings Malden, MA: Blackwell. Duncan, Greg J. and Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne (eds.) 1997. Consequences of Growing up Poor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Glassner, Bam•. 1999. [he Culture of Hear. New York: Basic Books. Harris, Richard J. and Juanita M. Firestone. 2001. "Working Hard but Remaining Uninsured: A Report on the Lack of Health Insurance in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area," MRPI Working Papter Series 2: !rt:i ~ ~~~~ ui~ ~ 1 _ t*,. Homel, Peter and Palij, Michael (eds.) 1987. Childhood Bilingualism: .9spects ojLinguis7ic. Cognitive and Social Development. I-lillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Kurtz, Demi. 1995. For Richer jor Poorer: ~L7others confront Divorce. New York: Routledge. Martinez, Ramiro, Jr. 1996, "Latinos and Lethal Violence: The Impact of Poverty and Inequality, Social Problems 43: 131-146. Press, Julie E., and Eleanor Townsley, 199R, "Wives' and Husbands' Reporting: Gender. Class, and Social Desirability," Gender & Society 12: 188-218 Vega, William A and H. Amero, 1994. "Latino Chrtlook: Good Health, Uncertain Prognosis," Annual Review ojPublic Health 15: 39-67. Williams, David R., and Chiquita Collins, 1995. "U. S. Socioeconomic and Racial Differences in Health: Patterns and Explanations," Annual Review ojSociologv 21: 349-386. i7 The Childress' Initiative sponsored by Partners in Ministry 2002-04 Purpose To address in comprehensive ways the needs of children (prenatal-second grade) in Herr County. Focus 1. Quality, affordable childcare 2. Parenting education information 3. Early diagnosis and intervention with special needs children Strategy To involve a broad coalition of churches, agencies, schools, businesses, healthcare, and law enforcement in a three year concentration on the needs of young children in Herr County. This will be done by strengthening existing entities programs and by building partnerships where gaps in services or underserved populations exist. Special attention will be given to publicizing resources for young children and their families. For more information Contact Bill Blackburn, President Partners in Ministry 301 Junction Hwy., Suite 346 Herrville, Texas 78028 830-792-3131 bil~a~-tnersinministry.com Some Highlights from the Research on the Needs of Young Children Conducted for Partners in Ministry Kerr County is growing older. It went from a median age of 40.45 in 1990 to 43.8 in 2000. From 1980 until 2000, the number of persons over the age of 85 increased from 571 to 1483. 18% of Kerr County households have an individual under 18, while 23% of the households have an individual over 65. 24.9% of Kerr County residents are 65 years or over while the state percentage is 9.9%. Many children in Kerr County live in or near poverty. 47.2 % of students in KISD come from economically disadvantaged households. That is 50.5% in Ingram and 54.4% in Center Point. The percent of children in Kerr County below the poverty line (in 1997) was 26.5% while in the state the number is 23.6%. At Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital, the percent of patients on Medicaid has risen from 4% to 7%. The percentage of newborns on Medicaid at SPMH is 60%. Growing numbers of Kerr County children are minorities. 37.3% of all births in the county are Hispanic. More than one fourth of school students are minorities with KISD having the highest percent at 39%. Ingram and Hunt both have 24% while Center Point has 26%. There are fewer young children. The number of children from birth to four declined 12.2% from 1990 to 2000. The number of children from five to nine declined 7.4%. There is an increase in the number of single mothers. There was in the last decade a 26% increase of households headed by women with their own children present in the home.