York County No. 1 in S.C. Kids Count rankings

York County’s efforts to create a culture that cares about kids earned another honor Tuesday as the annual Kids Count survey ranked the county best in the state for child well-being.

Lancaster County ranked 18th and Chester 41st out of 46 counties.

York County’s top ranking is because of the efforts of so many groups and an unmatched spirit of cooperation, said longtime child advocate Sylvia Echols. “We have a unique level of collaboration ... We have developed a culture that takes care of children.

“It’s still evolving and it’s not done.”

The survey by Children’s Trust of South Carolina ranks counties on four factors: economic well being, education, health and family, and community. Each category has four factors on which the rating is based on.

York County ranked first in the state on three of 16 factors: the fewest number children under 17 living in households with income below the poverty level, the lowest number of children living with families where no parent is working or looking for work, and the cumulative percentage of fewest children failing grades 1, 2 or 3.

It ranked second in the lowest number of children living in single-parent families.

Tammie Peterson, community director for the United Way of York County, said the Kids Count results mirror the agency’s own ongoing needs assessment. The Kids Count data will be used with the agency’s own data to set priorities for “how the community uses its donated dollars,” Peterson said.

David Keeley, a doctor and public health advocate, said the Kids Count information shows the commitment made by nonprofit groups, the local health department, physicians and Carolinas Healthcare System and Piedmont Medical Center. “We are working hard to create a culture of health in York County,” Keely said.

Melissa Strompolis of Children’s Trust said counties need to “look below the surface” of the Kids Count data to see what they are doing well and what needs improvement. For Chester County, that could mean considering how to improve economic factors that could benefit education. Chester County’s four education factors in the 2015 survey were all worse than those in the 2014 survey.

Lancaster County’s survey outcome was largely unchanged from the previous year as the number of factors improving and factors worsening were equal.

Lancaster County schools Superintendent Gene Moore said, “The Kids Count data demonstrate why it’s so important for agencies across our county to work together to improve conditions for children. ... We’re working with state agencies, with law enforcement and with local community support groups to address problems children face, to take measures to keep those kinds of problems from happening and to educate parents and the community about what they can do to help.”

The 2015 Kids County survey was based on data from 2013.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 2:03 PM with the headline "York County No. 1 in S.C. Kids Count rankings."