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Louisiana ranks 47th in national Kids Count survey

by Walter Pierce

Louisiana fell one spot in an annual national ranking of child well-being that looks at poverty, education and health access.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana fell one spot to 47th in an annual national ranking of child well-being that looks at poverty, education and health access.

The Kids Count report was released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization that had Louisiana ranked at 46th in 2013.

The state improved on education and health care benchmarks, like proficiency in reading and math, high school graduation rates and health insurance coverage. The number of child and teen deaths dropped, along with the number of teen births.

But the state saw worsened data elsewhere, including rising numbers of children whose parents lack secure employment.

The percentage of children who live in poverty remained steady at 28 percent, and the percentage of children who live in single-parent families grew to 48 percent.