The recently-released 2020 State of Babies Yearbook by national organization Zero to Three provides a snapshot of how well North Carolina’s health, family supports, and early learning systems are supporting our babies and toddlers. The report assesses states on a series of 32 health, family and education data indicators and groups states into four tiers of approximately equal groups:
- G: Getting Started
- R: Reaching Forward
- O: Improving Outcomes
- W: Working Effectively
Overall, NC scored in the O tier — better than 26 states, worse than 11 and DC, and about the same as 12. It is worth noting that NC outscored all other southern states.
New in 2020: Disaggregated Data
The 2020 Yearbook is the second year of the project, and Zero to Three intends to add more functionality each year. This year, they have shared disaggregated data, by race/ethnicity, urbanicity and income, where available.
For example, this graphic shows that Black babies and babies from rural parts of the state are more likely to suffer pre-term births in North Carolina than are white and Hispanic babies, and babies from urban areas.
How is NC Doing in 2020?
The yearbook is divided into Health, Family and Early Learning indicators.
Good Health Indicators
For Health indicators, NC ranks O overall, same as last year, despite several declines in individual indicators’ ranks. Here are how the individual indicators rank and their changes since the inaugural State of Babies Yearbook last year:
| Indicators | Ranking | Change since 2019 |
| Low or very low food security | G | Declined |
Babies with low birthweight | G | No change |
| Infant mortality rate | G | No change |
Infants breastfed at 6 months | R | Declined |
| Received recommended vaccines | R | Declined |
Late or no prenatal care received | R | No change |
| Preterm births | R | (New indicator in 2020) |
| Mothers reporting less than optimal mental health | R | Declined |
| Eligibility limit (% FPL) for pregnant women in Medicaid | O | No change |
| High weight-for-length among WIC recipients | O | (New indicator in 2020) |
Preventive medical care received | O | Improved |
| Uninsured low-income infants/toddlers | O | No change |
Infants ever breastfed | O | No change |
WIC coverage | O | (New indicator in 2020) |
| Preventive dental care received | W | Improved |
Strong Families Indicators
For Families indicators, NC ranks R overall, same as last year, despite several improvements in individual indicators’ ranks. Here are how the individual indicators rank and their changes since last year.
| Indicators | Ranking | Change since 2019 |
| TANF benefits receipt among families in poverty | G | No change |
| Two or more adverse childhood experiences | G | Declined |
| One adverse childhood experience | R | Improved |
| Crowded housing | O | Improved |
Housing instability | O | Improved |
Potential home visiting beneficiaries served | O | Improved |
Family resilience | O | No change |
| Safe neighborhoods | W | No change |
Positive Early Learning Experience Indicators
For Early Learning indicators, NC ranks W overall, an improvement from O in this category last year, despite most indicators’ ranks not changing. Here are how the individual indicators rank and their change since last year.
| Indicators | Ranking | Change since 2019 |
| Percentage of income-eligible infants/toddlers with Early Head Start access | G | No change |
| Cost of care, as % of income single parents | R | No change |
| Percentage of infants/toddlers receiving IDEA Part C services | R | No change |
Parent reads to baby every day | O | No change |
| Cost of care, as % of income married families | O | No change |
| Low/moderate income infants/toddlers in CCDF funded-care | O | No change |
Parent sings to baby every day | W | Improved |
Timeliness of Part C services | W | (New indicator in 2020) |
| Developmental screening received | W | No change |
For more detail on the data indicators and sources, see the full Yearbook report. You can also view North Carolina’s full profile.
Pathways Data Dashboard to be Released
Many of the data indicators assessed in the 2020 Yearbook are also included in the Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Measures of Success Framework. NCECF is releasing this week an interactive, online Pathways Data Dashboard that includes NC data on more than 60 measures of child development across the health, family and education sectors that research shows influence third-grade reading scores. Whenever possible, the dashboard presents data at the state level, compared to national averages; at the county or school district level; by race and ethnicity; by income; by age; and over several years.