Together, with TCSW leadership, Tennesseeans from all walks of life have an 
opportunity to make a difference to lift our well-being. Please consider:

Demographics of Tennesseans Indicating Need for Services to Improve Well-Being
 
The number of unemployed Tennesseans jumped 19% in May, 2008 over the April, 2008 rates (TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 2008).
 
TN ranks 45th out of 50 states in the Chance for Success Index. (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008).
 
While the teen birth rate is declining, TN still ranks 41st among states in teen births (TN Department of Health).
 
Compared to other states, we rank 45th in the percent of teens who are high school dropouts.
 
Forty-three percent (43%) of our children live in low-income families (income below 200% of the poverty level). (Kids Count 2008, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation).
 
The TN infant mortality rate is tied with Louisiana at 47th.
 
In 2005, 41% TN fourth graders scored below the basic reading level, and 53% of Tennesseans read at the eighth grade level or below.
 
Almost 1 in 3 Tennessee children lives in a single-parent family.  (Kids Count 2005, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2006)
 
In 2004-2005, drug-related offenses accounted for 63% of all zero tolerance offenses within public schools.  (TN Office of the Comptroller, 2006)
 
TN teen violent deaths rose in 2004 by 3% while nationally the teen death rate was down by 18%.
 
The TN education system is ranked 41st (Morgan Quitino’s Smart States analysis, 2006).
 
Annually 700 Tennesseans commit suicide, which is 20% above the national average (TN Suicide Prevention Network, 2007).
 
The average lifespan of Tennesseans is 75 years of age, which puts our ranking among states at 45%  (TN Dept. of Health).
 
Tennessee has the 4th highest percentage of immigrant relocation among all states, prompting a high number of attempts to limit human rights through legislation  (The Tennessean, 2006).
 
Tennessee ranks last among states in the amount of funding to support Home and Community Based Services for our eldest or disabled. We have one of the highest levels of funding allocated for nursing home care (AARP-TN, 2005).
 
Although we are making progress, 18,685 at-risk children in Tennessee still are unable to attend either Head Start of Pre-K because of a lack of funding for programs. (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008).
 
Education Week. The state ranking for “Elementary and Secondary Performance” was 40th.  (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008)
 
Over one-half of Tennessee children are from families with incomes 200% of poverty level or below - 54.2%  (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008)
 
Tennessee led the nation in personal bankruptcy filings in July 2007. The rate of six bankruptcies per 1,000 residents is twice the national average (AOUSC, 2007). Shelby County led all counties in the nation in bankruptcies (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008).
 
The Infant Mortality Rate of Black Tennesseans stands at 15.3 %, more than most industrialized nations and over 50%more than Tennessee Whites (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008)
 
Incidences of reported child abuse and neglect increased from 7.7% in 2004 to 12.2% in 2005  (Kids Count 2007, TN Commission on Children and Youth, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released June, 2008).
 
The Center for Enterprise Development cited Tennessee as sixth worst in the nation in the number of subprime mortgages during the credit boom of the last several years (CFED, 2007).
 
Please see http://www.state.tn.us/tccy/kc-soc07.pdf at the TN Commission of Children and Youth
website report Kids Count - State of the Child, 2007 released June, 2008.