BANGOR (AP) – Maine continues to rank among the better states in terms of children’s health and well-being, according to the 2005 Kids Count report.

Maine ranked seventh among the 50 states overall and was in the top ten in half of the major indicators included in the survey published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Maine took the No. 1 spot with the lowest rate of infant mortality and was fourth-lowest in both teen birth rate and percentage of teens who were neither in school or working.

Maine’s infant mortality rate for 2002, the most recent figures available, was 4.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Nationally, the figure was 7 per 1,000.

Responding to the findings, Elinor Goldberg, director of the Maine Children’s Alliance, credited the state’s Medicaid program with supporting the health of low-income youngsters and their families.

But Goldberg expressed concern about the state’s growing school dropout rate, suggesting that one way to reverse that trend is through an expansion of quality pre-kindergarten programs.

Maine ranked 15th in the percentage of teens who are high school dropouts and 20th in the percentage of children living in a family where no parent has a full-time, year-round job. In 2003, there were 5,000 dropouts and 90,000 children in families without a fully employed parent.

An improved state economy with opportunities for secure employment is the best investment to improve the well-being of Maine children and families, Goldberg said, a conclusion echoed in the national report.

The report also cited the need to address personal and social issues that challenge a parent’s employability, including substance abuse, domestic violence, incarceration and depression.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com