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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-YB-1996-07-30 Julie Conley Holcomb r1City Clerk t ,; CITY OF ITHACA 1 JAMES L. GIBBS DRIVE ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 OFFICE OF TELEPHONE YOUTH BUREAU (607)273-8364 TO: Ithaca Youth Board of Advisors FROM: Sam Cohen, Ithaca Youth Bureau Director RE: Enclosed Children and Youth Report DATE: July 30, 1996 The enclosed report, prepared by the Tompkins County Youth Bureau for the City, contains much valuable and important information regarding the children and youth of Ithaca. A small group of agency and school staff are working on presenting the report to key local groups and brainstorming how to use the report to better serve the children and families in Ithaca. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions. An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program" C4: Recycled Paper CHILDREN & YOUTH N A IT A H C 1996 -- - i' L ' ;Fall Creek fEast Hill West Hill. Northside Wash.Park& `: r>' Business Dist. C'Town/Univ. ___..... Southside Belle Sherman South Hill • Spencer/Elmira Rd. .. ./ • � . / / /. Prepared by the Tompkins County Youth Bureau for the City of Ithaca Acknowledgments This report was written by Sara Hess, Kathy Schlather and Nancy Zahler of the Tompkins County Youth Bureau. Elizabeth Mount generously donated a great deal of her time to do the lay-out,type setting and editing for which we are extremely grateful. Thanks are extended to the many public officials at all levels of government who contributed information. Those who helped to hand-tally data, draw maps, interpret trends and check for accuracy include: Karen Anderson, Maryanne Banks, Mary Carnal, Doug Foster, David Harrington, Susan Hatch, Kathy Reichel, Kathy Smith, Seana Wallace, Alene Wyatt and Mitch Youngling. Funding for the creation,publication and distribution of this report came from Tompkins County and New York State Division for Youth. Permission to Copy There is no copyright on this report. We encourage you to copy and use the information, citing this publication as its source. Printed by T S-T BOCES Printing Service. CHILDREN & YOUTH IN ITHACA 1X96 June, 1996 Prepared by the Tompkins County Youth Bureau for the City of Ithaca Introduction The Tompkins County Youth Bureau prepared this report to provide baseline data for those who are concerned about the state of Ithaca's children. We have not drawn conclusions about what Ithaca youth need nor have we recommended action steps. Those are judgements and decisions best left to those with the greatest and most direct stake in the success of Ithaca's children. We look forward to working with elected officials,community leaders,service providers,clergy,busi- ness people, and other citizens interested in using this data to plan or improve existing services. Rather than conduct new surveys or do original research,we chose to compile existing data. We sorted and analyzed data to create an up-to-date,neighborhood-level picture of the characteristics of youth and the problems they face in selected areas. Where possible,we have compared Ithaca data with Tompkins County or statewide statistics. Although we had hoped to give a complete overview in all of the areas affecting children, youth and families, the scope of this report is limit- ed to those topics listed below in the table of contents. Time and data limitations prevented us from reporting on youth jobs, runaway and homeless youth and mental health concerns. However, some of these areas will be addressed in up-coming reports later in 1966. Until we have better measures by which to assess the wellness of youth,families,and the commu- nities in which they live, our data tend to document the problems. It is important to remember that,for example,when we report that 35 youth were referred to Probation in 1995, this also means that 1,383—or 97.5% of the youth ages 7-15—were actively engaged in schools,family and community life in positive ways. While most of the youth in the City and County are healthy,self-reliant and capable young people, those who are challenged by poverty and its related problems don't start with an even playing field. They deserve non-stigmatizing and effective support from our community institutions to assure that they have an equal opportunty to succeed. As adults who share the responsibility for developing strong families, effective schools,and caring communities,we hope this report reaffirms our faith in young people and our dedication to their success. Nancy Zahler, Director Tompkins County Youth Bureau Table of Contents Summary of Findings 4 Teen Misbehavior 19 Youth Population 6 Child Care Services 22 Youth in Poverty 8 Youth Opinions/Activities 23 Youth in School 11 Next Steps 24 Abuse and Neglect 16 Sources of Data 25 Health Concerns 18 Appendix 28 Youth in Ithaca,1996 What do we mean when we say "Ithaca"? "Ithaca" refers to many different geographic areas within our County. I I Vic" Tr' � I LANSING GROTON LANSING I GROTON TR BURG N\ TRuL' SHVRG I- \ V ULYSS 1 1 .� ULYSSES I --- - I \ --4 r_`�� \ , vJ Ithaca Address DRYDEN I — �1� DRYDEN 14850 Zip Code Ithaca City =LD 1 Zip _ I. ES ELL School District _ ___- TOWN OF ITHACA ------ NO CA. L1 E CAROLINE L DANe - NEWFIELD - NEWFIELD Y I I I I I I I Ithaca is the address of 40% of the people Ithaca is the school district name of nearly in Tompkins County who use the 14850 half of the public school students in zip code. Tompkins County. \\N I X SJ LANSING I GROTON Lansing \\ I Cayuga ULYSSES 11 Heights I 1 y I DRYCEN I CITY OF I CITY OF ITHACA ENFIELD ITHACA TOWN OF ITHACA - I 1 CAROLINE TOWN OF ITHACA HEWFIELC CANSY L I , — - - - - - 1 c 1 ( I \ 1 Ithaca is the municipal name for both the When we say Ithaca, or the City, or the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca. The City of Ithaca in this report, we mean Town is a square donut surrounding most the municipal borders that include of the City of Ithaca. only the City of Ithaca. Youth in Ithaca,1996 Maps of Ithaca 3 Summary of findings Ithaca within Tompkins County youth compare according to Kids Count. This is a Tompkins County favorably to statewide youth in most 1993 estimate that is higher than the measures. 14%cited elsewhere in this report How well are we doing in raising from the 1990 Census. our children? To see how our youth compare with the rest of New York excluding NY We can answer this question with City,we have to rely on a wider geo- Key findings for Ithaca's greater confidence for Tompkins graphic area,namely Tompkins youth County than for Ithaca because deter- County. We report the most impor- mining"wellness" is a judgement, tant indicators from Kids Count Data Much of the information we gathered requiring a comparison to another Book 1995 in the following chart,as a about Ithaca youth for this report has place or to another point in time,and backdrop to the information for never been collected or published we don't have enough current infor- Ithaca. before,and our primary objective was mation about Ithaca's youth to make to present figures for the most recent these judgments. You will see that the rate of child year as baseline data. poverty in Tompkins County is 15% What did we learn about youth in Ithaca? Tompkins County Youth Conditions and Behaviors Compared to NY State excluding NY City 1. Ithaca has a higher concentration of low-income families and single Tompkins Co‘ NYState parent families than the surrounding county. Child Poverty 15% 16% better The past two decades of middle and Children in Distressed neighborhoods 8% 10% better upper income families leaving Ithaca 6th Grade Reading, % above is documented by statistics from the minimum standard 94% 92% better 1970, 1980 and 1990 census,as fol- 6th Grade Math, % above lows: minimum standard 98% 97% better High School Dropouts 2% 3% better • 1/3 fewer families with children. Regents Diplomas (% of all graduates) 47% 44% better were living in Ithaca in 1990 than in Arrests for violent crimes 1970. 13-15 yr. olds 7/1000 4/1000 worse Arrests for violent crimes • the average Ithaca family income in 1980 was 89% that of Tompkins 16-18 yr. olds 7/1000 7/1000 same County as a whole,whereas in 1990 it Low Birth Weight Infants 4/100 6/100 better was 82%. Infant Mortality 6/1000 8/1000 better Teen Pregnancies 15-17 year olds 43/1000 43/1000 same • Ithaca has a significantly higher Teen Pregnancies 10-14 year olds 3.2/1000 1.7/1000 worse child poverty rate than the County in Indicated Child Abuse/Neglect 12/1000 10/1000 worse 1990(27%compared to 14%). Out-of-Home Care 5/1000 6/1000 better • Ithaca has a higher percent of chil- Source:Kids Count, 1995 Data Book (Most figures use 1993 data.) dren living with a single parent than does Tompkins County(35%com- pared to 21%). 4 Summary of findings Youth in Ithaca,1996 2. Understandably,Ithaca's youth 4. The 5-year trend in arrests of Youth Bureau's Recreation programs, have a higher incidence of problems youth under 18 for violent crimes is which served over half of Ithaca's than youth in the rest of the County. not increasing,and drug-related youth ages 5-17 in the city in 1995. arrests are one-tenth those of adults. Ithaca has 16%of the youth popula- tion in the County,but it also has 31% While community concern for youth of the poor children and a dispropor- engaging in drug-related and violent tionate number of youth with trou- crime is high,the actual increase of bling conditions or behaviors. juvenile(under 18)arrests for such activities is relatively small. The 1995 For example,statistics about Ithaca's numbers of juvenile arrests in Ithaca document the following: are as follows: 9 violent offenses • a higher proportion of reports indi- 24 use/possession of drugs cating(substantiated)abuse or neglect 7 sale/manufacturing of drugs (34%of Tompkins County's indicated reports were from Ithaca). 5. The Ithaca City School District is • a higher rate of youth ages 7-15 successfully educating most chil- were referred to the Probation dren. However,many educators and Department for services as Persons in others are concerned about the dis- Need of Supervision,or PINS (30%of parity for low-income and students the County's youth referals came from of color. Ithaca). In measures of successful education • a higher rate of youth ages 7-15 that include all students,the Ithaca were referred to the Probation City School District compares favor- Department for services for juvenile ably to comparable school districts in crimes(26%of youth were from almost all measurements. Ithaca). However,when the school district analyzed standardized test scores by 3. Poverty and its related problems separating low income from middle for children and youth are further to high income students,we noted a concentrated in downtown neighbor- wide gap in school achievement hoods. between the two groups. A similar gap exists when student test scores The analysis of problem conditions or are divided by racial background. behaviors by 10 neighborhoods in the city revealed that the downtown neighborhoods including Northside, 6. Community strengths which sup- the Central Business District and port families and youth include Southside have a disproportionate child care services and a wide array share of poor children,arrests,and of youth services. abuse and neglect indicators. Ithaca youth are fortunate in having many youth development programs and recreational opportunities avail- able in the city,including the Ithaca Youth in Ithaca,1996 Summary of findings 5 How many children live in the City of Ithaca? Almost 3000 youth live toring out the age group which Ithaca's youth population within the City of Ithaca includes so many college students. has been decreasing According to the most recent census However,since college students are • Ithaca's age 0-17 population figures,2972 children between the a significant group of Ithaca's resi- decreased 16% from 1980 to 1990. ages of 0-17 lived in the City of dents,the local undergraduate col- This decrease of 500 youth was sig- Ithaca in 1990. This represents 16% lege enrollment figures for 1995-96 nificantly greater than National, of Tompkins County youth,the sec- are included below: State and County rates. and largest municipal youth popula- tion in the County after the Town of 1995-96 College Undergraduates 1980-1990 Decline in Dryden(see also the County Youth Living in Youth Population Population Chart in the Appendix). Enrolled Dorms United States -1% Cornell University 13,100 5600 New York -9% Although state aid formulae and Ithaca College 5600 3700 Tompkins County -3% planning guidelines use 0-20 to Tompkins Cortland 2600 0 City of Ithaca -16% define youth,the age group 0-17 is Community College used in this report because it allows ty g Source: 1980/1990 Census for more equal comparison with the TOTAL: 21,300 9,300 County's other municipalities by fac- Source: Colleges • Families with children have been leaving Ithaca. The out-migration of families from the city to surrounding Where do Ithaca's children, live? areas was significant in the past 2 decades. In 1990,Ithaca had nearly 1/3 fewer families than in 1970. /, • The youth population is expected to increase. The largest age group in �v • the 1990 census was the 0-4 group, /' \ who are now 6-10 years old. The .:a County Planning Department pro- jects that the County's 0-14 age i Fall Creek youth will increase 13%by the year •; �< asl � �� y y p r / '16% '< Hill 2000,and that Ithaca's youth po ula- West Hill i Northside•,, 113 tion will also increase despite past 446 366 4% 15% 12%i° _ .. _ trends. In the Ithaca City School I( 1 I wash Park&.. District's 1994 enrollment projec- , Business Dist. c Town/univ lions,enrollment at the 4 elementary 131 ,...331 .; .. schools that include most of Ithaca's 275 ! :. ` - \• S. Side ,%1 1�,;_,,,., � ;. children was expected to grow by -.. Belle Sherman 9,/ � , 285 3%during the next 6 years,with the South Hill largest growth at Cayuga Heights Spencer/Elmira Rd 177` 1 o°i° 387 6%.. Elementary School. 13% � -'e • The demand for youth services /,,.'' will likely increase. As the younger, / , larger age groups mature, they will / move into schools and community Source: 1990 Census,STF 1 programs,increasing demand for services. 6 Youth Population Youth In Ithaca,1996 Where do Ith•aca's youth live, and how diverse are they? • Age of Ithaca's youth by neighborhood in 1990 "One thud f Arnerscatt aaoles- cents:today a re onon Eupean' . Neighborhood Ages: 0-5 6-11 12-17 400iit .. m a uie array of rcli« nWest Hill 165 153 128 gwu ethnc id atonabak» Fall Creek 165 168 128 gornd mornig to live peace Northside 106 134 126 fully whtle.respect ng 4r,q.#itylom Washington Park/Bus. Dist. 136 93 102 will be a major task for adults in Southside 81 101 93 the st rercttrry Spencer Road/Elmira Road 144 140 108 East Hill 25 13 75 GR£A1';TRA111'SZTI"ONS� Collegetown/University 49 33 49 1 Report of the Carnegie Cotrnc%t;; South Hill 74 60 38 Belle Sherman 103 85 97 TOTAL 1048 980 944 Although the City is Tompkins County's most diverse municipality, Source: 1990 Census,STF 1 we were surprised to see that 47%of the County's African American pop- Planning services target One quarter of Ithaca youth ulation resides in the municipalities youth by neighborhood are children of color outside the City. Diversity of Ithaca's Youth To plan for services effectively,it is About 26%of Ithaca's 0-17 age Population important to know where youth of youth,are children of color and 74% different ages live. The preceeding are white,as shown below. Only 4 table shows the 1990 population by youth were counted as Native Asian age group for each neighborhood. American,so we included them African 7% Note that between 22 and 40%of the under "Other." (Census officials American children in each neighborhood are report that most people counted as 18x° under 6 years old. "Other"in Census reports are bi- racial.) Other Over 60%of Ithaca's children live in 1% the"downtown flats" neighbor- The pie chart doesn't show 3%of hoods. East Hill and South Hill youth who are Hispanic or Latino white neighborhoods have the fewest because for the census,persons of 74% youth as shown on the map on the Hispanic origin can be of any race. preceeding page. Even more dramatically,77%of all Asian children in the County live comparing city/county youth by race outside the City. GROUP Coua ty' Ages0-17 City. Ages 017 Elementary school records show that White X6,311 89% 2151 74% most children of color residing out- ,Afncan AAie>'icat X44 .5% 503 1:% side City borders are in Cayuga Asia t 754 4% 231 7% Heights,the Village of Lansing,and ( then ` 227 % .: 41 1% the Town of Ithaca. The Town of TOTAL : 18236 100% 2 100% rook,Pleasant Ithaca includes Hasbrook, ! 438 2% 90 3% I Grove,Maple Avenue and other > Cornell family housing. *Hispanic is art ethnic group,so youth are included within either lute or African American racial groups above Source- 1990 Census,STF3 Youth in Ithaca,tsss Youth Population 7 How many of Ithaca's youth face challenges due to poverty? Ithaca's low income families Comparing Youth in Poverty by are concentrated downtown Geographic Area As the map shows,poor children in Ithaca are concentrated in the down- United States 18% town area,with the highest rate of - poverty(86%)in the Northside New York State 19% neighborhood. Tompkins County 14% The chart on page 9 shows the num- - ber and percentage of children living City of Ithaca 26% below the poverty line for each dis- i i i i, i _ trict within the City,divided by pre- 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% school and school-age. Note: dis- tricts are grouped under the elemen- Source:1990 Census,STF 3 tary school which serves children in that neighborhood. Ithaca's child poverty rate is nearly that of New York City What is the extent of poverty in Ithaca neighborhoods? Poverty appears to be a growing threat for Ithaca's children. Accor- ding to 1990 census data, 26% of children ages 0-17 in the City lived below the federal poverty line ($12,674 for a family of 4 in 1990). ' , / This is nearly twice the 14%rate for �' all of Tompkins County,and signifi- - cantly higher than the 18%rate for 33 "i` the U.S. In fact,Ithaca's rate is near- ' ,,. / 7/° East Hill ly as high as the 29% rate for New West Hill Northside s/ 62 ' 314 5° York City. 14% • ; 'I 86%= , Wash Park& Between 1980 and 1990,the absolute Business fist C'Town/Unix number of poor children in Ithaca / - 122 20 . ' 37/ ..;. 15 remained the same(756 in 1980 and .-.._S.Side 774 in 1990),but the rate of poverty j� % sz° % Belle Sherman increased from 22% to 26%because South Hilt._.1 o% Spencer/Elmira Rd 21 r,<. of the decline in total numbers of 104 ,;: 12% ) . youth(see page 6). 27% -,„ /,, • "The economic states of children / - ind youth is closelly related;to / how well they:are doing in many /` other life areas, e g,health edu cation and in making a successful The percentage figure tells what percentage of all the children in that neigh- transition to'r dulthood" borhood were below the Federal line for poverty. KIDS;C0UW1 1994 NY Data 13Dok Source: 1990 Census, STF 3 8 Youth in Poverty Youth in Ithaca,1996 children below oven h school district. neighborhood and ague ire'1990 $CS School Belle Sherman Beverly Martin . Cayuga Hts Fall Creek So Hill Total Neighborhood* 1 3 4 5 G 7 8 9 10 ' Gity S yalr�1ds Nui ber 0 47 1129 59 7 13 0 24 8 341 . Poverty Rate 0% 38% 5S% 100%0 43% 14%a 8% 0%: 14% 11% 32%,. d-17 year olds Number 0 45 185 663 13 49!' 6` 9 13 433 Poverty Rai O% 21.p1 23%Q TOTALS 1 6/21°I. 456/64% 68112% 33/ 'h 2 % O4.7.: dr 41dB Nu lb€�r 314 122 20 62. 6: 33 21 ?74 * Neighborhoods 1- Belle Sherman, 2 Spencer/Elmira 1'cads,;� Scut rule 4, NortFisuk S- Washington Park/Business istrict d Coltegetown/University Wept 1YtIl, & Bast Hill 9 ''Pall Creek 10 .:South Dill . Sr 19a Census,SPT`3 Figures from the school ble reasons are open enrollment of lower-income families moving into lunch program update lower-income families or more the neighborhood. census figures Census data are now 6 years old. Percent of Students in Free or Reduced:Lunch Another measure of child poverty Program that provides information between the decade years of census collection is the enrollment in the school lunch Belle Sherman 7t0% program. Beverly J.Martin ._ 553407: O 1993 The highest percentage of low •1996 income children(as measured by Cayuga Heights 2 20% enrollment in free or reduced lunch programs in 1993 and 1996)were at Fall Creek 27% o 38/o Beverly Martin School,which is con- sistent with the 1990 census data. South Hill — ="4.6% The percent of low income students 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% at Fall Creek Elementary School is much higher than one would expect Source:Ithaca City School District from the census data. Several possi- Youth in Ithaca,1996 Youth in Poverty 9 Race, age and single parenthood are related to family income Half of Ithaca's poor children are white `.PQv+ Y at a nq City you h y �a al�ethn group Half of Ithaca's poor children are faROUP Nu111k er of Chddrein Total;Number fillet white and the other half are a combs- be�onr Pe level ofiiidiren nation of Asian,African Americanhit X157 18°!0 and other racial/ethnic groups. Af�n an Atn rican 39 503 +t8fo Astan I36 231 59% Other 15 37 40% What is the race of Ithaca's lowest-Income children? vtrce X994nst�s STF Asian 17% yR Children below the poverty Ithaca's youngest children level are more likely to live are the most vulnerable to White with a single parent poverty N 50% In 1990,60%of Ithaca's lowest in- Of those in Ithaca's 0-5 age group, African „s come children lived with one parent. 1 in 3 were living below the poverty American level in 1990,as compared to 1 in 6 31%/0 Other Living with a single parent is a factor in the County. 2% in determining a child's likelihood of living in poverty since it often means Source: 1990 Census,STF 3 a single income,a female wage earn- er earning less than a male,and lack Percent of 0 5 and 0 17 of child support. Eighty-five percent Youth of color are 2-3 times of single parent families in the City 35%: more likely to be poor than were headed by mothers. so white youth. There was a 13%increase in children living with a single parent in the 25% Race is a factor when it comes to City of Ithaca between 1980 and poverty,which is evident in the 20% 17% 1990,resulting in the 1990 rate of poverty rates for each group. Some 35%of all Ithaca children living with 15% 12% reasons for this are discrimination in one parent. This is significantly hiring,competition for jobs in the higher than the County rate of 21% 10%% highly educated local labor force, and the National rate of 27%. and the challenges of new Asian 5% immigrants to learn language skills. 0% Tompkins city of Looking at the figures for each group County Ithaca g 8'u 8r P �TQday,�l:gTi!tl�mere t��at�half of . within the City,we find that the all Am rcan children will seen •0-5 years ■6-17 years poverty rate is over twice as high for t Mast part o t eir Zldiwod nr:.: African American youth and three adolesc e m a atingle parent • times as high for Asian youth as it is amtl. k Source:1990 Census,STF 3 for white youth. RIrT ©A18r A t eport,o f the C�rneg�ie Council 10 Youth in Poverty Youth in Ithaca,19! 1 I Ithaca City School District Map I CAYUGA COUNTY l'2'1.404."'• \P r R1-41, . o-,e`er'? Ir 'f 1,, ‘ tt i• • L ...s ' I • l y �. 11 r t 17 ." ,Oa -,*A.,,,,„1!.. $ •*..fir y� i•.14 l r'44 r sG^ �' .' .es L A SA I�G i r a O — �P s3 S' 4 • s a ✓ L CCJJ n '9 °� r_\ ca i 6 v If Ir ' _ Ii _, --� 3if1 ..-..... sr i Ir I .1 4 t r G T 3 �� OON : SENECA \ r.000NTY` •-p. > I r..,. 5.+:a-. J / Q _ a: 'mria c s © ' L s pw• �! i I� 1 • + • 4' 11; ''''' N \`4%.,tr..../ 7' I Hs .1iNte ' \IL, i , .00/1107,• FR LE t—o ,. •' , S \ e !---=,_ • - •_``- e. / 4. a a .s i 1 Y SSES f� v. aQ•^ 1 -LAN INC ...`., y ', I. F t Il r, Mi. d 'r r Y . �� \P — I ,.'3+----„,- `.,.�':-./j'y a .I..,DR EN,,:,ar°g.•�It-�„ r a:44-7 ice.. (y��() I •1 t/ t ..a 4 i ivn '74.,..-;, YI .4.-- • a .f'n 1 IE \ 14 LF. O � 0 1� , ..© . :.I „ Fr i•F�»., "' ✓ ."A"_...F„++,,•s •,E x D !v, f `s �_ L I ,.oel• 'r ° F I� 'O A :..--- ----1 . ..' 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I'` _�Y 'l I•'''''\ l'I x \ 1. ~ 1 I oat/ --�''' jilD I f lei , a ...,''}� Jttr\j\ r l} f �' I du*.,.. cior ! rI bO y iF Fm.sl a r,r: ( .:HEMUN ••. . .,,�i r Ir��, I y1 Elementary and Middle School Boundaries These Schools feed into DeWitt These Schools feed into Boynton 0 = Location of elementary school 1. Enfield 5. Fall Creek 2. Beverly J.Martin 6. Cayuga Heights © 3. Northeast 7. Belle Sherman = The West Hill area attends Cayuga Heights School 4. Caroline 8. South Hill Q = Southside&Elmira Rds.attend Belle Sherman School Youth in Ithaca,1995 Youth in School 11 School District parameters and basic facts Nearly 50% of all Tompkins County children in public Where do Ithaca's Younger Children go to School? schools are students of the Ithaca City School District \ Enrollment in the Ithaca City School , , ,,,,,,,y District(ICSD)is about 6200 stu- dents,and is projected to grow to �.. .. over 7000 within the next 5 years, . 1 according to a 1994 ICSD study. ,? Fall Creek Obviously,the name of the school / Cayuga Cayuga / Heights district was chosen long before the Heights I i qi \ 13 current boundary lines were drawn, 153 � . since the ICSD now includes all or �/ Ij Beverly J. �." parts of Cayuga Heights,Caroline, I+ Martin Enfield,Danby,Towns of Ithaca, ,/i - 2so Dryden,Ulysses and Lansing,as / ' Belle Sherman well as all of the City of Ithaca. /� s5 South Hill _', Belle 60 . . : .-. The School District map on the pre- Sherman ceeding page shows the approximate 241 boundaries for the eight elementary schools,along with the names of / those elementaries flowing into ; DeWitt and Boynton middle schools. The numbers are child population ages 6-11 in 1990. An estimated 1/3 of ICSD Sources: 1990 Census and STF 1; ICSD Transportation Dept.for map lines. students live within the City of Ithaca's borders map only rough estimates of school • 767(12%)of the students are clas- enrollment. sified as physically,emotionally or No one has counted the number of learning disabled. students who actually live within the Basic Facts about the ICSD: • 400(7%)are English as a Second City of Ithaca,but by comparing cen- Language students who need help sus and school data,we estimate that • the average class size is 21,but the learning English. about 1/3 of ICSD students are City range includes many secondary • the average amount spent per residents. classes of 30 or more. pupil per it year is$8,906. Y • the median teacher salary is The map above shows that three ele- mentary schools(Beverly J.Martin, `If it Were passible to reach any $41,185. ciEncensus about high:priority • the ICSD has about 1100 employ- Fall Creek and Belle Sherman) solutions t©our soci 's prob ees,3/4 of whom are teachers,aides include most of the city's younger loins,a good education throughout and others who work with students children,and two other schools the first.twrxo decades of life would in the classroom. (Cayuga Heights and South Hill) be a prime candidate." „ • the teacher turnover was 12/100 include the remainder. Open enroll- from 1993-94 to 1994-95. ment policy and private and home �� 5, `� o"from 1.•e C e Sources: ICSD Budget Focus Group schooling make the numbers on the Council:: Report,1995,and Ithaca Journal, 12 Youth in School Youth in Ithaca,1996 How well does the ICSD educate its students? Most Ithaca youth are Also,of 311 graduates in 1994-95, successful in school 63%received Regents diplomas,a Percent of Students significantly higher percent than the Scoring.Below Standardized tests shouldn't be the 44%for all NYState schools exclud- MinimurnStandards only way to see if students are learn- ing NY City. ing,and some would say they are a 70% poor measure. But we have used Unfortunately,the 4.1%ICSD drop- 60% - test scores here because they are out rate exceeds the 2.5% rate for NY readily available. schools outside NY City. 50°' 40% 40% 33% Overall,ICSD youth scores in the elementary NYState Pupil Evalua- Significant disparities for 30% - tion Program(PEP) standardized low income students raise 20% - tests for reading,writing and math concerns 7% ° skills show that our students are 10% - 6 h doing about the same or better than Even though we were not able to iso- 0% i comparable NYState school districts. late City residents within the ISCD, 3rd 6th we do know that Ithaca's many low graders graders Only a small minority of regular income and students of color are education students need supplemen- ■low income ■medium/high income pp among those who face higher risks tal help,according to test results, for achieving academic success. So Source:ICSD Report 12/12/95 although scores of students with we looked closer at district-wide handicapping conditions are not data that compares income and race. included in the PEP results reported On 1994-95 PEP reading tests of here(except at Belle Sherman). Significant differences appear in the 3rd and 6th graders,only 60-67% Special education students make up district-wide analysis of scores based of low income students scored 12%of the ICSD student body. on income and ethnicity. This infor- mation,collected each year by the above the minimal standard, while Unfortunately,PEP scores do not ICSD,offers important benchmarks 93-94% of middle to high income show how well students succeed,only for measuring success of Ithaca City students were above the standard. whether were above or below the children as well as for other children Math scores were much closer, NYState reference point. in the district. with only a small difference in the two groups. 1994-95 PEP scores for Belle Sherman and Beverly Martin students were lower than the ICSD average in read- host Ithaca students meet NYS j'11inimfmuri competency ing and writing but not in math. SCHOO Ile ding sl t Scores for the other elementaries (3rd grade)> (5th grad ) (3rd grade) enrolling City youth show a high percentage meeting minimum stan- Beverly IMiartin $2% 89`o1a 98%n dards. Belle Sherman .. 73% `91° 100° Fall:Creek 97% :100° . 100% The good news is that in 1993-94, Cayuga Heights 97% 98% 100°14 about 60%of all ICSD students per- South Hill` g9' 9 .%a 96%i' formed above the national 70%tile ICSD District .I 89 95"6. 99% on standardized reading and math Comparable schools &6%a. 96.% 99% tests for grades 2-11. Sources: 19.95 C onprehensi .Ass'essment Rport NYSED; Itha .Journal, 3/26,/96 Youth in Ithaca,1996 Youth in School 13 Students of color are more likely to need academic help and to drop-out as high for African American as for Percent of Students Scoring Below the Minimal white students. Standards by Ethnic Group, 80°!o Other graduation/drop-out 60 figures are as follows: 60% 40%40% • the 1994-95 drop-out rate at Ithaca 40% 27% 31%29% High School was 4.1% (67 out of the • •Reading total 1629 who were enrolled during 20% 16% 13%13% ■Math the year). This is considerably high- er than the 2.5%rate for NY State, 0% excluding NY City Asian AfrfcianAmerican Hispanic European Source:ICSD Report, 12/12/95 • the 1993-94 drop-out rate at the Alternative Community School was 2.7% (4 out of 261 students) Disparities appear for both The 1994-95 Ithaca High • of all 1994-95 ICSD graduates, reading and math when School drop-out rate was 63%received Regents Diplomas, scores are analyzed by 4.1% overall, but nearly 10% indicating they had passed college race/ethnicity for African Americans preparatory courses The school district also analyzed Again we see a dual picture in grad- • 89%of ICSD graduates entered scores on two national tests,namely uation results. Most students do post-secondary schools or colleges reading(DRP tests)and math(SAT succeed,but disparity exists based (graduates can enter community col- tests)for grades 2-11. Analysis was on ethnic backgrounds. If informa- leges or technical schools without a by ethnicity of students,revealing tion were available by family Regents Diploma) significant differences in 1994-95 as income,we believe similar dispari- well as in prior years. ties would be seen. • 32 ICSD graduages in 1994-95 entered the job market,the military According to the data in the figure The racial analysis shows that for 2 or became homemakers above,40%of African American and of the past 3 years,the drop-out rate 30%of Hispanic students need sup- at Ithaca High School has been twice plemental help in reading and math. Ithaca is not unique in this These IHS drop-out numbers and rates by racial/ethnic group L M..urb" ,,.. curs_QA Tao +a Student suspensions climb at Ithaca High School School suspensions have risen to an alarming 18% of Suspensions by School 1991-1955 all secondary students 450 -400 School suspensions have increased • ..350 sharply from the 1991-92 school year, • 30p and have become a major communi- 250 ty-wide concern. 200 01991-92 . •1992-93 150 •1993-94 During the 1994-95 school year,582 • 100 _ students were suspended from school 1994-95 50 — for one or more full days in the 5 0 ICSD secondary schools. This num- Boynton Dewitt IHS ACS ber represents 18%of all students,far Source:NY State Education Dept. above the rates for other Tompkins • County schools,and the 10%rate for comparable school districts. The typical reasons for suspensions a �SaC �Gn ey to 1994 gays 1 ICS a grade of "B" here as elsewhere are disobedient behavior,verbal abuse of teachers, '' a rs � the School i tt'# itred the on Black �rAtW to cQ d t t re arch stud o sec fi let' z ti fighting,and possession or use of � alcohol or other drugs. en 14#Xl`iat3t the ll~a 3, Over 20 stu e#t r 00 parenxts mi:400C, returttbl sureysri�tg In 1994-95,most(459 out of 582)sus- OVERALL constituents gave the school a B oar pended students were white,but a disproportionate percentage of African j Americans were suspended. I E '' l c camp o>~n eleri er tai sti n is zv o were• vertu atis fied with their schools $tudent satis fa ction;fell' Students report that repeated suspen- sions make it more difficult to return Rafe level increases to school,thus setting up a cycle that contributes to a student dropping out. i !"ODE T SA `ISFACTION` dime fom `)Bi ts, with the Reasons include difficulty in making lowest ratini vent air communication between amilies and; up missed work and lack of re-entry the School bisttct. :; <; support. 1994-95 secondary school suspensions for racial/ethnic groups SCHOOL Asian&Native American African Am. Hispanic White Total Boynton 0/0% 17/25% 0/0% 43/8% 60/9% Dewitt 7/12% 14/23% 1/6% 74/13% 96/14% Ithaca High School 9/9% 58/32% 11/27% 334/28% '412/27% Alternate Community School 2/17% 4/14% 0/0% 8/4% 14/5% TOTAL 18/11% 93/27% 12/17% 459/18% 582/18% Source: NY State Education Department Youth In Ithaca,1996 Youth in school 15 Abuse and neglect statistics decrease in the County Abuse and neglect statistics ' The number of neglect and abuse petitions,in which the County asks measure safety for children for court intervention on behalf of a What causes emotional in their homes child's safety,has decreased in the abuse and neglect? County during the past five years, Optimal child development depends from 223 in 1991 to 112 in 1995 Most parents who abuse or neglect more than any thing else,on a safe (50%) their children do love their children. and secure home,school and neigh- But they might be struggling with: borhood. In this section,we try to • The number of children in foster assess the safety of Ithaca's children care due to abuse or neglect has 1. STRESS Pressure from money at home. gone up and down,but it did drop problems, everyday frustrations, to a 5-year low in December of 1995 illness can erupt in harmful ways. when 85 children were in care. 2. A PAINFUL CHILDHOOD Abuse and neglect appear to Without meaning to, adults who be declining in the County were mistreated as children may Are children really safer? continue the pattern. The statistics presented here are 5- 3. ALCOHOL OR OTHER p Local experts aren't sure. DRUGS Alcohol or other drugs can year trend data for the County,and blind a parent to a child's needs, and 1995-only data for Ithaca(isolating Investigating abuse/neglect involves bring out the worst in the parent. City cases requires time consuming, a complicated system affected by 4. ISOLATION Without friends hand tallies). All three measures(see numerous external influences,such or relatives nearby,parents can feel below)of abuse and neglect show an as changing State standards,reduc- over-whelmed by family demands. 5.important downward trend for the tion in Social Services resources,and CHILDREN INEXPERIENCE WITH County. Were report these first as a CHILDREN If parents don't know ty po increasing reliance on extended fam- what to expect from children, they backdrop to the Ithaca picture. ily members to care for children. may expect too much. The drop in rates for the County is Between 700 and 900"hot-line"calls consistent with declining figures for Source:About Emotional Abuse and reporting suspected abuse and the rest of New York State. Neglect of Children neglect have been made in each of the past 6 years,but in only 1 out of every 3-4 of those calls is there suffi- cient evidence to show that abuse or 3 Measures of Abuse and Neglect neglect is probable. in Tompkins County For this reason,we looked at three 400 measures: those reports that were 350 "indicated" (i.e.,substantiated)as 300 —0—Indicated Reports showing probable abuse or neglect 250,— after Department of Social Services —f—Court Petitions investigation; the number of Family 200 Court petitions alleging abuse and 150 — —�Children in Foster Care pe gig for Abuse and Neglect neglect; and the number of children 100 • -&----______Ik in foster care for reasons of abuse 50 — and neglect. Using these three mea- sures,we find: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 • The number of indicated reports in the County dropped from 367 in Source: 1991 to 198 in 1995(46%). indicated cases:NYS DSS/PMA,Dept,1991-94;Tompkins County DSS, 1995 Court Petitions!and,Children in Care:Law Guardians Office 16 Abuse and neglect Youth in Ithaca,1996 Too many of Ithaca's children are vulnerable Statistical shortcomings Most indicated cases of abuse or neglect were in two Abuse and neglect occur at all neighborhoods income levels and in all cultures,but there is class and race bias in abuse Tel tborhood #of cases % of•cases and neglect statistics,and under- ...13.ellei.Shpman 1 2% reporting in general. •Beverly Mart n 15. 29% yu Heights 0%a Most children who are reported are Fall Creek 7 14% from lower income families,partly Spencer/Elmira Road • 3 6% because poverty,unemployment and South i l 1 2% single parenthood bring enormous Southside 1$ : 35% stress to parents,but also because West Hill 6 12% people who use public services have • less privacy. Ithaca TQTAL 51 100% Source Toni 0citts County Departmentof Soczat SttVxces Furthermore,neighbors,teachers and physicians often fail to report middle-class parents even when The most frequent court ordered ser- Families living downtown abuse or neglect take place. With vices were: counseling; Department are at the greatest risk that caution,we tried to estimate the of Social Services monitoring; sub- vulnerability of Ithaca's children stance abuse and medical care; par- A neighborhood analysis revealed using 1994-95 public records. ent education; and job training. that over 66%of the City's indicated cases,92%of the court petitions,and 70%of foster care placements made In 1995, in the City of Ithaca, Ithaca figures are high last year were in the downtown there were: compared to County and neighborhoods of Southside, State rates Northside,the Central Business dis- • 68 substantiated reports of abuse trict and Washington Park. or neglect(34% of County reports) When one recalls that 16%of the County's children live in Ithaca,but These statistics clearly point to the • these 68 reports involved 51 fami- 34%of reports indicated are from need for family support services ly cases(in some families,more than Ithaca,and 45%of the children located in these neighborhoods. 1 report was made) placed in foster care because of • 26 family court petitions were abuse/neglect were from Ithaca,it is filed to protect children(22%of plain to see that Ithaca's children County petitions) face a higher risk than children County-wide. • 17 children were placed in foster care during 1995 for reasons of abuse How does the County rate of indicat- or neglect(45% of the 38 County ed child abuse/neglect compare with children placed) other counties? In 1993,Kids Count reported that Tompkins County"s The most frequent kinds of abuse or rate of 12/1000 youth was higher neglect in Ithaca were: parental sub- than the NYState rate of 10/1000 for stance abuse; inadequate supervi- counties excluding NY City. sion; inadequate food,clothing and shelter; and inadequate medical care. Youth in Ithaca,1996 Abuse and Neglect 17 Teen Pregnancy and other Health Concerns Teen pregnancy rate Teen Births (10-19 year olds) continues downward trend Ithaca Ithaca City Risk factors for (City) School District teen parenting Although Tompkins County is often 1993 22 32 Low family income and low basic shown as having one of the lowest g 1994 21 33 academic skills are strongly corm- teen pregnancy and birth rates for 15- 1995 13 22 lated with teenage child bearing; 19 year old teens, thousands of 18-19 year old college co-eds cloud the local Source: Tompkins County Health Dept., • 39%a of lc)west income females' picture. In 1993,our County was Vital Statistics age 14-17,had.a child average for Upstate NY for 15-17 year • 36%of female students in the old teen pregnancies. The rate of 43 lowest 20%tile for basic academic A high percentage of young pregnancies/1000 women was the slzlll achievement had a child same for Tompkins County as for NY children are immunized counties excluding NYCity. &Jur State of America's Children At the start of the 1994-95 school year, `Yearbo°k,1995 As the graph illustrates,the number 97%of the County's children entering of 15-17 year old pregnancies has kindergarten and 89%of its 2 year- An estimated 900 of the been slowly dropping in Tompkins olds were fully immunized,according County's children under County,as it has been for the nation. to the Tompkins County Health Dept. 13 years old are uninsured The birth trend is steady. These rates compare favorably to the upstate New York rates of 95%and New York health experts estimate 900 The number of pregnancies and births 65%respectively. lower-income children in Tompkins among 10-14 year olds remains stable County are eligible but not enrolled in at 2 to 4 births/year,but our pregnan- While we don't have immunization state-supported,free or almost free cy rate of 3.2/1000 is worse than estimates for Ithaca's youth,we do health insurance plans. NYState excluding NYCity. know that families had access to free immunizations through Health The County Health Dept. reports that The Tompkins County Health Department Clinics in two downtown downtown Ithaca is under-served by Department keeps records of Ithaca sites. primary care medical services,and teens ages 10-19 who give birth in many families and professionals are Tompkins County(although if the concerned about the lack of affordable birth is in Cortland or Schuyler Counties,for example,the Health dental care for children. Dept.has no record of the birth. NYState statistics tell us that 1/3 of Teen Pregnancies and Births, 1993 births to Tompkins County teen g occured outside the county.) The 1547 Year Olds ..11 a...... 1.:.•41,..41,.,4 80 1 ' Troubling behaviors: disproportionate numbers come from Ithaca Adolescents misbehave for County Trends for PINS and JDS predictable reasons Most adolescent misbehavior repre- 80 sents limit-testing,identity searching, v 70 experimentation with adult activities, 60 — or reaction to family conflict. E .50 • • 40 —s—JDS 11-Reliable and valid measures of such • 30 - —+—PIN5 : activities are difficult for two reasons: c 20 1)most behavior is not reported,and 10 — 2)different levels of attention are °i n. 0 given to youthful problems,depend- ing on public sentiment and whether 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 there exist the resources to respond. Source:Law Guardians Office We examined public records in three areas: • Persons In Need of Supervision,or the case without involving the court; PINS,including runaways(ages 7-15) they succeed 60-70%of the time Profile of:1995.lthaca PINS • • Juvenile Delinquents,or JDs(ages IjS 7-15) The cases that do end up in Family • arrests of 10-17 year olds in Ithaca Court are generally those best docu- 14-1 years old 2� 74% mented,most resistant to easy inter- pemale 19 54% vention,and most serious. The above 144a1e 16 46%a County trends move upward Whit* 22' 63% y p graph shows an increase in numbers in the last 3 years African American S 23% y for both JDs and PINS in court in Tompkins County since 1991. e hbonc��od The County Probation Department is Fa1t X14 11 31% the first to see both PINS referrals and BJM Distract 9 26% most juveniles who have been arrest- 30% of County's PINS 5ouths�ele.> 8 23% ed. Probation officers try to "adjust" resided in Ithaca in 1995 ..........................:...................:..........................::...:.:......:. Complaints about Persons in Need of Soczrc Tarn. z ou Probatwo» What are PINS and JDs? Supervision are usually made by fam- f5epartmen Typically,Ithaca PINS are 13-15 ily members or schools. In 1995,35 of year olds who are doing non-crimi- those complaints,or 30%of the Why are over half the PINS com- nal things like skipping school,fail- County total,concerned Ithaca youth. plainats against young women? ing to follow family rules,and stay- Reasons may well include her reac- ing away from home without per- The 35 complaints resulted in 14 for- tion to family conflict,child sexual mission (runaways). Using mari- mal petitions being filed in Family abuse,and sexually active behavior juana is also cause for a PINS Court. Eight of the petitions involved that is considered ungovernable in report. runaway behavior. young women but often overlooked Juvenile Delinquents in our County in young men. are typically 14-15 year old white Statistically,a typical PINS would males who are committing property have been a white, 14 year old young crimes,such as theft. woman living in one of the down- town neighborhoods. Youth in Ithaca,1996 Teen Misbehavior 19 Ithaca's 5-year arrest pattern for teens is fairly steady Of the arrested juveniles, Teen arrests in Ithaca • other misdeamors and violations 35 (26% of County total) sent (fighting,vandalism,disorderly con- to Probation in 1995 were When evaluating arrest records,we duct) from Ithaca kept these facts in mind: • drug related arrests(see next page) • the arrest happened in Ithaca,but Over 80%of youth under 16 who are The pattern of arrests for youth under we don't know the address of the arrested are sent to Probation where youth 18 years old shows a jump in misde- they are given options of community meanors and violations in 1994,and a service,making restitution,and corn- • many people are arrested but then drop in arrests for theft in 1995. miting to changing their behavior. In released for various reasons,includ- Otherwise,the trends are fairly 71%of cases in 1995,the young per- ing insufficient evidence of a crime steady, including arrests for violent son followed an agreed plan and the • these counts are for arrests,not crimes. Less than ten arrests per year charges were dropped. numbers of people have been for a violent crime by a person under 18. When a plan doesn't work,the youth We analyzed the trends for alleged goes to Family Court,along with the youth crimes carefully since the Of all junvenile arrests,arrests for vio- other 15-20%who are sent directly to media frequently cite evidence of lent crimes are 9% nationally,but 5% Court because of repeated offenses,or total arrests as proof of rising juvenile in Ithaca. because the victim requests a Court violence. We broke arrests down into hearing. four kinds of activity: Total Ithaca arrests of youth. ages 10-17, • violent crime (robbery,aggravated Profile of 35 youth Sent assault,and forcible rape; murder Number of arrests to Pro anon 111.a 99 would have been included if there 1991 168 for linquency had been any during this period) 1992 202 • non-violent theft(breakin and 1993 201 1x15 years ol�l3 66 g 1994 288 emale 11 3 % entering burglary,larceny,motor 1995 191 1Vlale 24 6$%, vehicle,shoplifting) White 20 57%: Afri can Amer can 12 34%:! Asian 3: 9%. ryeighl �,a Under 18 won-Drug Related Arrests in Fall+C veep 14% the City d# Ithaca, 1991-1995 BJ M•District Southside 4 11%: 250 West Till 3 9`0 mouth Hill 14% 200 So rc 'Tompkins C r t Probation 156 Department —4o—other 100- —f—theft ■ ■ --k--violent 56= 0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Source:Ithaca City Police Dept.Reports 1991-95 20 Teen Misbehavior Youth in Ithaca,1996 City youth drug arrests rise slowly, but numbers remain small about increased trafficking and avail- Drug Arrests in the City of Ithaca, ability and use of hard drugs like • crack and heroin. A household sur- 1 991-1995 vey of 581 Ithaca area residents found 350 that 63% feel the problem will be • worse in the year 2000 than it is 300 — All ages today. 250 — 200 — — -Total Arrests Long-term national trends 150 — on drug use by teens are 100 —Under 18 changing Under 18 Arrests 50 — 0■— * ■ National studies of 12th graders over a 20-year period show that between 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1980 and 1992,the percent of youth Source:Ithaca City Police Department Reports,1991-95 experimenting with all drugs except inhalants declined,but in the 3 years since 1992,the downward trends Adults — not youth — account Of 71 drug related arrests of youth have either moved upward or flat- for the huge increase in drug ages 10-17 during the past 5 years,the tened out. related arrests in the City following is true: Unfortunately,we have little collected • 80%have been for use/possession data on their drug use from Ithaca Even though the number of drug 64%for marjuana youth themselves. The 1994 ICSD related arrests for youths under 18 36%for hard drugs satisfaction survey reported that 30% has grown during the past 5 years(as of secondary school students had shown by the second line in the • 20%have been for sale/manufac- drunk alcohol and 18% had used above graph),these arrests remain at turtng drugs. At Ithaca High, 18% of stu- less than 10%of the total number of 12% for marjuana 83% for hard drugs drug related arrests for all ages. dents said they felt peer pressure to use alcohol or drugs. Number of drug related arrests Profile of 7'1 drug related - in teens, ages 10-17 arrests of persons under 1 use/ sale/ yilh$t works in preventing durin t e ast ears g � Y possession manufacture 1991 2 0 Ivlale 63 89% 1992 4 3 • a focus pn pro noting post 46-17 years olcl 5 77 1993 5 4 ti<ve youth levelopment build: 3.7a 1994 22 9 ing resiliency and responding African American ! 34 48 k to problems as they develop 1995 24 7 Source Ithaca City Police Department treating youth s resources fv Reports,199� 1995 be developed anti deployed Local residents are very concerned about drug use prrograms that.integcate faiiz ly,school and community Police,drug treatment programs, Source Building desiliency: schools and citizens are concerned �lil of Works! • Youth in Ithaca,1996 Teen Misbehavior 21 Child Care Services are a strength in our community An increasing number of Family Day Care Homes quate supply of family day care families find daytime child in Ithaca homes in Ithaca. The child care cen- care for children ages 3 and ters are currently full,and the high up in Ithaca Neighborhood Number of Homes unmet need now is for infant care, Belle Sherman 8 followed by school-age care for The Day Care and Child Develop- Beverly J Martin 11 youth,ages 11-13. ment Council of Tompkins County Cayuga Heights 6 reports a steady increase locally in Fall Creek 11 the number of working parents with South Hill 23 Day care may be available, young children and the number of Southside 10 but can families afford it? day care providers. West Hill 11 Affordability is an obstacle for many Of course,not all child care is han- TOTAL families. The Day Care Council esti- dled by hiring child care workers. Source: Day Care and Child Development mates the lowest income families are Many working families care for their Council of Tompkins County paying as much as 30% of their own children by having one parent income for child care. take evening or night jobs,or by using grandparents and other family While Ithaca has many day care Fees for family day care range from and friends as caretakers. Some par- providers,parents who live outside $70 to$120 per week. The average ents combine work with family the City also take advantage of City center fee is between$112 and$130. responsibilities by working at home. options because they like the conve- In both situations,infant care costs thence of having child care near their more. Last year the Day Care Council took work. calls from families seeking child care The Department of Social Services arrangements for 467 children resid- provided fee subsidies for over 190 ing in Ithaca,25%more than 4 years There is an unmet need for children in Tompkins County in ago. This number represents 40%of infant and pre-teen care 1995. the requests for all of Tompkins County. Using a variety of methodologies to calculate the potential demand for Several options are available for child care,the Day Care Council those who pay for child care: reports there appears to be an ade- • 80 licensed family day care homes,each home caring for between 1-6 children T mpkins bounty has licensed day Care sp►a'ce'for • 3 child care centers within the 2g0t children City: IACC,Ithaca Montessori,and the Drop In Children's Center I ay+Care Centers 532:'» ' ::557 552 578 610 • school-age programs in every ele- mentary Jyay C • rg $1 hool in the Ithaca City 50 0 1 } 'S' School District * 1067 11$4 1©94 1171 1225 hvc1�g;�cl'�irogra�s In the Town of Ithaca,parents can chose from 8 more day care centers, » Note:the i n ase in these two finds of care�n recent years and dozens more family day care p roviders. 5cttcree� may Care uttrf�ht�i1 IJeret©pmettt Gouncrl v f Tvmpk�ns County Youth in Ithaca,1996 22 Child Care Services Youth opinions and activities What youth say they need below are those that are funded by programs the County Youth Bureau followed by - Northside Community Center after- Youth from the Ithaca area voiced the number of City youth who partici- school and teen programs their opinions in three needs assess- pated in 1995. Altogether,the County - Girl Scouts,Boy Scouts,YMCA and ments conducted in recent years(see Youth Bureau helped fund programs church youth groups sources on p. 27). that served 1398 City youth in 1995. - School sponsored sports,clubs and events The most frequent needs they Not included in the chart are other - Music,theater and arts groups expressed were these(not in any par- programs and services not funded by - Many sports programs,including ticular order): the County,in which hundreds more ice and in-line hockey,soccer,soft ball youth engage in constructive leisure and baseball • more places to go to socialize,espe- activities,such as: cially informal places to "hang out" - GIAC pre-teen and teen programs • more activities that are challenging, - Southside Community Center teen new and exciting • more jobs,especially summer jobs Youth Development (Prevention & Intervention Programs) and entry level positions Community Agency: Program Number of City participants • a safe place to stay when there is a crisis at home Community Dispute Resolution Center:Peace Makers 336 Cooperative Extension: Urban Outreach 87 • help with alcohol and substance Day Care Council: Family Support 29 abuse for both youth and family GIAC: Bottomline Program 42 members IYB: Recreation Mainstreaming 39 IYB: Youth Employment Services 214 • fairness and equal treatment at IYB: Special Projects 39 school IYB: Paul Scheurs Memorial Program 25 • ending racism in schools,employ- IYB: Outings Program 23 ment and elsewhere IYB: Mechanical All Stars 10 IYB: One-to-One Friends Program 145 • more personal support from caring IYB: Learn and Serve America 6 adults who will listen and be helpful Learning Web: Core Program 35 Learning Web: Learn and Serve America 5 Planned Parenthood: Reducing the Risk 20 Most of our school-age Southside Community Center: After-school Program 50 youth participate in Southside Community Center: RIBS Program 38 community programs Task Force for Battered Women: Children from Violent Homes Program 15 A head-count of youth enrolled in one Programs to Reduce Problems (Remediation) or more Ithaca Youth Bureau Recrea- Am. Red Cross: Case Management Program 28 tion programs in 1995 revealed 1,123 Community Dispute Resolution Center: Family Mediation 44 youth ages 5-17(54%of the youth Hillside Bridges Program 1 population of Ithaca)participated in Learning Web: Stipended Apprenticeship 19 programs ranging from summer Learning Web: Youth Outreach 23 camps to sports and theater. Offender Aid and Restoration: Youth Services 53 Task Force for Battered Women: Child Sexual Abuse Project 10 Ithaca youth are fortunate to have Day Care Council: Teen Pregnancy/Parenting Program 60 many choices in programs in addition Literacy Volunteers: Basic Reading 2 to IYB recreation programs. Listed Youth in Ithaca,1996 Youth opinions/Activities 23 Next Steps Watching national trends... and continuing this research • More sophisticated analysis Some of the questions that came up tour national rising trends of risky As in all reports of this nature, for us were of this nature: How many behavior among adolescents are each piece of new information of the JDs were already participating reported by The Carnegie Council in led us to more questions. No doubt, in community programs? Did partici- their book,Great Transitions. We readers will have the same reaction. pation lower the chance of being a JD? should be attentive to our local youth What are the statistical correlations in these areas,and intensify preven- While the County Youth Bureau will between domestic violence,abuse/ tion efforts where needed. continue updating and reporting neglect,PINS and JDs? youth data,we hope that those among 1. Earlier experimenting with drugs. you who have the ability to collect Careful case-by-case research can A troubling number of youth perceive and analyze information will take it answer questions like these,but it is little or no risk connected with ciga- upon yourselves to pursue your own very time consuming. Coalitions of rettes and alcohol use(thanks,in large compelling questions. service providers might work together part,to advertising messages and to select just one or two of the most •adult models),but both are addictive Youth employment data The NY State Dept.of Labor does important questions,and then divide "gateway" substances that encourage the research effort among themselves. continued use as well as additional not separate employment or unem- ployment of illicit drug ployment data for young people,but • g many service providers would like to Computer programs can easily de- 2. Earlier sexual activity. Rates of know the numbers and rate of youth termine municipal or school district initial sexual activity are increasing employment. affiliation of program participants among younger girls and boys. Recent research shows that among • Mental health needs Local youth planning groups,officials girls aged 13 and under, sex is We recommend that the City and service providers would benefit usually forced on them by older teens review the report being compiled by from having County-level youth data or adult men. the United Way on mental health easily divided by school district and needs of children and youth in by municipality. 3. Inadequate learning. Job require- Tompkins County. For example,we would like to ments in a high-technology society know the number of children in require more advanced skills than in • Self-reports from youth on high Ithaca receiving public assistance or the past. At the same time,school risk behavior Medicare. However, we could not achievement levels and rates of high High risk behavior can be seen manually sort through the hundreds school graduation have stagnated through some statistics like the preg- of 14850 addresses to find those num- nationally. Same-age students in Asia nancy rate,but asking youth directly bers. This task could be done easily and Europe out-perform U.S. stu- about their behavior in private mat- by computer. dents. Together,these factors spell ters such as sexuality and contracep- economic disaster for the future of five use would deepen our insight in Action planning many children. setting up prevention programs. We at the Tompkins County Youth 4. More health-damaging behavior. Other areas where we could bene- Bureau encourage City officials to Gun-related homicides are at record- fit from self-reports include mental review this report carefully and to high levels. Injury,homicide and sui- health concerns,drug use,availability meet with us to clarify questions. cide taken together account for most of guns and driving while drinking. Together we can develop strategies adolescent deaths. Although we have The NYState Health Department and for sharing these findings in ways that been effective in preventing teen sui- Cornell Cooperative Extension both will engage youth,parents,providers cides in Tompkins County,national have excellent,well-tested surveys and community leaders,and together trends indicate that the pressures that that could be conducted in the Ithaca we can determine how the informa- drive youth to attempt suicide are School District with school support. tion can best be used to address the mounting. priority needs of our youth. 24 Next Steps Youth in Ithaca,1996 Sources of Data YOUTH POPULATION Population. Race/Ethnicity. Poverty. Single Parent Status U.S. Census, 1990, 1980, 1970; summary tape file 1 and 3 Ithaca City Planning Dept. and Tompkins County Planning Dept.; Ithaca City and Tompkins County Databook Tompkins County Youth Bureau; Tompkins County Youth Today, A Demographic Profile, 1992 New York State Education Dept, 1995 Comprehensive Assessment Reports, Ithaca City School District Maas Ithaca City Planning Department College Population and Dorm Population Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community College Population Projections Tompkins County Planning Department; Population and Employment Projections 1995-2025 Lloyd Bishop and Paula Lester, A Study of Ithaca Public Schools, 1994 Elementary school boundaries Ithaca City School District, Transportation Department Reduced/free lunch program data Ithaca City School District, Coordinator for Title 1 YOUTH IN SCHOOL School District Borders Ithaca City School District, Transportation Department ESL. special education students. number of employees. and standardized test results Ithaca City School Budget Focus Group Report; 1995 Enrollment. average class size. PEP test results. suspensions. graduation results NY State Education Department, 1995 Comprehensive Assessment Report, ICSD Teacher median salary. expenditures per student teacher turnover suspension rate. percent of regents diplomas. percent of graduates going on to college Ithaca Journal, "Our Schools: A Report Card";Tuesday, March 26, 1996 Regents diplomas. college-going rates. suspension rates of comparable school districts NY State Education Dept, Statewide Profile of the Educational System. 1996 Low-income/medium high income test results. test results by race Summary NYS CAR 1994-95 and District Addendum, ICSD Board Presentation 12/12/95 Drop-outs by race Ithaca High School Attendance Office; 1993-94, 1994-95 Drop out rates by school and race for Tompkins Co. and NY schools excluding NY city NYSED Department of Information, Reporting and Techhnology Report; 1992-93, 1993-94 Community Satisfaction Gordon Black Corportation, Ithaca City School District CSMPact, 1994 Suspensions by school and race NY State Education Dept, 1993, 1995 Comprehensive Assessment Report, ICSD NY State Education Dept; Information, Reporting and Technology Services Team Opinions on the use of suspension Ithaca Journal's Youth Forum on the Ithaca High School, January 18, 1995 Youth In Ithaca,1996 25 Sources of Data ABUSE AND NEGLECT "Hotline"Reports. Indicated reports NY State Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services, Trend Data 1991-95 Abuse/Neglect petitions to court. foster care statistics Citizens Concerned for Children Inc. Annual Reports, 1991-95; Tomp. County Law Guardians Office Indicated cases and out of home placements Tompkins County Department of Social Services Tompkins County Abuse/Neglect rate. NY State rate Kids Count, 1995 Data Book, New York TEEN MISBEHAVIOR PINS and JD referrals to Probation. profile of PINS and JD referrals Tompkins County Probation Department PINS and JD petitions Citizens Concerned for Children Inc. Annual Reports, 1991-95; Tomp. County Law Guardians Office Youth arrests. profile of youth arrested/detained. drug arrests all ages Ithaca Police Department, Uniform Crime Reports, 1991-95 1995 survey opinions on drug and alcohol abuse John Bonaguro, Ithaca College Substance Abuse Study, 1995 20 year study on use of drugs by 12th graders "Models for Effective Prevention", The Prevention Researcher, Winter 1996 ISCD Youth use of drugs Gordon Black Corportation, Ithaca City School District CSMPact, 1994 Local opinion on drug use Tompkins County Youth Bureau Survey of Community Opinions; 1993 What works in drug prevention The National Assembly, Building Resiliency: What Works, 1994 HEALTH CONCERNS Immunization rates Tompkins County Health Department, Community Health Assessment 1996-97 Pregnancy and birth rates Kids Count, 1994 1988-92 pregnancy and birth statistics New York State Health Dept.; Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Profile: 1989-1992 1993 pregnancy and birth statistics. NY State pregnancy rates New York State Department of Biometrics Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Program statistics TP3, Day Care and Child Development Council of Tompkins County 26 Youth In Ithaca,1996 Sources of Data DAY CARE Requests for day care referrals Day Care and Child Development Council of Tomp. County Regulated placements. costs. child care statistics, DSS fee subsidies Day Care and Child Development Council of Tomp. County; Child Care Data, Tompkins County,1995 YOUTH OPINIONS AND ACTIVITIES Community youth forums Three Ithaca Journal Forums onYouth, November, 1994, and January - February, 1995 Community Empowerment Project GIAC and Southside Community Center Report, 1995 Youth Needs Assessment Joint Youth Commission Needs Assessment, 1993 Program participants Information came from the Ithaca Youth Bureau for Recreation statistics; all other participant figures came from each program's 1995 annual report to the Tompkins County Youth Bureau Youth in Ithaca,1996 27 Appendix 1990 Youth Population in Tompkins County Caroline 843 Danby 733 Dryden 3,648 Enfield 879 Groton 1,573 Ithaca — City 2,972 Ithaca — Town 2,742 Lansing 2,257 Newfield 1,309 Ulysses 1,280 TOTAL: Tompkins County 18,236 28 Youth In Ithaca,1996