Indiana's Children At a Glance State Population (2003) 6,195,643 State Population, Children Under 18 (2003) 1,603,901 State Poverty Rate (2003) 10.6 percent Poverty Rate, Children Under 18 (2003) 13.5 percent Poverty Rate, Children Ages 5-17 (2003) 11.5 percent Poverty Rate, Children Birth to Age 4 (2003) 17.9 percent Permanent Families for Children Of the 4,590 children exiting out-of-home care in 2002, 57.8 percent were reunited with their birth families. In 2002, 920 children were legally adopted through the public child welfare agency in Indiana, a 4.8 percent increase from 878 in 2001. Of the 8,640 children in out-of-home care in 2002, 2,364 or 27.4 percent were waiting to be adopted. Kinship Support In 2003, more than 44,734 Indiana grandparents had primary responsibility for caring for their grandchildren. Of the 8,640 children in out-of-home care on September 30, 2002, 13.3 percent were living with relatives while in care. Of all Indiana children in kinship care on September 30, 2002, 38.4 percent were white, 53.8 percent were black, 2.3 percent were Hispanic, 0.3 percent were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 5.3 percent were other races. Child Poverty and Income Support The total number of individuals receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Indiana increased from 138,460 in March 2002 to 140,571 in March 2003, an increase of 1.5 percent. The number of families receiving TANF in March 2003 was 52,796, a 7.3 percent increase from March 2002. In 2001, a family of three receiving only TANF and food stamps in Indiana was 48 percent below the federal poverty guideline. In 2003, Indiana spent $313,333,869 in TANF funds, including 44.4 percent on cash assistance, -4.5 percent on transportation and support activities, and 60.1 percent on non-assistance. (A negative percentage could represent funds the state has carried over from a previous year; therefore, it may appear the state has overspent its annual funds.) In 2002, Indiana collected and distributed $430,195,033 in child support funds, an increase of 17.3 percent from 2001. In 2003, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Indiana was $572 per month, or 69 percent of the average monthly income for a worker earning the state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. Child Care and Head Start In 2001, Indiana served an estimated monthly average of 38,100 children with subsidized child care, an increase from 2000, when 24,500 children were served, and in 1999, when 20,200 children were served. In 2003, a family of three could make no more than 37 percent of Indiana's median income, or $26,484, to be eligible for subsidized child care. In 2001, Indiana had 14,043 children on the waiting list for subsidized child care. In 2003, 14,148 Indiana children were served by Head Start, the same as in 2002. Health and Substance Abuse In 2001, 459,769 Indiana children under age 19 were enrolled in Medicaid, representing 59.6 percent of the total number of enrollees. In 2003, Indiana had 73,762 children enrolled in its State Children's Health Insurance Program, an 11.4 percent increase from 2002, when 66,225 children were enrolled. In 2002, 170 babies were born to girls younger than 15 in Indiana. In 2002, the number of babies born to teens ages 15-19 was 9,594, reflecting a rate of 44.6 births per 1,000 girls. As of December 2002, 6,950 adults and adolescents, as well as 53 children under age 13, had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Indiana. In 2001, 44 children under age 20 committed suicide, a rate of 2.49 per 100,000 children in the population. In 2002, an estimated 58,000 children ages 12-17, and 441,000 adults 18 and older, were dependent on or abusing illicit drugs or alcohol. Vulnerable Youth In 2003, 11 percent of teens ages 16-19 were high school dropouts, a 2 percent decrease from 2000. In 2002, 17 percent of young adults ages 18-24 were not enrolled in school, were not working, and had no degree beyond high school. Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention In 2001, 14 children under age 18 were killed in firearm homicides in Indiana, compared with 18 in 2000. In 2003, 33,746 children under age 18 were arrested in Indiana, a decrease from 33,841 arrests in 2002. Of the 2003 arrests, 1,716 were for violent crimes and 151 were for possession of weapons. A 2001 census of juvenile offenders showed 3,235 children in juvenile correction facilities in Indiana. Funding Child Welfare Services for Hoosier Children In 2002, Indiana spent $383,761,912 for child welfare services. Child welfare services refer to all direct and administrative services the state agency provides to children and families. Of this amount, 28 percent was from federal funds, 5 percent was from state funds, and 67 percent was from local funds. Source: Child Welfare League of America, 2005