New study finds dire reality for children Nonpartisan group looked at factors including abuse.

When it comes to providing a range of crucial services to children, Texas ranks dead last among all the states, according to a new report released by a nonpartisan, nonprofit group in Austin.

Texans Care for Children, a child-advocacy agency, used demographic forecasts along with national and state data to come to some dire conclusions, among them:

Texas ranks 50th among states in providing health care coverage and mental health services to children. It comes in last in preventing childhood homelessness, childhood food insecurity and obesity among adolescent girls.

The state has the most fatalities from child abuse and neglect and ranks last in per capita spending on child-abuse prevention.

“By how our children are faring, one would think Texas is one of the nation's poorest states,” said Eileen Garcia, CEO of Texans Care for Children. “We aren't yet, but continuing to neglect the needs of Texas children will soon make us one. This legislative session provides a clear opportunity for us to start to right our course and prevent costly lost potential in the youngest Texans, beginning with our state's approach to services and education.”

A news release announcing the study's findings noted that the preliminary budget put forth last week by lawmakers in Austin eliminates nearly $1 out of every $4 the state needs to maintain services and schools at current levels.

The study found children in Texas are almost twice as likely as children in other states to go without health insurance, two-thirds more likely to be born to a mother who failed to receive adequate prenatal care and 50 percent more likely to be born to a teen mother.

A Texas child is also significantly more likely to drop out of school and grow up in poverty, the report found.

These statistics do not bode well for the future, experts said.

“If Texas fails to reverse current trends, the state is on course to pay a high price for inaction,” noted former state demographer Steve Murdock of Rice University. “Higher welfare and incarceration costs and lower levels of educational attainment and prosperity are what lie ahead in the forecast today for Texas, if we fail to close the gaps facing different groups of Texas children. Our state's economic competitiveness hinges on preparing these children for college and for success, beginning in the very early years.

The report focused on five key areas: child protection, family financial security, child and maternal health, children's mental health and development, and juvenile justice.

It also found that bringing Texas into line with the national average for just three indicators: child poverty, teen birth rates and high school completion, would result in $25.5 billion a year more for Texas, due to lower direct and indirect costs for the state.