NEWARK -- While most families in the state's largest city continue to live in poverty, progress is being made when it comes to the well-being of the city's children, according to a new report released Monday.

That's the takeaway from the 2016 Newark Kids Count report. The annual report tracks trends in the well-being of children in Newark, from child poverty and education to juvenile arrests and childcare in the city.

Sixty-nine percent of children in Newark live in low-income households, said Cecilia Zalkind, president and CEO of advocates for Children of New Jersey, the report's author. But the report shows improvements are being made in certain health areas, she said.

"For the more than 72,000 children that call Newark home, we are moving in the right direction when it comes to their health and well-being," Zalkind said. "But our work is far from done."

Nearly 13,000 of Newark children, or 18 percent, lived in extreme poverty in 2014. That's compared to 7 percent of children who live in extreme poverty statewide. The study classified extreme poverty as a household with a family of four that has a combined annual income of $11,925 or less.

Still, that number is down 13 percent from 2010, the report said.

Here are other areas the report highlighted where progress is being made:

* Births among teenagers, ages 15 to 19, have declined from 11 percent of all births in 2011 to 10 percent in 2012, the most recent year the data is available. Newark's teen birth rate remains twice as high as the statewide average, the report said.

* The number of babies born with low-birthweight has steadily declined, the report shows, from 531 in 2008 to 428 in 2012.

* When it comes to education, the city's graduation rate continues to improve. Crime and substance abuse cases in schools declined and enrollment in city's charter schools has more than doubled from the 2010-11 school year.

* Juvenile arrests are down from 773 in 2010 to 489 in 2014, according to the report.

The report shows that the city needs improvement when it comes to childcare and alleviating stress on families when it comes to paying rent.

The number of licensed childcare centers in Newark has steadily decreased from 202 in 2011 to 156 in 2015, the report said. In that time, overall childcare capacity has dipped 7 percent. And while the number of vouchers to help families pay for childcare is up slightly from 2010, there was a drop-off from 2013 to 2014.

A majority of Newark households, 57 percent, spend more than 30 percent of their household income on rent, the report said.

Zalkind said its imperative that families in Newark have "access to the supports and safety nets" to help kids grow up in an environment that's safe, healthy and educational.

In March, elevated levels of lead were found in drinking water at 30 school district buildings. Officials at the time, however, cautioned that they do not believe the contamination would pose any serious health risks.

According to the report released Monday, fewer children were found to have elevated blood lead levels in 2015, the year before the elevated levels were discovered in Newark schools. The data also shows that fewer infants between the ages of 6 and 26 months are being tested for lead.

Zalkind said she hopes the report's findings will help lawmakers and community organizers alike determine the areas that need the most attention "for the betterment of all children in our state."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.