Low Juvenile Arrests in Montville, Morris Contribute To County's Number One Raking

Because of low figures for juvenile arrests,  infant deaths and child poverty, Morris ranked first out of New Jersey's 21 counties for child well-being, according to the New Jersey Kids Count data released by the Anne E. Casey foundation earlier today.

"The Kids Count county profiles paint a local picture of how children are faring in New Jersey's counties," said Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of the Association for Children of New Jersey, which provides the Kids Count rankings for the state. "Morris County moved into the first-place position this year. This reflects drops in both the juvenile arrest rate and households spending too much money on rent. But the county did lose ground in some areas, including a slight decrease in the percent of fourth-graders passing statewide tests."

The county measured 15 arrests per 1,000 children under the age of 18, compared to the 26 arrests per 1,000 on a statewide level.

The low instance of juvenile arrests comes as no surprise to Ed Rosellini, operations commander for the Montville police department, who cites the area's more suburban and rural settings for its low numbers.

"This isn't Essex or Passaic county. We don't have high population areas like they do," he said. "These things tend to have a lot to do with population size, and this is Morris county. The demographics are different here than they are in other, more populated places."

According to the Kids Count data, 4 percent of the county's children are raised in poverty, raking the county fourth statewide in that category. The state and national averages for children raised in poverty are 12 and 18 percent, respectively. The state saw a 30 percent increase in child poverty since 2000.

Despite an increase in infant mortality rates from two deaths per 1,000 births to three, the county ranked first in the category, coming in below the state-wide averave of 5 deaths per 1,000 births. The state ranked fifth natiaonlly in the category, with its 5.2 percent mortality rate coming in under the national average of 6.7 percent.

The county ranked 19^th in the state for its percentage of 3- and 4-year-old chidlren enrolled in state-approved pre-K schools. Only 2 percent of county children are enrolled in state-sanctioned pre-schools, compared to 25 percent statewide.

Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried declined to comment on the county's low state-approved pre-K rate, citing an unfamiliary with the numbers. Fried has been Montville's superintendent since July 1.

The state ranked seventh nationally for overall child well-being, seeing decreases in teen death and birth rates, as well as  as a 50% drop in the percentage of teens not in school and not high school graduates, jumping from 8 percent in 2000 to 4 percent in 2008.

Morris county's median income for families with children was listed at $124,313, nearly $40,000 more than the state average and. According to Money Magazine, the township's median income in 2007 was $123,666.

Complete county, state and country findings are attached to this article and can be viewed online here.