Symptoms and diseases are diverse, but with proper diagnosis modern medicine offers a myriad of prescriptions and cures for many ailments. It stands to reason that a doctor would not write a prescription for medication until carefully assessing a patient. And so it should be when responding to the needs of Alabama's families. Because families today are so diverse, educators must exercise caution in the way they respond to families and offer solutions to family issues. The responsible professional must maintain a working knowledge of family profiles by constantly looking at data that paints an accurate picture of today's family.
A look at data on Alabama families subsequent to the 2000 Census reveals a variety of characteristics and ongoing changes that profile households quite different from that of families just a decade ago. The Alabama State Data Center statistics comparing 1990 and 2000 Census data indicate that families maintained by single females increased four times as fast as households headed by married couples in the past 10 years. Families headed by married couples rose almost six percent in the decade of the 1990s, while single-female headed families increased 22 percent. Overall the number of families headed by single women increased from 18 percent in 1990 to 20 percent of all Alabama families in 2000.
Furthermore according to the census data, Alabama has some 907,000 households headed by married couples and about 418,000 of these families are parenting children under 18 years old. There are about 246,000 female-headed families and about 169,000 of those families have children who are minors. About 62,500 families in Alabama are single-male headed households, and more than half of these are single dads.
Approximately 60 percent of the state's population age 16 and over are actually in the labor force earning a median family income of approximately $44,500. However, about 22 percent of the children in the state under 18 live in poverty. Alabama ranks 45 among the 50 states for the percentage of poor children.
Generally families are rearing their own children, but sometimes children may be relatives such as grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or perhaps foster children. Alabama estimates that 56,000 grandparents care for grandchildren.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Extension) provides a statewide information network for kinship care providers. A statewide coalition with the Area Agency on Aging, AARP, and the Department of Human Resources provides financial support and educational services to local communities to assist them in forming local support groups based on a state model. The state model offers community information meetings with speakers, legal education, and educational seminars. For more information on this outreach service contact Family and Child Development Specialist Dr. Wilma Ruffin at (256) 372-4960 or wruffin@aces.edu.
Extension also has website resources to provide current and easily accessible information on the state of Alabama's families. With a network of specialists, the organization offers a comprehensive program to advance families in the twenty-first century. Programs and services offered through the network have provided positive impacts with proven results to help families adjust across the lifespan. For more information visit Extension's website A Look at Alabama Families.
References Alabama State Data Center. (Summer 2001). ASDC News. Vol. 17, No. 3.
Carter, Jannie. (January 20, 2004). Keeping watch on Alabama families. Alabama Cooperative Extension System. A Look at Alabama Families. Retrieved January 7, 2005.
GrandsPlace. (August 2002). Alabama: Grandparents and other relatives raising children. A State Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 7, 2005.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2005). Kids count 2004 data book online: Profile for Alabama. Retrieved January 7, 2005.
Trent, Carolyn. Alabama in 2000: How have we changed? Center for Business and Economic Research. Retrieved January 7, 2005.