South Carolina :: One of the BEST States to Raise Kids {Despite Critics}

Number 45 overall. Out of 50. And never higher than 41 in every single category.

Well.

So what do I do with that? Sigh and say, “Well, South Carolina is always at the bottom, maybe I should move to Massachusetts” (number 1 on the list)? (Which, given the recent Justina Pelletier custody case, does not strike me as a good place to raise kids! But I digress…)

Nope. This Yankee-girl-transplanted-in-the-South got mad. I may not have been born here, but I have lived here for all but one of the last eighteen years. This is my home and I love it and I love raising my kids here. So here is my rebuttal.

Good Housekeeping Got it Wrong

The magazine’s writers broke the number one rule of data analysis, which is not to assign cause where it is not meant to be. The KIDS COUNT Data Book is not about where the best place is to raise kids, as if the place you live causes your child to thrive or not. It’s about a series of trends and indicators in states around the country. Living there does not mean you have to follow the trends. Case in point — South Carolina has, unfortunately, a high rate of domestic abuse. But moving to South Carolina does not cause you to be abused or to become an abuser. South Carolina is not causing the trend; it is simply the location. Yes, there are several factors working together in South Carolina to bring about the trend, but it is not like moving to a place with high pollution that you can’t avoid breathing. You have some measure of control.

Change is Possible

That control is possible because many of the factors the study looks at are either the result of personal choices or are something that can be affected positively by personal choices. Here are the four indicators for each factor in the report:

• Economic well-being: children in poverty; children whose parents lack secure employment; children living in households with a high housing cost burden (more than 30% of monthly income spent on housing); teens not in school or working
• Education: children not attending preschool; fourth graders not proficient in reading; eighth graders not proficient in math; high school students not graduating on time.
• Health: low-birthweight babies; children without health insurance; children and teen deaths per 100,000; teens who abuse alcohol or drugs.
• Family and community: children in single-parent families; children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma; children living in high-poverty areas; teen births per 1,000.

Let’s look at a few of these.

Low birthweight for babies, for example, is one of the factors influencing the category of health. That, however, is something that can be influenced for the better by proper prenatal care and nutrition. Granted, if you live in poverty and have no health insurance, it is harder to obtain good prenatal care, but it is not impossible. And again, living in South Carolina will not cause you to have a low birthweight baby. Likewise, the problem of high school students not graduating on time is not solely the fault of South Carolina schools. It is a combination of many different factors (limited English proficiency and being disadvantaged economically, in particular).

Similarly, the problem of living with a high housing cost burden can be at least partially addressed by good financial training, such as that offered by the Dave Ramsey program Financial Peace University (for which there are many classes hosted here in the Midlands every year!).

In no way do I want to heap unnecessary blame upon parents who are dealing with difficult circumstances, but I do want to encourage parents that if you do find yourself on the negative side of the factors listed in this study, there are things you can do to help yourself.

Some Things Can’t be Measured

If you Google “what helps children thrive,” do you know what you come up with? Articles from sources ranging from the New Zealand government to Oprah that list intangibles like love, praise, smiles, someone to talk with, being able to learn new things. And those are things that are not limited by the place you live. When they have loving parents, children can thrive in any environment, even (gasp!) South Carolina.

Here, in brief, is my top ten list of what I love about raising my children in South Carolina, especially the Midlands

1. I love the weather. Yes, the summers are horribly hot, but they don’t last forever. And winters are generally mild, but often have at least one good snow. Plus, we can pull the kiddie pool out in April, and our community pool is open from May through the end of September, which my kids love.
2. I can expose my kids to a variety of natural locations. With no more than a few hours’ drive, we can see the ocean, mountains, or a great national park in the Midlands. Plus, we are only eight hours from Disney World (okay, it’s not “nature”, but it’s convenient!).
3. Reasonable cost of living compared to the rest of the country (number 22).
4. One of the top retirement states. The takeaway for us means that one set of grandparents is nearby! And if yours are not, you can probably find someone to adopt.
5. Great for homeschooling. Given my passion for homeschooling, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. South Carolina is not the least restrictive state, but not the most either, and there are some incredible resources for homeschoolers here in the Midlands.
6. Southern hospitality. I like raising my children in an environment where “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir” don’t cause a raised eyebrow.
7. Chick-fil-A. Great service, great food, great lemonade, great play place. Yes, I go into CFA withdrawal when we travel north.
8. A variety of cultures and languages. Did you know that some school districts in our state have more than eighty languages represented? I want my children to grow up with respect for people from all cultures and languages, and living in a place where they are not isolated from that is a great place to start.
9. Community. We have found it all over Columbia — in our church, in our homeschool group, in our American Heritage Girls troop, in our neighborhood, in community theater. You can, too.
10. Children’s healthcare. I have several friends whose children have been diagnosed with cancer or other serious diagnoses. And because the lived in South Carolina, they haven’t had to go that far from home. MUSC is in Charleston, Richland Children’s Hospital is here in the Midlands.

And one more bonus: Opportunities to be part of the solution. So South Carolina has problems? Granted. But instead of running in false fear that South Carolina is one of the ten worst states to raise a child, I can raise my children to be aware of the problems and to be part of the solution — by volunteering at places that serve those in poverty, by reaching out to neighbors, by helping to take care of our environment, by learning to be loving and wise members of our community, wherever they live.

What do you love about raising kids in South Carolina? Share below!