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COEUR d'ALENE - The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book shows that U.S. children continued to see setbacks in their economic well-being, but have seen gains in the areas of education and health.

Idaho's children experienced similar trends.

"We know that Idaho's children need to read well by fourth grade so that they can succeed in school and go on to have productive careers. Children who are not reading proficiently by this measure are less likely to graduate on time from high school and enroll in college," said Lauren Necochea, director of Idaho KIDS COUNT.

She said that by 2018, it is projected that 61 percent of jobs in Idaho will require postsecondary education. Currently, only 32 percent of adults ages 25 to 34 in Idaho have an associate's degree or higher.

"Investment in an educated work force is our most powerful tool to drive economic development," Necochea said.

The Data Book assesses states on 16 indicators of child well-being, organized into four domains: family and community, education, economic well-being, and health.

According to a press release, Idaho ranked strongest in the family and community domain, at 11th in the nation, although the state is losing ground.

Idaho has a relatively low percentage of children in single-parent families, but this increased from 23 percent to 25 percent between 2005 and 2010.

While Idaho has a small percentage of children living in areas of concentrated poverty, this increased three-fold to 3 percent.

Idaho's weakest domain is education, in which it ranks 30th. Idaho has seen significant improvements, however, in preschool attendance (ranked 45th) and the percentage of eighth graders who are proficient in math (ranked 20th) between 2005 and 2010. While U.S. reading scores improved significantly during the six years examined, Idaho's fourth grade reading scores were stagnant and the state ranks 26th in this indicator.

Idaho's children and families continue to struggle in economic terms, the release said. In 2010, 31 percent of Idaho's children lived in households where neither parent had secure, full-time employment-an increase from 26 percent in 2008.

The state also saw a significant increase in the percentage of children living in households with a high housing cost burden, from 30 percent to 36 percent. Idaho earns a ranking of 26th in the nation under the economic well-being domain

In the health domain, Idaho ranked 28th. More children in Idaho have health insurance, although the state still ranks a low 43rd on this indicator. Additionally, fewer teens are abusing alcohol or drugs (ranked 25th). The percentage of low-birthweight babies and child and teen death rates in Idaho also decreased, although not significantly.