Why California’s Head Start Kids Are Better Protected From Measles

The measles outbreak that began at Disneyland last month has grown to 141 cases in 17 states and Washington, D.C., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. From the beginning, the media have blamed parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. The “anti-vaxxer” stereotype can vary from crunchy urban farmer to yoga-practicing hippie, but either way, it’s assumed that these parents are among California’s wealthier residents.

That stereotype might be spot on.

A look at nearly 9,000 child care facilities in California shows that the private, likely more expensive, programs are where kids are most at risk during this measles outbreak. Head Start, the federally funded child care program for low-income families, however, has the best protection. State-funded child care facilities fall in between.1

Nearly 1 in 5 (18.2 percent) private child care facilities in California has measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates below 92 percent — the level needed to protect all enrolled children. This finding comes from a massive database of California child care facilities for the 2014-15 school year (as reported as of November 2014).


http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/why-californias-head-start-kids-are-better-protected-from-measles/