Children living in a D-minus state don't have it easy.

Gard Jameson, chairman of the Children's Advocacy Alliance, explained why on Friday after releasing the local watchdog group's report card on the state of Nevada's services for minors.

The overall grade of D-minus has remain unchanged during the past three biennial report cards issued by the Alliance.

The hard life for Nevada kids can begin before they're even born, Jameson said. According to the 2006 report card, 67 percent of Nevada mothers receive prenatal care, far below the national average of 84 percent. Nationally, only New Mexico had a lower rate.

That can lead to another problem identified in the report card: 8.1 percent of babies born in Nevada are low birth-weight infants, which exceeds the national average of 7.9 percent.

Children in Nevada also are more vulnerable to disease. The Silver State ranks 49th in the nation for its low rate of immunization among 2-year-olds. While 83 percent of toddlers nationally have been immunized, the rate is 67 percent in Nevada.

"What we do not address today, we will pay for tomorrow," Jameson said while speaking at a breakfast meeting of government officials and child advocates at the Las Vegas Country Club. "These issues will come back to haunt us."

The Alliance bases the grades on the national Kids Count report and data from public agencies.

The state of education earned an overall grade of F in Nevada, largely because of low SAT scores and student-to-teacher ratios that exceed those found in 45 other states.

In the area of safety and security of children, Nevada was graded D-plus, which partly reflects the lack of reliable data in the area of child welfare statistics.

"Caseloads continue to be excessive while overcrowding at Child Haven (Clark County's emergency shelter for abused or neglected juveniles) appears epidemic," the Alliance report card said. "All eyes are upon this system as it attempts to provide adequate information and accountability, as well as adequate services to children of abuse and neglect."

Jameson said the report card is a tool that the alliance uses to inform lawmakers of the state of children's issues before the start of a legislative session. It also is a means of highlighting areas of need for government officials.

Assistant Clark County Manager Darryl Martin was singled out by Jameson during the meeting, as he emphasized the need for additional funding for child welfare.

"We can't afford to leave any federal grant money on the table, unclaimed," Jameson said. "We need to look at all of these sources of funding."

Martin, well aware that the 2006 report card focuses on one of the worst years that Clark County Family Services has experienced, said he is looking forward to seeing what the 2008 report card will contain.

By then, Family Services will have significantly increased its staffing, Martin said. Children in county custody will have medical passports that will track their care and needs while in the system.

And the record keeping and data tracking that resulted in an incomplete grade this year will have been improved, Martin said.

Family Services Director Tom Morton has been working on that issue since he arrived last year.

"It's going to be really interesting to see what this report card says in two years," Martin said. "The safety and security of children is my biggest priority."

Karen Taycher, executive director of Nevada PEP, a Nevada advocacy group for families with children who are disabled or have special needs, said the grades contain no surprises for those who work closely with children's issues.

The lack of mental health services for juveniles, the high rate of teen suicide, and the rate of teen drug and alcohol abuse that exceed the national average have been well-documented.

"What's unfortunate is that there are a lot of families asking for help that don't get it," Taycher said.