Kids Count study: Florida ranks below average; Children fare a bit better.(A SECTION)

Byline: Patty Allen-Jones STAFF WRITER

Florida's children are doing much better in their early years than in years past, but not much progress has been made in helping them live better lives while they are growing up.

That is the general conclusion of a national study released today that compares the health and well-being of children across the country.

In the past 11 years, Florida's children have improved in five of the study's 10 categories, deteriorated in three and stayed the same in two. But, compared with other children across the nation, Florida still ranks below the national average in nine of those categories.

Only the teen death rate was better than the national average.

"Florida is still a far cry from where we should be, and could be, relative to our potential," said Jack Levine, executive director for the Florida Center for Children and Youth in Tallahassee. "Florida's children should be in the top 10, not the bottom 10."

The statistics were compiled by the Annie …