The 2024 Kids Count Data Book was released this week.

The publication is a 50-state report of data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation about the overall welfare of kids since the pandemic. Illinois ranked 30th in economic well-being, 10th in education, 20th in health, and 27th in family and community.

Loukishia Pennix, chief youth and family potential officer for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, was encouraged by the results, which show kids are receiving adequate medical care.

"We’re better with having children who have health insurance overall, and that’s probably due to folks accessing Obamacare," Pennix observed. "The city of Chicago is opening up more resources in the area of medical services, so I think that’s helping the upswing in family and community."

Pennix sees the 2024 Data Book as an important tool for lawmakers to use when crafting legislation for equity in policies and programs for all Illinois children. In other findings, Illinois ranked 29th for children in poverty, or living in families with at least one parent who is chronically unemployed.

The Data Book showed two-thirds of Illinois fourth graders scored below reading proficiency and almost three-quarters of eighth graders were not proficient in math. Absenteeism was a major cause. In 2021-2022, 32% of Illinois children were chronically absent from school. Child advocates want lawmakers to solve low attendance rates rather than criminalize students or parents.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said it will take a team effort.

"It is an all hands on deck moment," Boissiere asserted. "Both the resources within school, the resources within communities and engaging parents as part of the process to make sure that students have the support that they need and that children have the support that they need in order to succeed."

Intensive tutoring for students who are behind in their classes was another suggestion. The report warned of hundreds of billions of dollars in lost future earnings and trillions of dollars in lost economic activity if grade schoolers transition from teens to adulthood on their current path.

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Legislation in Connecticut could help reduce the ongoing child care workforce shortage

Reports show some 40,000 child care positions unfilled. The average salary for providers is just over $15 an hour and aligns with the national average but may not cover the state’s high cost of living. House Bill 5002 will create the Tri-Share Child Care pilot program in New London.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, said the program will reduce child care costs.

"This innovative program is going to split child care expenses evenly between employee, employer and the state to make sure that the burden is shared equitably," Bysiewicz explained.

The Economic Policy Institute found the average yearly cost of infant child care is more than $15,000, which then drops to almost $13,000 for a 4-year-old. Bysiewicz thinks bolstering statewide child care will reduce Connecticut’s overall workforce shortage. A state report showed 1 in 5 parents has quit or been fired due to child care problems.

Senate Bill 249 also aims to help reduce the child care provider shortage. It removes limits on the length of the early childhood business incubator program and changes how many facilities can be approved under the program.

Bysiewicz noted the change will allow more than 20 towns to participate and have the incubators.

"It’s a place where a woman or a man who wants to start a child care business will have the opportunity to do so in a common space and get the support that they need to do that," Bysiewicz added.

Part of the decline in this industry is due to the pandemic. Jobs in the field plummeted during the start of COVID, but some states are seeing a bounce back due to American Rescue Plan funding.

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New Hampshire ranks first in the nation for overall child well-being but trauma and pandemic-related learning loss continue to impact students, according to a new report.

The latest Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation gives the Granite State high marks for health and economic well-being but more than one in three children have suffered an adverse experience like witnessing domestic violence or parents serving time in jail.

Rebecca Woitkowski, policy director for the nonprofit New Futures, said even unstable housing reveals itself in students’ academic performance.

"There are trends that we need to be directing our communities and lawmakers to be aware of," Woitkowski contended. "And continue to redirect resources to ensure that children have what they need in New Hampshire."

Woitkowski pointed out the state has more than $300 million in unspent federal pandemic funding, which could provide greater access to low- or no-cost meals, in-person tutoring and mental health services.

New Hampshire students’ declining academic scores mirror national trends. While more children ages 3 and 4 are enrolled in school, fourth grade reading proficiency worsened. And, 71% of eighth graders are not considered proficient in math.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said rates of chronic absenteeism among students are nearly double pre-pandemic rates.

"Their test scores tend to be lower, they tend to be more likely to be suspended and less likely to complete school on time," Boissiere reported. "It also affects the overall atmosphere of the classroom as the teacher is always working to catch students up."

Boissiere noted fewer high school students in New Hampshire are graduating on time with potential impacts on the overall economy. Studies show more than $30 trillion in economic activity hinges on helping young people complete learning delayed by the pandemic. Research shows students who do not advance beyond lower levels of math may be 50% more likely to be unemployed after high school.

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Despite a handful of concerning results for child well-being in Minnesota, one policy expert says the state is well positioned to make structural improvements to shore up its overall high ranking.

This week’s new Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation places Minnesota fifth in the nation for child well-being. But issues in education, such as low test scores, stood out, both at the state and national level.

Deb Fitzpatrick, director of policy and research with Children’s Defense Fund, said investments by last year’s Legislature, such as universal lunches and new funding for early education, haven’t shown up yet in these metrics.

"And I would expect that those numbers are going to start to reflect those huge investments and that incredible focus on making Minnesota the best place to be a kid, " she explained.

Fitzpatrick acknowledged some districts still face major budget constraints, despite the big boosts in state aid. But she noted in this year’s session, lawmakers did follow up with additional support to help implement strategies from 2023, including one that requires "evidence-based" reading instruction to boost literacy scores.

Some housing-related policies failed to advance this year, after big investments from last year. Like education, Fitzpatrick hopes the 2023 moves will prove to be helpful for families with children who lack housing stability.

"We know when kids have to move a lot – you know, when you’re a renter, often you end up in a situation where you have to move a lot – and we know every time those moves happen, it can set kids back as well," she continued.

A new statewide rental voucher program and increased support for first-time home buyers are among the things Children’s Defense Fund is monitoring. Fitzpatrick suggested all these wraparound issues tie together in giving kids who are falling behind a level playing field as their futures take shape.

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