For the second year in a row, nationwide for overall child well-being, and in the bottom 10 for housing cost.
The , done annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a child advocacy group, placed 黑料吃瓜网 eighth for child well-being.
The report is broken down into four domains which include, economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
The nonprofit 黑料吃瓜网 Voices for Children aggregates and supplies the data for 黑料吃瓜网.
Over the last 15 years, at least a third of all 黑料吃瓜网 children have lived in housing cost burdened homes, according to Carmen Clarkin, who is special assistant of strategic initiatives for Voices for Children.
鈥淗ousing cost has outpaced wages significantly over the last few years, and so we know that those things all contribute to the increased housing costs that we see in the state of 黑料吃瓜网 compared to other states,鈥� Clarkin said.
A family is considered housing cost-burdened if they spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing.
鈥淕oing through all of the years of data that we have and just seeing that every single year that I'm looking at, we have not been able to alleviate housing cost burden for children and to do better in that way,鈥� Clarkin said.
She believes a child tax credit can help alleviate some of the burden families experience from housing costs.
A temporary child tax credit was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit provided flexible funds for families to use how they saw fit. However, many of them chose to use it to help pay for housing.
鈥淭his is something that we know would significantly help families with children in the state, and part of the reason why we know that is because when there was a federal level Child Tax Credit during the pandemic, we saw child poverty alleviated in so many different ways,鈥� Clarkin said.
The annual report acts as a roadmap to help states determine ways in which they need to improve, and whether their strategies are working.
鈥淲e can look back at policy in the state from years past and notice that we have intentionally invested in education and in health, specifically with the expansion of when it comes to health, specifically with the expansion of our Husky program,鈥� Clarkin said.
The report ranked 黑料吃瓜网 third in the nation for education. Determining factors which led to the ranking included data such as the reading proficiency for fourth-graders and the rate of high school students not graduating on schedule.
The state also placed fifth for health. The ranking was based on factors like lack of health insurance and obesity.
The top 10 ranking is a testament to the state鈥檚 investment in kids and families, 黑料吃瓜网 Voices for Children Executive Director Emily Byrne said.
鈥淏ut progress is fragile. Federal proposals to slash funding for Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs could reverse hard-won gains,鈥� Byrne said. 鈥淎t the same time, housing costs are soaring and poverty is on the rise, especially for children. 黑料吃瓜网 must meet this moment with bold, equity-centered action.鈥�
The report also helps guide the nation鈥檚 future, shaping the future workforce, and reducing long-term social and economic costs, according to Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
鈥淏y staying grounded in data and driven by what children and families say they need, we can help ensure that all young people have the chance to thrive and contribute meaningfully as adults,鈥� Lawson said.
