Latest news with #KidsCountDataBook
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri continues to lag behind most states in children's health, report finds
(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent). Missouri ranked in the bottom third of all states for children's health, according to a report released Monday — due in part to a high rate of child and teen deaths. The annual Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which used data from 2023, evaluated all states on four metrics of child well-being: health, economic well-being, education, and family and community. Missouri ranked near the middle of states for overall child well-being, at 27th out of 50, weighed down by poor performance in health and education. Missouri's rankings in the four categories were: 13th in economic well-being, 33rd in education, 35th in health And 25th in family & community. 'Children's health remains an area of concern,' noted a press release Monday from Family and Community Trust, the Missouri-based nonprofit partner to Kids Count. Only nine states had higher rates of child and teen deaths in 2023 than Missouri, one of the factors considered in the health ranking. (Those were: Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, Oklahoma and Montana.) Missouri generally ranks among the states with the highest rate of firearm deaths for kids. Firearms became the leading cause of kids' deaths in the United States in 2020, surpassing car accidents. While the national average in 2023 was 29 child and teen deaths per 100,000, that number was 37 deaths per 100,000 in Missouri. The national average rose overall in 2023. The report notes that while covid deaths contributed to the increase, the rise was largely due to rising firearm deaths and drug overdoses, particularly among teens ages 15 to 19. Also bringing Missouri's health ranking down: Missouri's rate of low-birth weight babies increased in 2023 from 2019 and is above the national average. Other factors helped Missouri's score. For one, Missouri has seen major improvements in children's insurance coverage since the state implemented Medicaid expansion in 2021. The rate of uninsured kids fell from 7% in 2019 to 5% in 2023, which is now on par with the national average. Nationally, Missouri saw among the sharpest declines in uninsured people overall from 2019 to 2023 with the expansion of Medicaid. Those gains could be threatened by Congress' budget proposal to reduce Medicaid spending in part by imposing more barriers to care. Teen births in the state have gone down, in line with national trends — though the state's average is still above the national one. The rate of overweight or obese kids has also improved in Missouri and is down to 31% of kids in 2023, on par with the national average. The rate of kids in poverty declined to 14% in the state in 2023, below the 16% national average. Missouri's education ranking slipped in recent years. In 2023, 77% of Missouri eighth graders were not proficient at math, according to the report, which is nearly 10 percentage points worse than 2019 and is worse than the national average. The press release from Family and Community Trust said the data show a 'continuing need to invest in education in Missouri.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
National report again ranks New Mexico last in child well-being
In an annual national report released June 9, 2025, New Mexico ranked last for child well-being for the fourth year in a row, and ranked last for education as well. New Mexico continues to rank last in the nation in child well-being, according to an annual report released Monday. The Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which used data from 2023, evaluates all states across four metrics of child well-being: health, economic well-being, education and family & community. It's the fourth straight year New Mexico ranked last overall. New Mexico 50th in child welfare, showing both improvements and declines in several areas The state saw some improvements from 2019 to 2023, including a lower rate of teen births, a lower rate of teens who are neither in school nor working and slightly improved high school graduation rates. But the state's ranking was dragged down by factors that include: persistently high poverty, a rising child death rate and declining educational performance. The state's rankings in the four categories were: 49th in economic well-being. 50th in education, 46th in health And 50th in family & community. Of the 16 metrics studied, New Mexico fell below the national average in all but one: children living in households with a high housing cost burden — 29% in New Mexico versus 30% nationally. New Mexico's performance on most of the metrics stayed flat or declined from 2019 to 2023. In a news release Monday, advocacy group New Mexico Voices for Children noted that the data in the report doesn't capture the full impact of policy changes in recent years, including expanded child care assistance and pre-k funding, but argued further action is also needed. 'These efforts matter, and in time, they will move the needle,' wrote Gabrielle Uballez, executive director of NM Voices for Children. 'But today, too many children are still waiting for the resources they need.' The challenges for children's well-being are especially concentrated in the South and Southwest regions of the U.S., the report noted. The worst states for child well-being were Oklahoma, Nevada, Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico. The best-ranking states were largely concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. They were New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Utah and Minnesota. New Mexico was ranked 46th for health, with Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi below it. Especially dragging the state down was a high rate of child and teen deaths. The rate of child and teen deaths in New Mexico increased since 2019, reaching 47 per 100,000 in 2023. The national average was 29 per 100,000 that year. Only Louisiana and Mississippi had higher child death rates. The national child death rate also increased over this period, which the report attributes to rising firearm deaths and drug overdoses, particularly among teens ages 15 to 19. Firearms were the leading cause of death among New Mexico kids and teens from 2018 to 2022, according to Centers for Disease Control data. The overall gun death rate has surged over the last decade and consistently ranks among the nation's highest. The teen birth rate declined both nationally and in New Mexico. The rate was 24 per 1,000 in New Mexico in 2019 and fell to 18 per 1,000 four years later. Only Louisiana ranked lower in terms of economic well-being. One-quarter of New Mexico children lived in poverty in 2023, which is consistent with 2019 levels. That rate was tied with Louisiana for the highest in the country. The national rate was 16%. The Kids Count report uses the official census poverty measure which includes just wage-based income. Another measure of poverty from the U.S. Census Bureau takes into account anti-poverty programs such as SNAP benefits and refundable tax credits, and New Mexico's standing improves when using that measure, as advocates pointed out last year. New Mexico has the highest rate of the population receiving SNAP benefits, and 38% of recipients are kids. Nationally, just 8% of kids nationally lived in high-poverty areas between 2019 and 2023 but 19% of New Mexican kids did during the same period. That contributed to New Mexico's low family & community ranking, although it was a slight improvement from the four years preceding it. Nearly two-thirds of New Mexico kids have parents lacking secure employment, which held steady from 2019. New Mexico ranked last in education, with declines in reading and math proficiency reflecting national trends. The portion of New Mexico fourth graders not proficient in reading reached 80% in 2023 and eighth graders not proficient in math reached 86%. Nationally, education performance was the category that fell the most. Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Casey Foundation, wrote in the report that reading and math performance experienced declines 'consistent with the well-documented toll on student learning and a rise in chronic absenteeism' that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. The report added: 'This is even more troubling when we consider that these indicators are strongly tied to future academic achievement, workforce readiness and economic success.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan ranks 33rd for child well-being in annual report with education among the nation's worst
Maskot/Getty Images Michigan ranked 33rd for overall child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book, lagging in education and economic well-being, amongst other areas. This is the 36th year the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization examining children's welfare, has released its Kids Count Data Book which ranks states' care for youth through education, health, family and community, and economic wellbeing. Historically, Michigan has particularly dragged in its education ranking, with the 2025 ranking sitting at 44th in the nation. Michigan worsened in the number of children ages 3 and 4 not attending school than in previous years. When it came to benchmark testing, the data book found that the number of eighth graders not testing proficient in math and fourth graders not testing proficient in reading worsened than in previous years as well. 'Education has consistently been our lowest ranking domain among the four key domains that the Annie E. Casey Foundation evaluates, pointing to the continued, urgent need for our state leaders to do more to support Michigan students,' said Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy in a news release Monday. Pushing for a school funding solution in Michigan continues to be a top priority for the league, which acts as the state's member organization of the Kids Count network, Stanton said. Michigan has worked to improve school access and outcomes, notably through securing universal school meals and investments in school mental health resources. But with federal threats on education looming, namely the Trump administration's interest in gutting the U.S. Department of Education, Stanton said it's important to point out the federal decisions that would harm students and advocate for policies that set kids up for educational success. Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook 'Speaking out against federal threats to education is also vital to ensuring our schools stay strong and are able to meet the needs of every student that walks through their doors,' Stanton said. 'Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education would remove protections for thousands of students in Michigan, especially those from low-income households and those receiving special education services.' The state's best ranking has historically been in health, ranking this year at 22nd. Michigan's health ranking, the only sector where Michigan placed in the top half of states, is largely attributed to the large portion of the state's children who have access to health insurance, the league's news release said. But just as stakeholders have raised concerns with President Donald Trump's plans for education, alarm bells are sounding off for a federal spending plan that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. More than 1 in 4 Michiganders is covered by Medicaid each month, including more than 1 million children, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. While there are areas where Michigan has made improvements, there continue to be sectors of children's well-being that demand attention and resources, Stanton said. These needs would be best addressed with the collaboration of state and federal policymakers to ensure Michigan's kids have opportunities to grow up healthy and prepared for their futures. 'We know what kids need to grow up healthy and connected so they can thrive as adults: Stable homes, strong schools, nutritious food, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow. Programs that meet these needs are smart investments, fostering long-term gains like employment and economic growth,' Stanton said. 'We encourage Michigan leaders and lawmakers alike to use both the national KIDS COUNT data and the state data we will be releasing later this year in informing smart policy and budget decisions that prioritize the well-being and futures of our state's youngest residents.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan ranks 33rd for child well-being in annual report with education among the nation's worst
Maskot/Getty Images Michigan ranked 33rd for overall child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book, lagging in education and economic well-being, amongst other areas. This is the 36th year the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization examining children's welfare, has released its Kids Count Data Book which ranks states' care for youth through education, health, family and community, and economic wellbeing. Historically, Michigan has particularly dragged in its education ranking, with the 2025 ranking sitting at 44th in the nation. Michigan worsened in the number of children ages 3 and 4 not attending school than in previous years. When it came to benchmark testing, the data book found that the number of eighth graders not testing proficient in math and fourth graders not testing proficient in reading worsened than in previous years as well. 'Education has consistently been our lowest ranking domain among the four key domains that the Annie E. Casey Foundation evaluates, pointing to the continued, urgent need for our state leaders to do more to support Michigan students,' said Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy in a news release Monday. Pushing for a school funding solution in Michigan continues to be a top priority for the league, which acts as the state's member organization of the Kids Count network, Stanton said. Michigan has worked to improve school access and outcomes, notably through securing universal school meals and investments in school mental health resources. But with federal threats on education looming, namely the Trump administration's interest in gutting the U.S. Department of Education, Stanton said it's important to point out the federal decisions that would harm students and advocate for policies that set kids up for educational success. Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook 'Speaking out against federal threats to education is also vital to ensuring our schools stay strong and are able to meet the needs of every student that walks through their doors,' Stanton said. 'Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education would remove protections for thousands of students in Michigan, especially those from low-income households and those receiving special education services.' The state's best ranking has historically been in health, ranking this year at 22nd. Michigan's health ranking, the only sector where Michigan placed in the top half of states, is largely attributed to the large portion of the state's children who have access to health insurance, the league's news release said. But just as stakeholders have raised concerns with President Donald Trump's plans for education, alarm bells are sounding off for a federal spending plan that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. More than 1 in 4 Michiganders is covered by Medicaid each month, including more than 1 million children, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. While there are areas where Michigan has made improvements, there continue to be sectors of children's well-being that demand attention and resources, Stanton said. These needs would be best addressed with the collaboration of state and federal policymakers to ensure Michigan's kids have opportunities to grow up healthy and prepared for their futures. 'We know what kids need to grow up healthy and connected so they can thrive as adults: Stable homes, strong schools, nutritious food, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow. Programs that meet these needs are smart investments, fostering long-term gains like employment and economic growth,' Stanton said. 'We encourage Michigan leaders and lawmakers alike to use both the national KIDS COUNT data and the state data we will be releasing later this year in informing smart policy and budget decisions that prioritize the well-being and futures of our state's youngest residents.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
