WA ranks 14th in child welfare needs improvement / Public News Service

Washington state ranks 14th in a new report on child well-being. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count databook measures how well states support children and families in four categories: economic well-being, education, health, family and community.

Dr. Stephan Blanford, executive director of the Seattle-based Children’s Alliance, said the state continues to struggle with a child care crisis, in which low-income children lack access to high quality care, if at all.

“As an education researcher and former school board superintendent here in Seattle, I know that their chances of succeeding in K-12 are very limited if they don’t have access to child care. high quality in those early years,” he said. said.

Blanford noted that child depression and anxiety numbers are also high in the state. Washington ranks 28th in economic well-being, in part because of more than 500,000 children living in households with high housing costs. The state ranks first in health, ranking 4th.

Like other states across the country, Washington has struggled with education post-pandemic.

Leslie Boissière, executive director of the Casey Foundation, said the pandemic is not solely responsible for deteriorating educational outcomes. She says it’s been a problem for a long time.

“For example, the pandemic has erased decades of increases in math scores. However, if you look over the 35 years that we have produced the Data Book, we have never seen a significant percentage of children who were proficient in either fourth-grade reading or basic math,” she said.

Boissière also noted that $190 billion in federal pandemic funding, through emergency aid for elementary and secondary schools, could help improve outcomes. It says the deadline for states to allocate this funding is September 30.

“There are still tens of billions in pandemic funds, called ESSER funds, that have been allocated to schools to provide resources for things like high-dose tutoring, and other resources that can support children that have not been spent,” explained Boissière.

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A new report finds that Virginia’s economic instability is disrupting children’s well-being. The Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Book ranks Virginia 16th nationally for child well-being, up from 14th last year. The state has performed well in health and education, but some rankings are holding children back.

Rachael Deane, CEO of Voices for Virginia’s Children, noted that the report shows that 28 percent of children live in homes with high housing costs. She said housing instability disrupts the foundations of economic security that children need to thrive.

“It is a challenge to find affordable and adequate housing. Families spend a large portion of their income on housing, which leaves little income to provide for other necessities and resources for children,” he said. -she explains.

Deane believes state lawmakers are proactive in improving children’s education, although she thinks their efforts should focus on reducing the state’s high housing costs.

Affordable housing advocates want lawmakers to put in place protections against evictions amid the pandemic as a start. Eviction filings are reaching pre-pandemic levels, which peaked at nearly 16,000 in 2019.

Other data from the report shows that 36 percent of Virginia children had an adverse childhood experience. Nationally, 40% of children face one or more of these issues, such as divorce, parental incarceration or domestic violence.

Leslie Boissière, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said trauma can have a significant impact on children.

“It is therefore very important for children’s well-being to ensure that these adverse childhood experiences are addressed and that they have the resources they need within the school and community. the community to be able to heal,” she explained.

Most of Virginia faces a shortage of youth mental health professionals. But Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Right Help Right Now plan could improve that. It calls for expanding mental health programs in schools, expanding telebehavioral health operations in high schools and college campuses, and creating more than 30 mobile crisis centers.

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The economic well-being of Maine children is improving, but chronic absence from school is impacting learning, according to a new report.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count 2024 data book shows that fewer children are living in poverty. But the number of high school students not graduating on time increased slightly, and the number of eighth graders lacking math skills jumped to 76 percent.

Melissa Hackett, policy associate at the Maine Children’s Alliance, said post-pandemic trauma and learning loss remains a challenge.

“We know that families face many stressors at home, making it more difficult for young people to show up to school ready to learn,” she said.

Hackett added that she would like to see greater state investment in community schools, which often have additional capacity to serve as a hub for student and family services, helping to ensure that basic needs are satisfied so that families can flourish.

Indicators for Maine families and communities are improving, with fewer children living in single-parent households and more parents finding secure employment. Still, Hackett argued that schools and families must find non-punitive ways to ensure children are in class.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said rates of chronic absenteeism among students are almost 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 their studies on time. This also affects the overall classroom atmosphere as the teacher is always trying to catch up with the students,” she noted. .

Studies show that students who do not exceed lower levels of math may be 50% more likely to become unemployed after high school.

Boissiere added that the state can increase investments in its students with unspent federal pandemic money, and said that ensuring students have access to low- or no-cost meals, tutoring in person and mental health services would go a long way to improving their outcomes.

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New data shows that most Kentucky children are not academically prepared for a successful future.

The latest Kids Count data book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that in 2022, 79% of the state’s eighth graders were behind in math and 69% of fourth graders were behind in reading.

The number of young children out of school has also increased.

Terry Brooks, Ph.D – executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates – said lawmakers and community leaders need to pay attention and get involved in solving what he calls an education crisis.

“Thirty-four years ago I was a superintendent,” Brooks said, “and I remember when public education was a common bond. Today, public education is the arena most controversial policy in Frankfurt.”

Federal emergency aid grants to elementary and secondary schools — which expire this fall — have been used by districts to support digital learning, pay school counselors, mental health professionals and hire more staff.

Kentucky received a total of $2 billion in federal funds.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Casey Foundation, said that compared to peer countries, the United States is not providing its children with the problem-solving skills that future employers will need.

“Our economy is powered by a prepared workforce,” Boissière said. “And so, for our economy to function well, it’s important that we prepare young people with the skills they need – so they enter the workforce prepared.”

Brooks said poverty, physical and mental health, childhood trauma and other factors impact a student’s ability to enter a classroom free of distractions and ready to learn — especially among students of color and children from immigrant and low-income families.

“Do young people have food security and stable housing?” Brooks said. “Do they have comprehensive supports for their behavioral and mental health? As important as classroom pedagogy, methods, and curriculum are, these non-cognitive factors are actually even more important.

Advocates say policies such as increasing access to low- or no-cost school meals, expanding access to reliable internet, tutoring and other community supports can better help children who have fallen behind.

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