“Behind every number in this report is a child who is either hungry or fed, housed or homeless, progressing academically or falling behind… The Data Book challenges us to follow the evidence and do what delivers results.” – Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Foundation
Nearly 84% of high schoolers attending Detroit Public Schools received at least one gift card for showing up to class for five consecutive days — a recent initiative that has helped contribute to a 10% decrease in chronic absenteeism in the district across the past two school years.
“We know that children have a hard time focusing and learning when they don’t have enough food to eat, or when their families are facing financial strain. We really have to focus on how other aspects of child well-being affect children’s ability to learn and to thrive in school.”
Since the early 1990s, the amount of sleep U.S. teenagers get each night has steadily decreased. Experts are alarmed by this trend, as losing less than one hour of sleep per night for a week has been shown to negatively affect young people’s mood, health, and ability to perform in school.
“In the summer, there can be an awful lot of social isolation for young people, and that social isolation oftentimes leads to a great deal of screen time. We know that the average seventh grader spends about nine and a half hours a day on a screen. And… those numbers spike in the summer.”
Thanks to factors such as the state child tax credit and a decrease in child and teen deaths, New Mexico is no longer ranked last of all U.S. states in child welfare in the recently released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.
“We know that mental health has an impact on physical health and whether kids turn to substance abuse in order to [try to] manage mental health symptoms... We need to be responding with care, treatment, and services rather than with punishment.”
After years of holding steady at 6%, the rate of Arkansas children without health insurance increased to 8% in 2024, according to the newly released KIDS COUNT Data Book. To learn more about the well-being of Arkansas kids, check out the work of our partner organization @arkansasadvocate.com
Child Trends developed three briefs for @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social's Generation Work initiative to explain how workforce development organizations can help employers elevate approaches informed by positive youth development within the workplace. www.childtrends.org/publications...
When a family is financially stable, their kids are more likely to have their basic needs met and to experience healthy development during their childhood. Explore the economic data in your state in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social bit.ly/26DataBook-BS
Explore the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book and new state scores that track child well-being across education, health, economic well-being and family life.
Roughly 12,800 Detroit Public School Community District students received at least one $100 Visa gift card for showing up to each class.
www.the74million.org
A new report on childhood well-being finds the U.S. education system is still reeling from COVID—but the learning crisis started long before the pandemic hit.
fortune.com
Teens are getting less sleep each year, which can impact their mood, physical well-being and school performance, experts say. Here are solutions they recommend.
In a new report, cost and availability were cited as the biggest barriers for families trying to send their kids to camp or other summer learning programs.
www.wpr.org
New Mexico no longer ranks last in child welfare, according to an annual report published Monday comparing children’s wellbeing in all 50 states, but has risen to 49th. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s...
"Everyone is going through something," one California teen said about the prevalence of mental health concerns among his peers.
calmatters.org
Advocates for child well-being say improvement is an uphill battle in a state with declining or stagnant investment in programs like child care assistance.
The demographics of the U.S. workforce are changing in ways that are hard to ignore. Large numbers of baby boomers are retiring and the young adults who are…
