This year’s Kids Count report showed Indiana had a reduction in the percentage of teens not in school and not working from 7% to 5%, indicating more young people are staying engaged in education or jobs. Photo from Adobe Stock.

By Joe Ulery
Indiana News Service

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana now ranks 25th in the nation for child well-being, up from 27th last year.

The data comes from the year’s Kids Count Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Indiana Youth Institute leads the report for Indiana. It tracks child outcomes in four areas: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, said the progress reflects smart investments.

“Indiana rose to 11th nationally in both the economic well-being and education areas,” Silverman reported. “Those are actually the highest ranking in those areas in over a decade.”

Youth health improved slightly. Fewer kids are overweight and more have health insurance but Indiana saw more low birth-weight babies and more child and teen deaths.

Silverman argued Indiana must act on math and reading proficiency which fell behind.

“That wasn’t just a blip,” Silverman contended. “That wasn’t just remote learning but it’s actually something that we’re going to have to change how we approach in order to make sure again that our kids are proficient in reading.”

Family and community remains Indiana’s weakest area, ranked 31st. Still, the data show signs of slow progress.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said federal cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP would affect most states, including Indiana. She hopes Congress considers the report’s unbiased data.

“I think it’s critically important that policymakers look at the data on food security in their community, that they look at the data on access to health care, that they look at what has been effective in driving child well-being,” Boissiere urged.