A new report on child welfare released today found more U.S. children living in poverty than before the Great Recession belies the fanfare of the nation’s economic turnaround.
Twenty-two percent of American children were living in poverty in 2013 compared with 18 percent in 2008, according to the latest Kids Count Data Book, with poverty rates nearly double among African-Americans and American Indians and problems most severe in the South and Southwest.
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Report suggest U.S. children left behind in economic recovery
Tennessee ranks 36th in the country for child well-being, the same ranking it received last year. The Volunteer State was ranked 38th in economic well-being, 36th in education, 30th in health, and 37th in family and community, remaining the same on 11 of 16 measure, and worsening on five indicators.
“Substantially improving outcomes for Tennessee children requires a two-generation approach to reducing poverty,” said Linda O’Neal, executive director of the state’s Kids Count affiliate, in a written statement. “We must support parents by improving education, employability, and parenting skills, while at the same time providing high-quality early learning opportunities for their children.”