Though childhood poverty in Tennessee has improved, the state saw an increasing number of youth struggling academically while the high cost of child care continued to cripple many families, according to the 2023 Kids Count report released Wednesday.
The annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation aims to highlight areas where state policymakers should target investments and initiatives for children and their families by evaluating each state’s performance on 16 indicators in areas related to health, economic well-being, education and family and community, according to its authors.
This year’s report is primarily based on data from 2021 and calls attention to the child care crisis in both Tennessee and the nation.
Center-based child care for a toddler in the state averaged $7,934 annually, and 12% of Tennessee children age 5 and younger lived in households where family members — mostly women — were forced to forgo or change employment due to challenges finding or affording child care, according to the report.