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- By Kaili Berg
The findings come from the latest edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual “Race for Results” study, which examines data on well-being and milestones from birth to early adulthood.
“We need children of every race and ethnicity to grow up ready to provide the talent, intellect and hard work that will make our country strong and prosperous,” Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the Casey Foundation, said in a press release. “This country of great abundance, creativity and possibility can, and must, make better policy choices to eliminate the barriers kids face.”
The report presents a single composite score ranging from 0 to 1,000 across 12 key well-being indicators to compare across states and racial and ethnic groups. According to the report, AI/AN (418) have some of the lowest index scores.
While there were gains among every demographic group in poverty indicators, more than half of AI/AN (57%) kids currently live below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The report also found that reading and math scores dropped during the pandemic, and in 2022, only a third of all fourth graders were proficient in reading, while approximately one in six AI/AN (18 percent) kids were proficient in reading.
AI/AN children are relatively better off in states as disparate as Alabama (683), New Jersey (676), Texas (666), Kansas (659), and Arkansas (616), according to the report.
The well-being of AI/AN children differs considerably based on Tribal affiliation, according to the report. Only 36% of Pueblo children lived in two-parent households in 2017–2021, compared to 64% of Choctaw children. Data also shows that more than half of Cherokee, Choctaw and Creek children live in families with incomes at or above 200% of poverty, compared with 28% of Apache children.
The report included several recommendations for improving outcomes for children, including expanding the federal child tax credit and the earned income tax credit, considering baby bonds and children’s savings accounts, expanding Medicaid access, and creating targeted programs and policies.
“Certain key moments in a young person’s life are pivotal to ensuring they achieve their dreams and good public policy can affect the outcomes at these moments, as we saw with the expansion of the child tax credit,” Boissiere said in a press release.
“When we effectively address the needs of young people, they can fulfill their potential, thrive and strengthen our communities in the future.”
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