For the second year in a row, Connecticut ranked in the top 10 nationwide for overall child well-being, and in the bottom 10 for housing cost.
The Kids Count report, done annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a child advocacy group, placed Connecticut eighth for child well-being.
The report is broken down into four domains which include, economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.
The nonprofit Connecticut Voices for Children aggregates and supplies the data for Connecticut.
Over the last 15 years, at least a third of all Connecticut children have lived in housing cost burdened homes, according to Carmen Clarkin, who is special assistant of strategic initiatives for Voices for Children.
“Housing cost has outpaced wages significantly over the last few years, and so we know that those things all contribute to the increased housing costs that we see in the state of Connecticut compared to other states,” Clarkin said.
A family is considered housing cost-burdened if they spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing.
“Going through all of the years of data that we have and just seeing that every single year that I'm looking at, we have not been able to alleviate housing cost burden for children and to do better in that way,” Clarkin said.
She believes a child tax credit can help alleviate some of the burden families experience from housing costs.
A temporary child tax credit was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit provided flexible funds for families to use how they saw fit. However, many of them chose to use it to help pay for housing.
“This is something that we know would significantly help families with children in the state, and part of the reason why we know that is because when there was a federal level Child Tax Credit during the pandemic, we saw child poverty alleviated in so many different ways,” Clarkin said.
The annual report acts as a roadmap to help states determine ways in which they need to improve, and whether their strategies are working.
“We can look back at policy in the state from years past and notice that we have intentionally invested in education and in health, specifically with the expansion of when it comes to health, specifically with the expansion of our Husky program,” Clarkin said.
The report ranked Connecticut third in the nation for education. Determining factors which led to the ranking included data such as the reading proficiency for fourth-graders and the rate of high school students not graduating on schedule.
The state also placed fifth for health. The ranking was based on factors like lack of health insurance and obesity.
The top 10 ranking is a testament to the state’s investment in kids and families, Connecticut Voices for Children Executive Director Emily Byrne said.
“But progress is fragile. Federal proposals to slash funding for Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs could reverse hard-won gains,” Byrne said. “At the same time, housing costs are soaring and poverty is on the rise, especially for children. Connecticut must meet this moment with bold, equity-centered action.”
The report also helps guide the nation’s future, shaping the future workforce, and reducing long-term social and economic costs, according to Lisa Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
“By staying grounded in data and driven by what children and families say they need, we can help ensure that all young people have the chance to thrive and contribute meaningfully as adults,” Lawson said.
