Maine makes progress in overall child well-being, report finds
The new KIDS COUNT Data Book finds Maine still has work to do to address child poverty, education and health care
TALIA CLARKE JOINS US WITH SOME NEW INFORMATION JUST RELEASED OVERNIT.GH. CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE.. SO, WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC HAVING THEM? RESEARCHERS .. LIKE HELEN HEMMINGER .. FROM MAINE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE.. COLLECT AND UPDATE DATA TO SEE WHERE OUR KIDS STAND ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. GFX AND MAINE RANKS 11-TH IN THE U-S WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD-WELLBEING. BUT HOW "WELL" ARE THEY DOING? HEMMINGER SAYS - NOT GREAT, WHEN IT COMES TO RACIAL INEQUITIES- HELEN HEMMINGER / KIDS COUNT RESEARCH ASSOCIATE FOR MAINE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE 13:22 "46 PERCENT OF MAINE'S BLACK CHILDREN LIVE IN POVERTY.. AND THE NATIONAL RATE WAS ABT OU 33%, SO THE OTHER RACES WERE ALSO HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE.. BUT THEY WERE OSCLE TO T NHEATIONAL RATE, SO WE THING IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THESE SYSTEMIC RACISM AND LKTA ABOUT HOW TO RAISE ALL CHILDREN UP SO THEY CAN SUCCEED." GFX ALSO - 1 IN 5 PARENTS HE ERIN MAINE SAY THEIR CHILDREN FELT EITHER DOWN, DEPRESSED OR HOPELESS AT THE START OF THE PAEMNDIC.. BLEAK - I KNOW. BUT THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS HERE. THAT NUMBER IMPROVED TO 16 PERCENT IN 20-21. HELEN HEMMINGER / KIDS COUNT RESECHAR ASSOCTEIA FOR MAINE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE 8:49 "IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO BE OUT HERE IN A PARK NOW AND KNOW KIDS CAN PLAY IN PLAYGROUNDS THERE WAS A TI TMEHEY COULDN'T DO THAT.. SPORTS STARTING UP, BUT IT'S BEEN A REALLY HARD YEAR.. HYBRID HARD F OR STUDENTS.. FAMILIES AND TEACHERS." GFX 87 PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOLERS IN 2020 GRADUATE D. SIMILAR TO YEARS PRIOR.. AND SLIGHTLY áABOVEá THE NATIONAL RATE.. GFX ON THE OTHER HAND.. IN 2019.. MORE THAN HALF OF MAINE KIDS WERE NOT ENROLLED IN PRESCHOOL. GFX THIS REPORT ALSO SHOWS IN 20-19.. 33- THOUSAND MAINE CHILDREN ARE REPORTEDLY LIVING IN HOUSEHOLDS WITH INCOME BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.. AND 15-THOUSAND CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE. GFX HEMMINGER IS HOPEFUL BIDEN'S AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.. A MONTHLY TAX CREDIT OF UP TO 3,000 DOLLARS FOR MOST CHILDREN UNDER7. 1. WILL HELP MANY MAINE FAMILIES IN MEED - HELEN HEMMINGER / KIDS COUNT RESEARCH ASSOCIATE FOR MAINE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE 4:59IT "'SEMPO TRARY DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. 5:02 "TO HELP MAKE SURE NO CHILDREN GO HUNGRY AND PEOPLE GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED" 5:05 "OUR ADVOCACY IS CLEARLY SAYING THAT WE'D LIKE THIS BTOE PERMANENT AND IT WOULD MAKE AN IMP
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 21st edition of its KIDS COUNT Data Book Monday morning, providing an initial look at how the pandemic affected children, including in Maine.The report finds Maine ranks 11th in the country in overall child well-being, based on factors like poverty, education and health care.Maine remains one of the best in the country in family and community indicators, ranking fourth overall, and tied for first with just 4% of households that have children headed by a person who does not have a high school degree. Maine ranks 15th in economic security, holding at 14% poverty rate from 2018 to 2019. that equates to 33,000 children living in households earning below the poverty line. The report finds other states made greater one-year improvements.In education, Maine ranks 18th with a high school graduation rate of 87%, which is actually higher than the 86% national average. But the report also finds that 54%, or roughly 14,000, children ages 3 and 4 in Maine were not enrolled in preschool in 2019.In the health domain, Maine comes in 12th, showing improvement since the 2017-2018 survey in teens ages 10 to 17 who have a healthy body weight. The Data Book also finds that 15,000 children in Maine did not have health insurance in 2019."In 2017, Maine had the highest reduction in child poverty of any state and held steady for the latest child poverty data in 2019," said Stephanie Eglinton, executive director of the Maine Children's Alliance and a member of the KIDS COUNT network. "This year's Data Book indicates Maine needs to continue to implement policy solutions to address child poverty, like expanding tax credits, increasing living wages and making housing affordable to work toward lifting the 33,000 children and their families out of poverty in our state."The Foundation used data from the U.S. Census bureau to assess some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in Maine. That analysis found that 8% of adults in Maine who had children in their home did not have health insurance in 2020. By March of 2021, that number had fallen to 6%.About 20% of adults with children in their homes said they felt down, depressed,or hopeless in the months following the start of the pandemic in 2020. That was down to 16% in March 2021.Technology continues to be a challenge for many families. The report found that 14% of households with children during 2020 said that they did not always have access to the internet and a computer or digital device for school purposes."The COVID-19 pandemic is the most extraordinary crisis to hit families in decades," said Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "Deliberate policy decisions can help them recover, and we're already seeing the beginnings of that. Policymakers should use this moment to repair the damage the pandemic has caused — and to address long-standing inequities it has exacerbated."
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 21st edition of its KIDS COUNT Data Book Monday morning, providing an initial look at how the pandemic affected children, including in Maine.
The report finds Maine ranks 11th in the country in overall child well-being, based on factors like poverty, education and health care.
Maine remains one of the best in the country in family and community indicators, ranking fourth overall, and tied for first with just 4% of households that have children headed by a person who does not have a high school degree.
Maine ranks 15th in economic security, holding at 14% poverty rate from 2018 to 2019. that equates to 33,000 children living in households earning below the poverty line. The report finds other states made greater one-year improvements.
In education, Maine ranks 18th with a high school graduation rate of 87%, which is actually higher than the 86% national average. But the report also finds that 54%, or roughly 14,000, children ages 3 and 4 in Maine were not enrolled in preschool in 2019.
In the health domain, Maine comes in 12th, showing improvement since the 2017-2018 survey in teens ages 10 to 17 who have a healthy body weight. The Data Book also finds that 15,000 children in Maine did not have health insurance in 2019.
"In 2017, Maine had the highest reduction in child poverty of any state and held steady for the latest child poverty data in 2019," said Stephanie Eglinton, executive director of the Maine Children's Alliance and a member of the KIDS COUNT network. "This year's Data Book indicates Maine needs to continue to implement policy solutions to address child poverty, like expanding tax credits, increasing living wages and making housing affordable to work toward lifting the 33,000 children and their families out of poverty in our state."
The Foundation used data from the U.S. Census bureau to assess some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in Maine.
That analysis found that 8% of adults in Maine who had children in their home did not have health insurance in 2020. By March of 2021, that number had fallen to 6%.
About 20% of adults with children in their homes said they felt down, depressed,
or hopeless in the months following the start of the pandemic in 2020. That was down to 16% in March 2021.
Technology continues to be a challenge for many families. The report found that 14% of households with children during 2020 said that they did not always have access to the internet and a computer or digital device for school purposes.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is the most extraordinary crisis to hit families in decades," said Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "Deliberate policy decisions can help them recover, and we're already seeing the beginnings of that. Policymakers should use this moment to repair the damage the pandemic has caused — and to address long-standing inequities it has exacerbated."