COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new report calls for continued work to ensure Ohio children from all walks of life have the opportunity to thrive.

The state ranks 27th nationally in The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book with progress over the past several years in more than half of the report's indicators for well-being.

Child poverty has lessened – however it's still slightly higher in Ohio than the national average.

And Tracy Nájera, executive director of Children's Defense Fund-Ohio, says twice as many African American, Native American and Latino children live in low-income households than do white children.

"Ohio's future generation is its most diverse yet,” she states. “And it’s important that we direct our attention to the areas where we have not seen equitable improvements across child well-being indicators by race and ethnicity. Pushing for policies that level the playing field for all Ohio children is really important."

Nájera explains policies that support a parent's education and employment can have a positive impact on a child's long-term educational outcomes.

However, the report found that in Ohio nearly three times more Latino children and almost two times more black children have parents who lack a high school diploma compared to that of white children.

The report comes as the Ohio Senate debates the state's two-year budget.

Nájera says lawmakers are doing more to increase access to high quality affordable child care, but she contends additional measures are needed to help families ensure their children's needs are being met.

"What that means is making sure that all children have access to health insurance and services like the CHIP program,” she stresses. “And also making sure that working families have access to nutrition services like SNAP."

This year marks the 30th year for the Data Book, and Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Casey Foundation, contends public policies should ensure all children have the opportunity to realize their full potential.

"All 74 million children in this country deserve brighter futures,” she states. “Children represent 25% of the population but they are 100% of our future. And when we invest in all children our communities are stronger and also the country is stronger."

The report notes the 2010 census missed 2.2 million children under five years old, and it calls for an accurate 2020 count to ensure the proper allocation of federal funding for programs that support children.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- As the pandemic wanes, hunger and food insecurity are also on the decline, but the need is still far above pre-pandemic levels, especially for people of color.

Ami McReynolds, chief equity and programs officer for Feeding America, said despite recent decreases, the amount of food being distributed by the organization's partner food banks remained more than 55% above pre-pandemic levels.

"The pandemic seemed to worsen the conditions for people of color in this country. African Americans went from 2.5 times to 3.2 times more likely to be food insecure."

McReynolds added Latinos went from 2.0 to 2.5 times more likely to be food insecure during the same time period.

Feeding America reports 38 million people were food insecure before the pandemic, and almost 60 million people turned to a charitable feeding system for assistance in 2020. Feeding America works with more than 200 food banks across the country.

She is confident various interventions allowed people to have enough to eat, but worries food insecurity could increase all over again if more setbacks occur, such as the expiration of eviction moratoriums and expanded unemployment benefits.

"The racial wealth gap just really continues to widen for people of color who are seeing higher rates of unemployment, limited learning potential and continued lack of homeownership," McReynolds outlined.

In addition to food banks, the government-led Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, saw an increase of seven million users between 2019 and 2021.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Children's advocacy groups are making the case that school-based health centers are a worthy investment for Ohio's kids.

Tracy Najera, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund-Ohio, said being able to get health-care needs met at school gives children and families a "medical home" for primary care and other services. She said a child's physical and mental wellness is foundational for success in academics and life.

"Especially during this pandemic, children and families have been struggling and truly suffering," she said. "Behavioral-health issues have reached crisis levels - and many children, in general, haven't been receiving their well-child visits."

Ohio has at least $3 billion in recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act not yet allocated, and the Ohio Children's Budget Coalition is asking the governor's office to invest $25 million per year over two years to help school districts around the state expand or establish school-based health programs. Najera said that investment could fund between 15 and 30 projects.

The convenience of a school-based health center not only helps improve access to care, Najera said, but it also reduces absenteeism.

"That's one less day of work that the parent misses, and one day less of school that a child is missing," she said. "So, really bringing the services to where the children are makes a whole lot of sense."

Najera added that the centers are a part of a "whole-child" agenda being promoted by the Ohio Children's Budget Coalition.

"Children need food, they need housing, they need education, they need health care - they need all these things to really thrive and flourish," she said. "Children don't come in pieces, and neither should our budget and policy decisions."

A new American Academy of Pediatrics report said the number of school-based health centers has more than doubled in the United States since 1998. There are more than 60 in Ohio schools.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- With the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace open-enrollment period just around the corner, advocacy groups are gearing up to get as many families covered as possible.

A new report shows the number of uninsured children in the state is on the rise, from just over 4% in 2016 to 5.6% in 2019.

Loretta Alexander, health policy director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, which released the report, said poverty can play a role in parents and children going without health coverage.

"And we know that families in poverty have a lot of other struggles," Alexander observed. "They move a lot. Let's say if they were on Medicaid, and the Medicaid agency reaches out to them for renewal or for information or something, and they don't get the communication. They're going to have their case terminated if they don't get information back to the agency in time."

In 2019 statewide, 151,000 children were living in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Alexander pointed out Arkansas children in families with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for Medicaid coverage.

The report showed just since 2018, the number of children who may have untreated health issues because of a lack of insurance has grown by nearly 10,000.

Alexander emphasized making sure kids are able to access affordable health care is crucial for their well-being throughout childhood.

"Insurance helps mothers to get the prenatal care needed for healthier birth outcomes," Alexander outlined. "After the child is born, coverage for well-child visits is important to get the developmental screenings and assessments that children need, as well as preventive care for infants and toddlers, and preschoolers."

Open enrollment through the health-insurance marketplace runs from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. Eligible Arkansans can apply for Medicaid coverage any time of the year.