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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Florida Improves in Child Education, Lags in Well-Being

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Monday, June 17, 2019   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new report calls for continued work to expand access to health care to improve the well-being of children in Florida. The state ranks 37th nationally for children's overall well-being in the new 2019 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book.

The report showed more than 800,000 children in Florida are living in poverty with persistent racial and ethnic disparities. Norin Dollard, director of Florida Kids Count, said the state is making modest improvements in some areas, but other states are improving more rapidly.

"Compared to five years ago we're still better off in terms of insurance coverage for children,” Dollard said. “But compared to last year, we're starting to sink back, and we're actually losing ground in terms of covering kids."

Florida ranks 40th in the nation for health coverage, with 325,000 kids without health insurance. The state is also showing an increase in the number of low-birthweight babies and more child and teen deaths per 100,000.

Dollard said state legislators should focus on policies that help children, such as expanding Medicaid and the Earned Income Tax Credit at the state level.

This marks the 30th year for the Kids Count Data Book. Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs with the Casey Foundation, attributed gains in Florida and across the nation to programs and policies that improve access to early-childhood education.

"The Head Start program resulted in more young children - three- and four-year-olds - enrolling in early childhood education, which has a significant impact on overall academic achievement, on the self-esteem of kids,” Boissiere said. “Black children, in particular, are more likely to enroll in early-education programs as a result of this policy investment."

The report also highlighted improvements in fourth-grade reading scores and high school graduation rates throughout the state. Boissiere said one way to ensure educational needs are being met is to increase efforts to count everyone in the 2020 census - including children younger than age five and people living in hard-to-reach communities.

Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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