skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

Tennessee Ranks in the Bottom Half of States for Child Well-Being

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 24, 2021   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - New survey data taken during the pandemic offers a clear picture of how Tennessee kids and families are faring.

Tennessee ranks 36th in the nation when it comes to overall child well-being, according to the 2021 Kids Count Data Book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Richard Kennedy - executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Families - said despite the bottom ranking, the state has made strides, with the number of children living in households with an income below the poverty line decreasing by 23% over the past decade.

As the pandemic ebbs and the economy starts to see signs of a bounce back, he said he believes it's critical the state strengthen support for children and families.

"We have kind of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to look at some of those systemic issues that have plagued our state and that have resulted in some of the outcomes that we have," said Kennedy, "and really work to change that culture and improve outcomes for the next generation or future generations of Tennesseans."

Housing affordability is among one of those systemic issues. The report found that during the pandemic, in 2020, more than 20% of adults in Tennessee with children had little to no confidence in their ability to pay their next mortgage or rent payment.

However, by last March, this figure had fallen to 13%, suggesting the beginnings of a recovery.

Kennedy noted that disparities persist, with 26% of Black Tennesseans reporting a lack of confidence in paying the rent or mortgage in March.

He said he also believes Congress should make the expansion of the child tax credit permanent. Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, explained both state and federal child tax credits are critical to eliminating structural inequities in the tax code.

"We are excited and grateful that lawmakers passed the expansion," said Boissiere. "And we're calling on them to make that expansion permanent. We'd like to ensure that we don't have the largest ever one-year reduction in the number of children who live in poverty followed immediately by the largest-ever one-year increase."

She said more than half of Black children historically have been ineligible for the full Child Tax Credit because their household incomes are too low, compared with less than 25% of White children.



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.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021