skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, July 19, 2025

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

Trump tells Justice Dept. to seek release of Epstein grand jury testimony; NV education advocates blast freeze on federal funds; and VA leaders push EV adoption as economic, national security imperative.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An asylum case sparks alarm, protests invoke the late John Lewis, Trump continues to face backlash over the Epstein files and the Senate moves forward with cuts to foreign aid.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Trump administration's axe to clean energy funding could hit rural mom-and-pop businesses hard, cuts also jeopardize Alaska's efforts to boost its power grid using wind and solar, and a small Kansas school district engages new students with a focus on ag.

Colorado Ranks High in Child Well-Being as Kids Face Mental-Health Crisis

play audio
Play

Monday, August 8, 2022   

Colorado ranks 16th in the nation for promoting children's overall well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's latest report on child wellness, even as children have struggled with unprecedented levels of poor mental health.

In Colorado, more than 10%, about 109,000 kids, reported experiencing anxiety or depression in 2020.

Erica Manoatl, manager of research initiatives for the Colorado Children's Campaign, said children of color and LGBTQ+ children are at greater risk than their white heterosexual peers.

"We saw higher shares of Colorado's Black students, students of two or more races, and students who are American Indian or Alaska Native; all of those groups had higher shares of attempted suicide compared to other students," Manoatl outlined.

Colorado saw the second-largest increase in the mortality rate in the nation for kids age one to 19. Between 2010 and 2020, there were 31 deaths per 100,000 children, up from 25 deaths per 100,000 a decade earlier. The state made improvements in 11 of the 16 indicators of child and family well-being spotlighted in the report, notably in the teen birthrate and the share of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods.

The report's recommendations include expanding access to mental-health providers, especially in schools where kids spend the majority of their days. Kids who grow up in poverty are two to three times more likely to develop mental-health conditions than their peers.

Manoatl argued initiatives helping families to meet their basic needs are key to children's well-being.

"Having nutritious food at home, having stable housing or living in a safe neighborhood, or knowing that their family is financially secure," Manoatl explained. "When we take care of those basic needs of kids, that allows them to have less anxiety, to feel fewer symptoms of depression."

Manoatl noted Colorado saw a significant drop in the number of teen pregnancies, which numerous studies cite as a potential barrier to kids' success later in life.

"Young people are not able to achieve a high school diploma, or they might have a harder time going to college," Manoatl pointed out. "Improvements in the teen birthrate ultimately are improvements to the outcomes of young people in our state."

Disclosure: The Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Education, Juvenile Justice, and 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
The U.S. Department of Education has frozen grants that support summer learning, teacher professional development, after-school programs, English-language classes, support for children of migrants, school-based mental health and adult education. (Syda Productions/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Public education advocates are sounding alarms about the upcoming school year because the federal government is holding up about $60 million in funds …


Social Issues

play sound

An Eau Claire resident is speaking out about how federal cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could affect his life and …

Environment

play sound

A cleaner environment through less waste is the goal of a new state organization, the Indiana Composting Council. The council will enlist …


Just 30% of U.S. solar and 57% of wind projects are expected to survive under the new GOP tax and spending law signed by President Donald Trump. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

More than $7 billion in Colorado's GDP and 9,600 jobs are projected to be lost under President Donald Trump's signature tax and spending bill which cu…

Environment

play sound

California receives high marks in a report on the fight against plastic pollution. This is Plastic-free July and the United States of Plastics report…

April's Clean Water Lobby Day was held by Oregon Rural Action and the Stand Up to Factory Farms Coalition in Salem. (Oregon Rural Action)

play sound

Environmental groups say Oregon's new groundwater law, meant to curb pollution, has been diluted to the point they can no longer support it. …

Social Issues

play sound

Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing simila…

Social Issues

play sound

New Mexico demonstrators will join nationwide protests today to oppose policies of the Trump administration. The "Good Trouble Lives On" nonviolent …

 

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