Nebraska ranked in the top 10 for children's well-being on the 2024 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book.

Josh Shirk, research coordinator at Voices for Children in Nebraska, said although the state's No. 9 ranking is good news, the fact the state declined on seven of 15 measures between 2019 and 2022 is concerning.

Nebraska ranked fifth for children's economic well-being, which Shirk noted is driven largely by the state's low unemployment rate. However, the percentage of Nebraska children living in poverty, which decreased at the national level, rose from 11% to 14% in the past year.

"These child poverty rates increasing at a time when many states saw declines can be traced directly to the loss of federal child tax credits and other economic supports," Shirk explained. "Other states are filling in the gap, but Nebraska isn't."

A larger percentage of Nebraska children were also living in households with a high housing-cost burden. Shirk pointed out the worsening of the two measures showed employment is not translating to economic security for many Nebraska families. On the bright side, the state showed improvements in the percentages of children with health insurance and of 3- and 4-year-olds attending preschool.

Pandemic learning loss was a major focus of this year's report.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said they found "significant dips" nationwide from 2019 to 2022. In particular, in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math skills. Boissiere stressed it does not bode well for the students or the country.

"As a country, we're failing to prepare our children to be able to compete in the competitive global workforce," Boissiere contended. "You look at the industries and the jobs where there is significant growth and where the wages are significant, they're largely stem-related fields."

Nebraska students also showed academic declines, with 3% fewer fourth graders proficient in reading and 6% fewer eighth graders proficient in math.

Another focus of this year's report was chronic absenteeism, which increased dramatically during the pandemic and is a known obstacle to school success. Chronic absenteeism at the national level was at 30% in 2022. Shirk acknowledged Nebraska fared a bit better, at 23%, but emphasized it is something in need of continued attention.

"Rather than labeling students or parents as criminals due to attendance challenges -- which happens -- we believe lawmakers should embrace positive approaches to engage families in the community, to set them up better outside of school, so they can arrive at school ready to learn," Shirk outlined.

Before the pandemic, 16% of Nebraska students were chronically absent.

Everybody loves to get something free and right now, kids aged 12-17 can get a fishing and hunting license at no cost from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The license is good for one year and normally sells for $15.

Bobby Jones, outdoor connection coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said the free licenses are funded by donations to the Nevada Youth License Fund.

"This is actually the third year that the program's been active," Jones explained. "We keep it open as much as possible. We're just limited by the amount of donations that we have. Right now, we have almost 2,000 available and they go fast."

Youth can get a free license on the Nevada Department of Wildlife website or wherever the licenses are sold. Children under age 12 do not need a fishing license. The state said almost two-thirds of the kids who have taken advantage of the program in the past have never had a hunting or fishing license before.

Jones emphasized the program is designed to tempt kids to leave the digital world behind for a short time and enjoy some time outdoors. It could lead them to even consider a nature-based career like wildlife biology, forest management or outdoor education.

"Essentially what we're up against is a lot of kids are engaged in their phones and social media, TV," Jones pointed out. "They're constantly bombarded with things. We're trying to make it a little bit easier for them to enjoy the outdoors."

Some of the most popular fishing spots include Lahontan in the Fallon area, Wild Horse and South Fork in Eastern Nevada, and Lake Mead down south.


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The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.

The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.

Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.

Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."

"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."

Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.

The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.

Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.

"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "

The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.

Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.

Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.

"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."

Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.

The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.

"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."

The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.


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