The 2021 KIDS COUNT report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Louisiana’s rankings are towards the bottom. President and CEO Lisa Hamilton said they look at four areas, Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. Hamilton said the 2019 data shows the state at 49th poverty-wise.
“And in Louisiana, 27% of children were growing up in poverty, that’s compared to 17% nationally and this is pre-pandemic, so we suspect the situation is worse now,” said Hamilton.
Louisiana ranked 48th in Health and Education and 49th in Family and Community.
Hamilton said meeting the economic needs of children has a direct effect on their education, health along with family, and community. She said the American Rescue Act allows families to receive an extra $300 a month through the child tax credit and it will hopefully break the cycle of poverty.
“To help them meet their children’s basic needs and we know if kids can grow up healthy and strong, they’re less likely to low-income as adults,” said Hamilton.
The tax credit will reportedly lift four million children above the poverty line.
KIDS COUNT tracks a total of 16 indicators among the four main topics and Hamilton said it isn’t all bad news for children in the state.
“And half of them, more than half Louisiana was trending in the right direction and so that means that the state needs to stay the course,” said Hamilton.
She said the state needs to continually make investments in education and healthcare for children. Hamilton said the state improved in health coverage and only 4-percent lack health insurance, which’s above the national average of six percent.
For KIDS COUNT Louisiana data click here.
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