Oklahoma ranks No. 40 for child well-being in latest Kids Count report

(*40*)A brand new report ranks Oklahoma at No. 40 amongst U.S. states for child well-being, an enchancment from the earlier 12 months however nonetheless lagging behind different states.

(*40*)Last 12 months, Oklahoma ranked forty second in the annual Kids Count report, which is produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and evaluates states in 4 classes: financial well-being, training, well being, and household and group.

(*40*)Oklahoma scored highest this 12 months amongst these 4 classes for financial well-being at thirty second, one spot increased than it did final 12 months. 

(*40*)That enhance is essentially due to federal investments and direct help to households, stated Gabrielle Jacobi, child well-being coverage analyst on the Oklahoma Policy Institute, which is the state’s Kids Count affiliate group.

(*40*)Oklahoma nonetheless trails considerably in contrast with different states. The consequence, Jacobi stated, is that too many Oklahoma youngsters stay in poverty, have unhealthy lives and are behind educationally in contrast with their friends in different states.

(*40*)“In terms of our overall ranking, other states actually got worse, and that helped us improve,” she stated. “But truly, that federal investment is what helped our families the most this past year.”

(*40*)On the opposite classes, Oklahoma ranked among the many backside 10 states. It was:

• forty first in household and group, the identical spot it held final 12 months.
• forty fifth in training, the identical spot it held final 12 months.
• forty second in well being, the identical spot it held final 12 months.

(*40*)More:Q&A: How has 988 line labored in first month in Oklahoma?

‘Kids are struggling’

(*40*)The report, which is predicated on a mixture of pre-pandemic information and more moderen figures, additionally highlighted what officers have referred to as an epidemic of youth psychological well being crises. 

(*40*)In Oklahoma, 1 in 8 youngsters ages 3 to 17 had anxiousness or despair in 2020, up 15 p.c from outcomes in 2016.

(*40*)Oklahoma was additionally a part of a troubling nationwide development with a rise in the child and teenage demise fee. 

(*40*)“This increase was driven largely by firearm fatalities and drug overdoses,” Jacobi stated. 

(*40*)More:Oklahoma colleges are stepping as much as help psychological well being for college students in disaster

(*40*)The state rankings are primarily based on 16 indicators of child well-being. Oklahoma ranked among the many backside half of states in all however one, which was Oklahoma’s share of households spending greater than 30% of their earnings on housing. 

(*40*)One in 4 Oklahoma youngsters stay in households which have a excessive housing price burden, which is lower than the nationwide common.

(*40*)But the report additionally discovered that greater than 1 in 5 Oklahoma youngsters (195,000) stay in poverty, which, for a household of 4, can be an annual earnings of $26,000. 

(*40*)And 260,000 Oklahoma youngsters have dad and mom who lack safe employment, in accordance with the report. 

(*40*)Like in final 12 months’s version, the 2022 report confirmed that Oklahoma youngsters have been struggling to maintain up in faculty: 71% of fourth-graders weren’t proficient in studying, and 74% of eighth-graders weren’t proficient in math.

(*40*)It’s unsurprising that Oklahoma ranks low in training outcomes, provided that youngsters are struggling in different areas, Jacobi stated.

(*40*)“A lot of (children) are living in poverty, a lot of them have experienced trauma, and a lot of them are in poor health, which makes it hard to do well in school,” Jacobi stated. “Our education outcomes aren’t really surprising. But that does mean it takes a broader investment in fixing those outcomes.” 

(*40*)State colleges Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who’s working for governor, stated Oklahoma’s rankings replicate tales she hears day by day from academics and faculty leaders. 

(*40*)“Kids are suffering because Oklahoma has ignored their well-being,” she stated in an announcement. “As a state, we must recommit ourselves to doing what is best for families and our children — solving the teacher shortage and investing in the support our students need to be safe, healthy and ready to learn.” 

Where Oklahoma is probably going to enhance

(*40*)There’s purpose to be hopeful that Oklahoma will enhance in child well-being measures in future stories, notably in health-related metrics, Jacobi stated. 

(*40*)Some information used in the report predates Oklahoma’s enacting of Medicaid enlargement, which Jacobi stated is prone to create a optimistic ripple impact for Oklahoma youngsters and households.

(*40*)“We know that when parents enroll in Medicaid, they’re more likely to enroll their children in health insurance as well,” Jacobi stated. “And when parents can see a doctor, that is great news for maternal and birth outcomes for our children.” 

(*40*)Oklahoma is prone to see enhancements in the share of infants each with low beginning weights and preterm births because of this, she stated. 

(*40*)“I’m really excited to see how health improves over the next few years,” Jacobi stated. “I think that’ll be something really positive and show that Medicaid expansion, investing in our people, is the right move and it will create better outcomes for Oklahomans.”