BALTIMORE — New data show Virginia ranked 13th in the nation for overall child well-being and while the quality of Virginia children’s families and communities improved, the state’s education numbers are down.
The Annie E Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book compiled and compared data from 2019 to 2023 on economic well-being, education, health and family dynamics of children in the state.
Emily Moore, senior policy analyst at Voices for Virginia’s Children, noted the rate of low-birth weight babies, one of the earliest indicators of a child’s trajectory, remained the same at a little more than 8%. The number of Virginia children who live in high-poverty areas gave her pause.
“We know the impacts, the environmental impacts, the impacts on education and health and well-being that come from being in areas that are under-resourced and areas where children might be exposed to community violence and things of that nature,” Moore observed. “Having 71,000 children living in high poverty areas is something that is very concerning for us.”
Virginia ranked 18th among states in health, as the rate of childhood obesity declined by nearly 20%. The state ranked near the top at 12th in its economic well-being of children. All metrics remained level, with only a slight uptick in teens who are neither in school nor working.
Moore argued Virginia can improve the rankings by passing a state level child tax credit, which would affect the economic, health, educational and family well-being of children in the Commonwealth.
“When our families have cash resources, their own cash put back into their pockets through our tax process, when they are able to have cash resources, they are able to support their families through giving them better, nutritious food, through getting them the health care that they need, getting them the additional education,” Moore explained.
The percentage of fourth graders who cannot read at grade level was up 10%, and the number of eighth graders who cannot do math proficiently was up 15%. The negative education trends, Moore added, likely stem from setbacks during pandemic-era online learning.
