Tennessee’s ranking on overall child well-being slipped from 36 to 38, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2016 KIDS COUNT® Data Book released on June 21. The change was largely driven by worsening economic indicators.
The KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks child well-being in states across four domains. Tennessee’s overall ranking at 38 was compiled from its rankings of 42 on Economic Well-Being, 36 on Education, 28 on Health and 39 on Family and Community. Each domain is made up of four indicators.
“We know the early experiences of children have lifelong effects both on them and on the future prosperity of Tennessee as a whole,” said Linda O’Neal, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, the Tennessee KIDS COUNT® affiliate. “Good public policies build and maintain a social infrastructure that supports healthy growth and successful outcomes.”
Despite this progress, Tennessee children continue to struggle financially. The state’s worst ranking, 42, was on the Economic Well-Being domain. More than one in four Tennessee children lives in poverty. Approximately one in three children lives in a household that spends more than 30 percent of its income on housing, and/or in a household where no parent has full-time, year-round employment.
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