A new national report showed Nebraska’s children are losing ground in overall economic well-being, even as the state remains among the top 10 overall for child well-being.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count Data Book ranked Nebraska ninth overall based on key indicators. But the report pointed to critical losses in some areas, including education metrics in a state which has consistently had some of the highest-performing schools in the nation. Family and community measures also declined.

Josh Shirk, research coordinator at Voices for Children-Nebraska, said in 2019, Nebraska had the third-lowest percentage of children in families burdened by rising housing costs. By 2024, the ranking had fallen to 14th because of a 20% increase in children experiencing housing cost burden.

Despite the troubling findings, Nebraska had some positives factoring into its overall ranking. The teen birth rate was down, as was the number of children without insurance.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said when families struggle to make ends meet, children often suffer, which can leave them unhealthy, insecure and unable to excel in school.

“It’s a child who either has enough to eat or doesn’t have enough to eat,” Boissiere explained. “It’s a child who is either in a stable home and has access to quality education to put themselves on a pathway to thrive, or it’s a child who doesn’t have those necessities.”

The foundation ranked all 50 states. Its report found while there are some bright spots in areas with poor education scores in the past, every state has struggled with student success numbers since 2019.

Source: Public News Service