CT ranks seventh in the nation for childhood well-being, report shows

Connecticut improved its national ranking in childhood well-being but still has progress to make, particularly in housing and issues related to economic security, according to an annual report released Monday.

Connecticut was ranked seventh in the nation in this year’s Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count, up from eighth last year. The Kids Count examines child well-being by state, based on 16 indicators across four broad categories: health, education, family and community, and economic well-being.

Despite high rankings in several categories, including education-related indicators and the number of children with health insurance, many families are still struggling with issues such as food insecurity and high costs of housing, said Emily

Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children.

“We were slow from the great recession, and lower levels of investment in family economic security were made over the years,” Byrne said. “That has kept Connecticut from being a place where all families can thrive. The investments can range, but as a starting point, it’s connecting parents to good jobs and figuring out ways to offset the high cost of raising children.”

Connecticut Voices for Children is the state-level group that worked on the Annie E. Casey report.

The report is based on 2019 and 2020 data; some education data collection was disrupted when schools shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state ranked third in the nation in the education category. It had high rankings in keeping kids engaged in school or work and in preschool attendance.

It ranked eighth in health, 14th in family and community and 20th in economic well-being.

Although it’s ranked first in the nation in the number of 3- and 4-yearolds in school, advocates at Connecticut Voices for Children marked that category as one to watch.

“The pandemic really rocked the early care industry,” Byrne said.