Mendy McNulty swabs the nose of her son, Andrew, 7, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn., to help with research into how COVID-19 affects children. A year later, we now have more information both about the physical and mental health of children during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A new report finds the COVID-19 pandemic exacted a particular toll on the well-being of every child since it began.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS Count 2021 Data Book, the pandemic destroyed a decade of progress from the Great Recession when it comes to the education, health and economic well-being of your child. The research found record unemployment interfered most with childhood development and learning.
In the report, Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said the expanded child tax credit will give struggling families the financial support they need to put food on the table. Especially for those facing long-standing financial disparities in various racial and under-represented communities.
Critics said they would rather see more money directed specifically to those in need.
The Kids Count Data Book annually tracks how states meet child welfare needs. This year, it covered the COVD-19 pandemic, reporting over 4 million children became infected with the virus in the United States.
At the height of the pandemic, 22% of surveyed households said they didn’t know if they could pay their rent or mortgage on time. Those pandemic-related stresses carried over to child well-being.
According to pre-pandemic data, Massachusetts was first in the rankings for child well-being. New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont and Utah rounded out the top five. Utah also placed fifth in economic well-being, but dropped to 10th in education rankings. Utah was 18th for health, but the strength of family and community ranked it No. 2, behind New Hampshire.
Mississippi was near the bottom of the list for overall child well-being. It edged out New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas as the worst. However, the report stated most of those states struggled for quite awhile on how well children do.
On a positive note, several surveys conducted during the pandemic showed the number of adults with children without health insurance dropped, from 13% in 2020 to 11% in March 2021.