NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The state of the child in Tennessee could be stronger, and a new KIDS COUNT report says that will require a greater focus on those most important early years. Research shows the vast majority of a child's brain development comes by age five. Linda O'Neal, executive director with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says that means efforts need to be targeted toward those young kids, and there are three main strategies.

"One is to expand the voluntary high-quality pre-kindergarten program we have so it reaches more children," O'Neal says. "A second is to expand home visiting programs for new parents, and the third is to accept the federal Medicaid funds so all children have access to health care."

Gov. Bill Haslam is planning to bring a Tennessee plan on expanding Medicaid to the legislature next year.

O'Neal says providing health care and these other early supports for Tennessee's children considered at-risk will pay big dividends in the future, with them arriving at school ready to learn, not weighed down by the trauma of poverty, hunger or abuse.

"It is increasingly clear the impact that early adverse childhood experiences have," she says. "It makes it clear how important it is to provide the preventive strategies and the early intervention to help children have the opportunity to be more successful when they go to school and in life."

In Tennessee, there are nearly 400,000 children living in poverty, and hundreds of thousands more in families considered low-income.




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More than 7,500 Indiana children were removed from their homes last year because of abuse and neglect. According to The Indiana Youth Institute's 2024 Kids Count Data Book, that number represents a 26% increase from 2022.

Indiana's Child Abuse and Neglect Law includes persistent hunger and ongoing fatigue as symptoms of behavioral abuse.

Jeff Wittman, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana director, said child abuse resulting in bruises, broken bones and some lacerations may be easier to see than less obvious -- and potentially more serious -- forms of abuse.

"But the things that go unnoticed or harder to see are changes in behavior. So it's incumbent upon adults and those in roles of caregiving and authority and things like that, to be aware of children, to know them well enough where you can see changes in behaviors," he said.

Indiana's code lists additional signs of sexual abuse of minors as the child having sexual knowledge well beyond their age, imitating sexual behavior and a preoccupation with their bodies.

Wittman said the agency will occasionally receive calls from concerned citizens who have witnessed an incident or a child's actions and sense that something isn't quite right. He said people are familiar with the phrase 'when you see something, say something,' and are more proactive about picking up a phone and calling the agency. He said, as a society, "This is really where we need to be" to help an abused or neglected child."

"If we see situations that bring to mind or cause us to be concerned, where children might not be getting their basic needs met, or they seem to always be hungry and never have, enough food or maybe they are, crying all the time, or they're running away from their parents," he added.

Wittman explained that Indiana is a mandated reporting state, which means every adult at least 18 years of age has a legal obligation to report child abuse and neglect cases.

To report child abuse and neglect, call the hotline at 1-800-800-5556.

A bill in the Nevada Legislature would prohibit school districts and staff from banning books without legal justification to brand the material "obscene."

On Tuesday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee heard Assembly Bill 416.

Asm. Brittney Miller, D-Las Vegas, the committee chair, sponsored the measure. Conservatives have targeted books containing LGBTQ+ content as well as racial and ethnic experiences, deeming them explicit and not in the best interest of young readers.

Miller sees it as a First Amendment issue and said the bill would ensure Nevadans, not the government, can decide what they choose to read.

"Assembly Bill 416 strikes a careful balance between protecting students' rights and the public's rights to access information," Miller contended. "And ensure that decisions about library materials are made based on educational merit, rather than political pressure or personal opinion or agenda."

Last year, more than 4,000 unique titles were targeted for censorship and more than 1,200 demands were made to censor library materials and resources, according to the American Library Association. The bill would make it a felony to "threaten to use any force, intimidation, coercion, violence, restraints or undue influence," in preventing a student from accessing certain library materials.

Debi Stears, a resource librarian at the Washoe County Library, said in 2023, they faced 23 book challenges and eight were heard by the library Board of Trustees. Stears was responsible for reading the works in question to determine if they were "obscene," and said they were not.

"Stories of immigrant children trying to find how they fit with the American dream. Stories of young people grappling with their identity," Stears outlined. "The notion of libraries giving obscene materials to children, to anybody, is absurd."

Summer Merrill, a Yerrington resident, told the committee while some of the efforts to limit reading materials may be well-intentioned, others indicate a fear of new ideas and change.

"AB 416 never can and never will force you to read, or your children to read, something that you are opposed to," Merrill emphasized. "Rather, it will ensure that future generations of children will have the same opportunity that I had to discover themselves through literature."


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A proposed Kentucky law would require animal control officers statewide to undergo training on identifying and reporting child abuse.

Kyan's Law is named after Kyan Higgins Jr, a 10-year-old Louisville boy murdered by his mother. Animal control had visited Kyan's home 24 times in the 18 months leading up to his death.

Joye Keeley, founder of the Kentucky Link Coalition, said in 88% of homes with physical abuse, animal abuse is also occurring.

"When you see a dog outside being neglected, or an abused animal, it always helps to expand the call for service," Keeley explained. "To look for other forms of abuse, because you could be saving a life."

After Kyan's death, Keely spearheaded an effort to create a Louisville city ordinance requiring animal control officers there to receive training on the link between animal abuse and child abuse. According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, last year 41 suspected child abuse cases were reported to the police and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services by Louisville's animal control officers.

Jai Hamilton, animal control officer for Lexington-Fayette County Animal Care and Control, said her colleagues are in a unique position. They are often more trusted because they are not law enforcement officers and can help speed up the involvement of Child Protective Services.

"There are some households that may not allow the police inside, but they're more apt to allow animal control inside the home," Hamilton observed.

Kiera Dunk, a student at Oldham County High School and a youth advocate, said the legislation is one tool for combating child abuse, noting the state has more work to do.

"I feel like people need to understand that we are still one of the worst in the nation for child abuse," Dunk emphasized. "We should be doing everything we can to help."

April is National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. The Kosair for Kids Face It Movement is hosting a virtual workshop on the issue Wednesday.



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