Tennessee's "State of the Child" 2023 report shows some progress, but also highlights ongoing areas of concern. From the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, the report examines kids' health and mental health, education, family economics, child care and the state's child-welfare and youth-justice data.

Kylie Graves, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, said a key finding is that, among children of all age groups, those younger than five are most likely to live in poverty. The proportion of those children living in poverty has increased to one in five.

"We did see in 2022 17.6% of children in Tennessee lived below the federal poverty line," Graves said. "That is still too high and too many of our kids, but it is closer to the national average than we've ever been. Nationally, that number was 16.3%."

Graves said the report showed between 2019 and 2021, the number of children in poverty declined. But between 2021 and 2022 among Tennessee kids younger than age five, it increased to 20%. However, the increase or decrease associated with the child poverty rate over the last couple of years was not due to pandemic assistance.

Richard Kennedy, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, said the report highlights the continued decline in teen risk behaviors such as substance use, but mental health challenges have continued to increase. He pointed out that the Tennessee General Assembly has focused on increasing resources for access to mental health.

"We know that access to high-quality, easily accessible mental health services, especially those that are in school-based settings, can really provide those additional supports and services for young people, as they grow into adults that will help them be more successful, better citizens going forward," Kennedy explained.

Graves said the report finds progress in child welfare and neglect, including Tennessee's extended foster care, giving young people more time in the system and smoother entry into adulthood.

"In fiscal year 2023, 369 youths accepted extension of foster-care services; that's the second-largest number ever accepted," said Graves. "So, we're seeing that program expand, which just means that we're helping more and more kids bridge that transition that can be really challenging, and can be a cause of a lot of negative social behaviors."

Graves emphasized that Tennessee's rate of substance-exposed newborns is well below the national average, and the state has a successful "plan of safe care" program that helps keep mothers and babies together safely. Nearly 99% of these infants have such a plan, which is much higher than the national average of 70.4%, the report said.


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The lack of quality child care for infants and toddlers costs Colorado nearly $3 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity and revenue but an initiative in Mesa County shows what is possible when local governments, businesses and civic groups team up.

Keller Anne Ruble, client success manager for the data firm BridgeCare, said officials saw huge demand for child care in the town of Clifton, but no providers. So they built a new facility that provides child care and also trains new caregivers.

"So that they can meet the needs of working families and invest in their early care workforce pipeline," Ruble explained. "And because of that investment, they now have 270 seats at this child care center, and they've completely eliminated their child care desert."

Budgetary constraints imposed by Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights make it much harder for the state to invest tax revenues in initiatives such as the one in Clifton. The state also recently froze enrollment in the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program. Over the past 15 years, Colorado's economic growth has dropped from fifth in the nation to 41st, according to the 2025 Colorado University Leeds School of Business report.

Half of Colorado parents said they have quit jobs, worked fewer hours and taken unpaid time off. In 2023, more than 10,000 moms left the workforce, all because of a lack of child care.

Ruble emphasized when the cost of child care is too high, many parents just cannot afford to go to work.

"Families across the country are spending up to 60% of their income on child care," Ruble pointed out. "That's equivalent to a second mortgage or a second rent payment."

Children younger than age 3 are experiencing one of the most crucial periods of brain development and Ruble stressed investing in quality care is important for their long-term health.

"When young children have high-quality, enriching early experiences with trusted caregivers, it sets them on a strong foundation for growing, flourishing into thriving adults that contribute to our workforce and our society," Ruble asserted.


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The number of Kentucky children enrolled in preschool increased in 2024, along with state spending per child, according to new data from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The commonwealth spent around $6,500 per child during the last academic year, an increase of more than $800 from the prior year.

Steve Barnett, founder and senior director of the institute and the study's co-author, said it is unrealistic to think states could replace cuts to Head Start funding amid the Trump administration's proposed freezes of federal grant funding.

"And particularly replace it overnight if the program is suddenly defunded," Barnett emphasized. "States are going to have to step up and figure out what to do if that happens."

He added if Head Start funding is eliminated, access to public preschool will decline in several states by more than 10 percentage points, and in some, by 20.

Kentucky lawmakers have taken recent steps to expand preschool access, including passing House Bill 695, which established the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Project. The measure aims to provide no-cost, online education for 3- and 4-year-olds who may not be attending state-funded preschool programs.

Allison Friedman-Krauss, associate research professor at the institute, said states spent more than $13 billion on preschool last year, including $257 million in federal pandemic relief funding, in part to attract more qualified teachers.

"We also see in our data that many states are reporting teacher shortages in early childhood, that they've had to increase their waivers in order to get teachers in classrooms," Friedman-Krauss reported.

Research shows toddlers who attend preschool are more prepared for elementary school and less likely to be identified as having special needs, or be held back, than children who do not.


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Medicaid is in the crosshairs, as Republicans in Congress are expected to lay out proposals in May to cut $1.5 trillion from the federal budget, prompting strong opposition from educators.

Around 15 million Californians rely on Medicaid, known here as Medi-Cal, for their health care. However, as Mayra Alvarez, president of the Children's Partnership, noted, the cuts would also deal a devastating blow to schools.

"Medicaid is the third-largest source of funding for K-through-12 public schools to help children have access to routine health screenings, preventive services and physical speech and occupational therapies," she said.

The Trump administration is looking for savings to fund the president's other priorities, including extending his 2017 tax cuts, which primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations. School districts are uneasy because they are legally required to provide accommodations for students with disabilities, regardless of how much the federal government is willing to reimburse.

Sacramento County schools superintendent David Gordon said districts would have to make big cuts across all programs.

"Without those funds, there would be a huge bill," he said, "and school districts would be forced to basically play financial roulette to figure out what do we cut?"

Gordon said his district uses Medi-Cal funds to place mental-health clinicians at each school site, so students with psychological needs get early diagnosis and treatment.

Shana Hazan, a trustee for the San Diego Unified School District, said people don't realize the critical role districts play in providing health-care services.

"Students rely on Medi Cal for things like audiology, mental-health support, nursing and wellness, occupational and physical therapy, home hospital care," she said. "These are really essential for many students with the highest needs."