skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, December 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Report: Increased children’s health coverage in WY, education needs boost

play audio
Play

Monday, June 10, 2024   

The number of Wyoming children with health insurance increased last year - but the state still ranked low in the nation for children's health overall, according to a new report.

The annual Kids Count Data Book, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, tracks year to year changes in children's well-being.

In 2022, about 11,000 Wyoming kids didn't have health insurance - or about 8%, down from 11% in 2019.

Micah Richardson - associate director of policy for the Wyoming Women's Foundation at the Wyoming Community Foundation - said that may be due to the pandemic-era continuous enrollment provision.

Nearly 13,000 people enrolled in Medicaid have lost coverage in Wyoming during that process, according to KFF. But Richardson pointed out that qualifications for adults and children are different.

"Sometimes parents don't realize that their children are still eligible to be enrolled when the parent is not," said Richardson. "And so I'm curious to see what will happen as that unwinding happens."

Richardson also noted the increase in Wyoming kids in single-parent families - from 25% in 2019 to 29% in 2022.

That concerns Richardson because of the increasing costs for housing and other expenses in Wyoming.

Looking at education data, Wyoming kids showed the same patterns as kids nationally - proficiency in reading and math for elementary and middle schoolers is declining, likely due to learning loss during COVID.

Richardson said there are some overlooked approaches to changing those statistics.

"But," said Richardson, "making sure that we're also supporting our youth and their mental health along the way is going to be really important to helping those scores come up. "

Another approach is, of course, providing extra learning support for students falling behind, through tutoring and creating appropriate learning environments, for example.

Leslie Boissiere - vice president of external affairs with the Annie E. Casey Foundation - said there are still billions of dollars available to schools through the pandemic-era Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funding.

"It's incredibly important that all schools in all states use the funds that were made available to them during the pandemic," said Boissiere, "in order to ensure that they can provide the resources that students need."



Disclosure: Annie E Casey Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Education, Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A survey from the American Heart Association revealed 79% of respondents neglect their health during the holidays. Many say they find this time of year more stressful than income tax season.
(deagreez/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Holiday travel is in full swing and for many, so is the stress. The American Heart Association of Missouri has health tips for anyone with heart …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…

Health and Wellness

play sound

With Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation. A United Health …


A new University of Miami study has found buildings in Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside have been sinking by 2-8 centimeters between 2016 and 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside in 2021 taking 98 lives, it sent shock waves across South Florida. The tragedy has left …

Environment

play sound

Rural communities across Massachusetts are benefiting from state grants aimed at strengthening the local food supply and building climate resilience…

Dairy digesters remove methane from liquified animal waste. The gas can then be used to generate power. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

Environment

play sound

Three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program allowing oil and g…

Environment

play sound

New York lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings. Buildings statewide make up 32% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and …

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota is expected to rejoin the debate over whether all school children, regardless of their family income, should have access to no-cost …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021