Report: Maine makes progress on child well-being issues

(The Center Square) – Maine is ranked among the top 12 states for child well-being but disparities worsened by the pandemic are leaving some kids behind, according to a new report.

The Pine Tree ranks 11th in the nation in terms of overall child well-being, according to the 2021 Kids Count Data Book survey by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, released Monday.

The 50 state report measured 16 indicators including economic well-being, education, health and family and community contexts.

Maine maintained its high ranking in family and community indicators, placing fourth nationwide, with only 4% of households with children headed by a person who lacks a high school degree, according to the report.

Maine saw improvement in the economic well-being of children, ranking 15th, with the rate of kids living below the federal poverty line, at about 14%, or about 33,000 kids, the report noted.

That’s an improvement from a 2010 report which showed about 22% of the state’s children living below the poverty line.

In education, Maine was ranked 18th in the nation with a high call graduation rate of 87% slightly above the national average. The report noted that 66% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2019, a slight improvement over a 2009 report.

The state was ranked 12th nationwide in terms of the health of its children, but saw declines in the number of kids with health coverage and an increase in the number of low weight babies, according to the report. There were however declines in the number of obese children and teenage death rate.

The report noted recent surveys showing 14% of Maine households with children have reported not having access to a computer during the pandemic, when schools in the state were closed and many students were forced to learn remotely.

Advocates say the report highlights that Maine has made progress in recent years but still has lots of work left to do to improve the overall welfare of its children.

Stephanie Eglinton, executive director of the Maine Children’s Alliance and a member of the Kids Count network, said the data shows Maine “needs to continue to implement policy solutions to address child poverty, like expanding tax credits, increasing living wages and making housing affordable to work toward lifting the 33,000 children and their families out of poverty.”

Most of the data was compiled before the pandemic, the report’s authors noted, which has increased the financial stress and mental health challenges of many families in the state.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is the most extraordinary crisis to hit families in decades,” Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in a statement. “Policymakers should use this moment to repair the damage the pandemic has caused — and to address long- standing inequities it has exacerbated.”

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