To meet the goal of having half of all K–12 students in the state enrolled in bilingual education programs by 2030, California set aside grant funding to facilitate partnerships between schools and colleges to help students earn their teaching credentials and authorization to teach English learners.

Since 1990, the teen birth rate in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 80% — but in recent years, that progress has stalled. To learn more about the challenges and successes of children across the country, download the newly released 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book: http://aecf.org/databook

“Poverty is the indicator that affects every other indicator we report on, and so we really need to be cognizant and aware of what's going on in that poverty number. And we want to... make sure that there's sustained progress there.” – Janice Barlow, director at our partner KIDS COUNT Delaware

Students with disabilities perform better in school when they spend significant amounts of time in general education classrooms, where they’re typically exposed to more rigorous coursework.

Experiencing poverty at a young age can have long-term impacts on a child’s academic success and their physical and mental health. But when children grow up in stable environments with nurturing relationships, they are more likely to thrive. Learn more: http://aecf.org/databook

The average annual price of child care for U.S. families in 2025 was over $13,180. For single parents, that’s one-third of their median household income for the entire year.

Our new guide aims to help gun violence researchers learn how to engage responsibly and build meaningful partnerships with the community members who are at the highest risk of being impacted by gun violence and the practitioners who work closely with those communities.

“Parental incarceration is associated with a bunch of negative outcomes for children... The very early research that we have so far is that these [negative outcomes] are also associated with other criminal contexts — a family member getting arrested, or charged or convicted.”

We worked with @prbdata.bsky.social to develop a new scoring system for U.S. states in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book. This new 0-to-1,000 scoring system makes it easier to measure whether child well-being is improving within a state over multiple years and to compare performance across states.

“School can be a safe haven for students in foster care at a moment of enormous stress and instability in their lives — but only if they have a way to get there. Busing might appear to be a minor logistical matter, but for students in the foster system, it’s a lifeline.”

Oklahoma 8th graders are scoring lower in math proficiency than children in nearly every other U.S. state, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book. To learn more about the challenges and successes of Oklahoma children, check out the work of our state partners at the Oklahoma Policy Institute:

Fewer than half of students who were attending colleges that closed go on to continue their education, and those who do typically lose credits they’ve already earned and paid for amidst the transition.

“[Poverty] increases the risk of housing insecurity or homelessness, which can be very disruptive for children and impact their ability to focus in school, and their ability to feel stable and secure.” – Rachel Metz, data and research manager at our partner @wearedcaction.bsky.social

Growing up in stable and nurturing environments surrounded by a supportive community makes a big difference in helping children thrive. Learn more about how children and families are faring in your state, view the newly released 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from @annieecaseyfdn. bit.ly/26DataBook-BS

Defense attorneys and probation officers can provide more holistic support to emerging adults with juvenile justice experience by showing investment in their interests and goals, helping them learn to manage adult responsibilities and working to ensure they understand their own legal circumstances.

Thanks to improvements such as a decrease in the number of children living in poverty and a lower teen birth rate, South Carolina gained more ground than any other U.S. state in overall child well-being in the recently released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.

“In adult court, I saw that mag­i­cal­ly when [a justice-involved youth] turns 18, they’re not treat­ed like an ado­les­cent any­more, even though their brain is still devel­op­ing.”

When young children have access to health insurance coverage, they miss fewer days of school and are more likely to eventually graduate from high school and college than their uninsured peers.

“To grow up healthy, kids need safe, stable homes, strong learning opportunities at all ages of childhood, nutritious food, and supportive relationships with adults. These create a strong foundation for lifelong well-being.” – John Wilson, president and CEO of our partner Kansas Action for Children

“Are [kids] learning critical thinking [during recess]? Yes. They’re solving problems constantly on the playground, some of them social or academic.”

Trust shapes whether people engage with financial systems. In our latest report, funded by the @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social , we examine how support is most effective when it meets people in the moments decisions are made.

According to our newly released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, three-quarters of Maryland eighth graders and two-thirds of fourth graders in the state are not proficient at math — an alarming trend in academics that’s not exclusive to Maryland, but remains concerning.

“We’re in this moment where folks across all political, socioeconomic, demographic spectrums recognize that childcare is essential, that childcare is something families are struggling to access, and know that the market economics of childcare don’t work without public investment.”

Graduating from high school enables young people to access more higher education and career options, and is also linked to increased economic stability in adulthood. Explore the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book to see how children in your state are faring: http://aecf.org/databook

In 2024, Idaho spent over $6,000 less per K–12 student than the national average — the lowest of any state in the country. This disparity is one reason for the state’s poor performance across several educational metrics in the recently released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.

After fourth grade, students are expected to use their reading skills to learn other subjects — yet in many states, fewer than one-third of fourth graders are proficient readers. Learn more about the academic successes and challenges of children in your state: http://aecf.org/databook

“Mov­ing in with a fos­ter fam­i­ly changed every­thing... There was a lev­el of ease, pro­tec­tion and belong­ing that came with liv­ing in a fam­i­ly. I could par­tic­i­pate more ful­ly in school, I became less guard­ed and more open in my friend­ships, and I was more con­fi­dent being myself.”

“If there is a safe place for kids to lay their head every night... that has resounding impacts on their ability to focus in school and to regulate their emotions. It’s good for [their] health, as well as their education.” – Shannon Moody, incoming executive director at Kentucky Youth Advocates

“We know kids need stable homes, strong schools, nutritious foods, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow so they can grow up healthy and connected and thrive as adults.” – Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute

New Jersey ranks first of all U.S. states in education, according to the newly released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book — however, over half of fourth graders in the state still struggle with their reading skills and an even higher percentage of eight graders are not proficient in math.

Nearly 3 million children in the U.S. have a parent in prison or jail, and approximately 1 in 14 children under the age of 18 have experienced parental incarceration.

Efforts to prevent gun violence amongst children and young people often start early with identifying risk factors, because data shows that once a young person has experienced gun violence once, they are much more likely to be a repeat victim.

“Research shows that kids who are healthy, safe, fed, educated and surrounded by strong family relationships have a much better chance to thrive and contribute as independent adults.” – Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the Foundation

“If you want cities to flourish, they need high-quality child care. All of these new employees want to go to work, but they can’t without it.”

Children in the U.S. are more likely to live in poverty than the overall population. Experiencing poverty as a child creates barriers to accessing resources like affordable healthcare and high-quality education that help build a foundation for healthy development. Learn more: www.aecf.org/databook

1 in 4 children in the U.S. have parents who lack secure and stable employment. Without access to consistent work opportunities and adequate wages, these parents' ability to support their children’s well-being is limited. Learn more in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book: www.aecf.org/databook

📋️ Have you registered yet? Not Just a Report: Disseminating Firearm Violence Research for Impact" is tomorrow! Hosted by @thehavi.bsky.social, we'll be learning from CVP's @buggs44.bsky.social + Danté Johnson of @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social. kpcenterforgunviolenceresearch.org/event/webina...

When families have a high housing burden, they are more likely to struggle to meet their basic needs and less likely to have access to resources to support their children's growth and development. Explore the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book for more on child well-being in your state: aecf.org/databook

In our latest report, funded by the @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social “The return of student loan repayment: What it means for young borrowers in today’s economy,” we found that 71% of young adult members worry at least some of the time about covering basic necessities.

“Behind every num­ber in this report is a child who is either hun­gry or fed, housed or home­less, pro­gress­ing aca­d­e­m­i­cal­ly or falling behind… The Data Book chal­lenges us to fol­low the evi­dence and do what deliv­ers results.” – Lisa Law­son, pres­i­dent and CEO of the Foun­da­tion

Nearly 84% of high schoolers attending Detroit Public Schools received at least one gift card for showing up to class for five consecutive days — a recent initiative that has helped contribute to a 10% decrease in chronic absenteeism in the district across the past two school years.

“We know that children have a hard time focusing and learning when they don’t have enough food to eat, or when their families are facing financial strain. We really have to focus on how other aspects of child well-being affect children’s ability to learn and to thrive in school.”

Since the early 1990s, the amount of sleep U.S. teenagers get each night has steadily decreased. Experts are alarmed by this trend, as losing less than one hour of sleep per night for a week has been shown to negatively affect young people’s mood, health, and ability to perform in school.

“In the summer, there can be an awful lot of social isolation for young people, and that social isolation oftentimes leads to a great deal of screen time. We know that the average seventh grader spends about nine and a half hours a day on a screen. And… those numbers spike in the summer.”

Thanks to factors such as the state child tax credit and a decrease in child and teen deaths, New Mexico is no longer ranked last of all U.S. states in child welfare in the recently released 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.

“We know that mental health has an impact on physical health and whether kids turn to substance abuse in order to [try to] manage mental health symptoms... We need to be responding with care, treatment, and services rather than with punishment.”

After years of holding steady at 6%, the rate of Arkansas children without health insurance increased to 8% in 2024, according to the newly released KIDS COUNT Data Book. To learn more about the well-being of Arkansas kids, check out the work of our partner organization @arkansasadvocate.com

When a family is financially stable, their kids are more likely to have their basic needs met and to experience healthy development during their childhood. Explore the economic data in your state in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social bit.ly/26DataBook-BS

Child Trends developed three briefs for @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social's Generation Work initiative to explain how workforce development organizations can help employers elevate approaches informed by positive youth development within the workplace. www.childtrends.org/publications...

“These young people are in survival mode... [Schools] are not taking into account that they’re really struggling. Maybe they didn’t sleep the night before, maybe they don’t have clothing or any of the things they may need in order to thrive in school the next day, and so they’re acting out.”