With the release of the 2015 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie. E. Casey Foundation we can take some pride in the fact that Wisconsin ranks in the top tier of states (13th best overall) on child well-being measures of economic well-being, education, health, and family/community. That is the same as last year’s ranking. That is great, and we should recognize that the things we invested in as a state in the past do make a difference!
But, the overall numbers mask two important concerns.
First, the rate of growth of children in poverty in Wisconsin exceeds the rate of growth for the nation as a whole, raising concerns that we are slipping behind a couple of our Midwest neighbors (Minnesota and Iowa). Even more critical is that these rankings mask a very troubling reality for Wisconsin’s children of color, since we know that the disparities between white children and children of color in Wisconsin are among the greatest, if not the greatest across the nation. Those concerns are detailed in the 2014 WCCF Report Race for Results: Wisconsin’s Need to Reduce Racial Disparities and show that the overall well-being of Wisconsin’s African American children is the worst in the nation and the well-being of our Asian children is also in the bottom tier.
To reduce poverty and racial disparities, the Casey Foundation recommends a two-generation approach, including policies that result in higher pay, paid sick leave, flexible scheduling and expanded unemployment benefits that will result in higher family income, reduced parental stress and an increased capacity of parents to invest in their kids. We agree.
We know what works. Making sure we are investing in the future of children by also investing in helping families succeed is what we need to make sure that we can build a healthy and strong economic future for everyone in Wisconsin.