LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Arkansas was ranked 45th in the country for overall child well-being, according to a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF).
The report, Kids Count Data Book, has Arkansas dropping two spots from 2023, where the state ranked 43rd last year.
The Kids Count Data Book in 2023 breaks down children's well-being into various categories and analyzes children 5-years-old and younger.
AECF analyzed children whose families had job changes due to childcare problems and looked at race and ethnicity, family structure, and family income as the three key metrics.
For race and ethnicity, the report indicates that Black and Latino families are the most impacted by these job changes in the US.
AECF said that shortcomings of the childcare system disproportionately impacts these families in terms of financial well-being. In addition to race and ethnicity, these shortcomings also impact women, single parents, parents in poverty, families of color, and immigrant families.
As for family structure, the report shows that single-parent households are most impacted, with single-mother households accounting for the majority.
The report states that women are five to eight times more likely to suffer negative employment consequences in relation to caregiving, according to research from 2022.
Lastly, AECF looked at low-income family incomes, which impact 15% of these US families.
For 2024, the report analyzes education and how "chronic absence" has impacted children in the US.
The report said that chronic absences existed before the pandemic and pointed to housing insecurity, poverty, basic needs, health issues, and student disengagement as potential causes behind the absences.
AECF did say however that while the pandemic isn't the origin of these absences, that it might've exacerbated those pre-existing causes.
The report shows that with fewer resources, school districts are more likely to have higher absentee rates, which consequently causes them to have students with lower test scores.
AECF analyzed absences and looked at the correlation between fourth-grade students and the proficiency of their reading test scores. 40% of students who had perfect attendance scored either proficient or above.
- 40% proficiency - zero days missed
- 34% proficiency - 1-2 days missed
- 28% proficiency - 3-4 days missed
- 25% proficiency - 5-10 days missed
- 14% proficiency - over 10 days missed