Report: CT Ranks 8th in Child Well-being, Economic Challenges Remain

A new report found Connecticut is stagnating in improving child well-being.

The state ranks eighth in the Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Book for the second year in a row. While the state remained in the top 10, experts said there is room for improvement.

Carmen Clarkin, special assistant for strategic initiatives at Connecticut Voices for Children, said while the state improved its health numbers and education remains in the upper ranks, high housing costs still stand in the way of further progress.

"Connecticut ranks 44th in the nation for housing cost burden, reflecting one of the most severe affordability challenges in the country," Clarkin pointed out. "Housing costs have steadily increased over the past decade and this issue is the primary factor dragging down the state’s overall ranking in economic well-being."

This year’s budget funds several initiatives to improve children's well-being. The new state budget increases investments in early childhood care and education. Clarkin feels a state child tax credit could help families but it was not included in the budget. Instead, lawmakers are offering a $250 state income tax break specifically for low-income families with children or other dependents, as part of the state's Earned Income Tax Credit program.

Connecticut also faces challenges from the Congressional budget reconciliation bill, which proposes major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, hopes the unbiased data in this report gets a strong look ahead of any final moves by lawmakers.

"I think it's critically important that policymakers look at the data on food security in their community, that they look at the data on access to health care, that they look at what's been effective in driving child well-being," Boissiere urged.

A report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the reconciliation bill would cause 16 million people nationwide to lose their health insurance. Because it would create almost $4 trillion in tax cuts and more than $1 trillion in spending cuts, it could also increase the federal deficit by almost $2.5 trillion.

This story written and reported by Edwin J. Viera of the Public News Service, a statewide news service for Connecticut.