"You see the numbers and you have that moment of, 'Should we just pack up and go home?'"

Ashley Parker Sheils, executive director of the Children's Foundation of Mississippi, reacting to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which ranks Mississippi 50th in the nation for child health outcomes and 49th for both economic well-being and family and community factors, even as the state achieved its highest-ever education ranking of 16th. (Mississippi Today)