Last year the state spent more than $170 million to address maternal and infant death, yet rates of infant and fetal mortality, as well as preterm and low-weight births, haven’t improved much since a decade ago.
An audit from earlier this year found that, across 46 states, state agencies failed to report an estimated 34,000 cases of missing foster kids, including children who ran away multiple times.
Since federal protections keeping the medical insurance intact during the pandemic ended in April, approximately 3 in 4 patients have lost coverage due to “procedural reasons.” At least one-third of those patients are children.
Pandemic-era federal money is gone, yet problems remain.
The rate of teen births has dropped by 78 percent since a modern-day peak in 1991 of 61.8 births per 100,000 people. But since 2007, the rate had consistently dropped by about 8 percent and then in 2021, the rate declined just 2 percent.
After the federal pandemic-era tax credit expansion ended in the second half of 2021, the child poverty rate more than doubled in 2022. Now, 14 states offer child tax credits and several more introduced bills this year.
School officials are implementing new rules to prevent bullying and improve the mental health of teens. But some of the new policies, like a cellphone ban, are controversial. In 2021, 16 percent of high schoolers said they had been cyber bullied.
At the end of the month, some $24 billion in government aid for child-care providers will run out, threatening the spots for 3.2 million children. The upheaval may force parents, especially women, to reduce work hours.
The Livingston Parish School Board has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and Instagram, claiming the platforms are so addictive they have created a mental health crisis among the district’s students.
Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.
Baltimore County assigned 133 students to its Virtual Learning Program as a means of punishment, which experts say is opposite of what students facing discipline need to keep them engaged and enrolled.
Federal pandemic aid that supported thousands of child-care providers will end soon, leading to downsizings and closures. There are innovative ways for states, local governments and businesses to mitigate the blow to working families and employers.
Dallas County is locking up minors for months longer than national standards recommend and administering more punitive rulings than other counties. Families worry their children are locked inside for most of the day.
Fluctuations in need and bed availability for foster children is normal, but this year has seen a striking crisis in the regional foster care system, which forced the state’s family agency to house seven children in casino hotel rooms over an 89-day stretch.
Northeastern New Mexico received federal funds to develop rural maternity care networks of hospitals and clinics, which has since helped more than 760 mothers. But the program’s funding will run out in August.
Round Valley Indian Tribes of rural Northern California declared a state of emergency on April 16 after two brutal killings this spring and said the slayings highlight the urgent need for greater investment in youth services and programs.
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