In late June the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book, ranking Pennsylvania 17th in the country for overall child well-being. The Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains: education, health, economic well-being and family and community.
Across these domains, Pennsylvania now ranks:
10th in education
15th in health
23rd in economic well-being
24th in the family and community domain
Pennsylvania made some improvements in the education and family and community domains, but investments in early learning and public education are still badly needed if we want to ensure all students can meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. We also need to support programs like evidence-based home visiting and high-quality pre-k, and we need to increase state investments in basic, career and technical education, which supports the development and success of our most vulnerable children.