Alabama has some work to do when it comes to taking care of children.
A KIDS COUNT study done in 2019 places Alabama at 47th overall out of 50 in the US. This study looks at the wellbeing of children in five areas: education, financial wellbeing, family & community, health, and overall wellbeing. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alabama was moving towards the right direction. Officials say the Yellowhammer state was not keeping up with others across the country.
Judd Harwood is a member of the board of directors for Voices for Alabama’s Children. He said moving in a more positive direction should be the priority.
“We’re really advocating to improve across the board. There’s not one single step the state can do," he said. "Where we are with our indicators, we’re so far lagging with other states that there’s not one simple solution to alleviate to you know improve the wellbeing of the children in the state.”
He said only part of the story is being told when it comes to the health of Alabama’s children.
“Well I think there’s probably a number of reasons why we lag behind in health. Part of it is due to the rural and poor nature of our state. We actually fare fairly well according to the indicator based on access, but access is only part of the story.”
The state ranked 47 in the country in this category. Officials with VOICES and the Annie E Casey Foundation say this information is collected to policymakers and use it to make changes.
