Statewide Iowa — Iowa ranks ninth overall for child well being in an annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The Kids Count report ranks states on economic well-being, education and health, as well as family and community. Anne Discher is executive director of Common Good Iowa, which worked on the state’s data. She says despite Iowa’s high ranking, there’s still a lot of work to be done for children and families.
Discher says Iowa’s top-ten ranking is deceptive, as more than one in ten households with children report being food insecure.
The report recommends permanently expanding the federal child tax credit and strengthening state and local policies affecting families.
