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Colorado Ranks 17th in Child Well-Being; Report Sounds Alarm About Learning Loss, Absenteeism

DENVER, CO — Colorado ranks ninth in family and community context and 17^th overall in child well-being, according to the 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America. The data shows Colorado leaders must do more to prepare children to learn so they are ready to earn when they reach adulthood. At stake nationally: hundreds of billions of dollars in future earnings and trillions of dollars in lost economic activity.

In its 35th year of publication, the KIDS COUNT® Data Book focuses on students’ lack of basic reading and math skills, a problem decades in the making but brought to light by the focus on learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unprecedented drops in learning from 2019 to 2022 amounted to decades of lost progress. Chronic absence has soared, with children living in poverty especially unable to resume their school day routines on a regular basis.

In Colorado:

• There was a dramatic increase in the share of Colorado 8th graders who scored below proficient in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP: 72% of students scored below proficient in the 2022, up from 63% in 2019 – a 14% increase.
• More Colorado 4th graders scored below proficient in reading on the NAEP: 62% of students scored less than proficient in 2022, up from 60% in 2019 – a 3% increase.
• The most recent data show 269,582 students, or around 31% of all kids enrolled in Colorado public schools, were chronically absent in the 2022-2023 school year. (The 2024 Data Book contains 50-state data from 2021-22; some states, including Colorado, have released newer figures that may not be comparable across states.)
• State averages mask disparities that affect students of color, kids in immigrant families and children from low-income families or attending low-income schools.

Nationwide, “less than a third of kids are on pace to have the math and reading skills for the careers of tomorrow, such as those in competitive, well-paying STEM careers,” said Lisa Hamilton, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Kids of all ages and grades must have what they need to learn each day, from enough food and sleep… to a safe way to get to school… to support like tutoring and mental health services.”

“Recent NAEP results make it clear that the pandemic had a negative effect on many students’ progress in math and reading,” said Madeleine Ashour, Director of Youth Success at the Colorado Campaign. “But gaps in academic outcomes between low-income families and students of color and their peers have persisted in Colorado for decades – and are larger here than in most states. Recent changes to our school funding system have the potential to help address those gaps, but Colorado must continue to intentionally invest in and support our schools and communities so every student has the opportunity to thrive."

Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors – and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.

Last year, Colorado saw a drop in the percentage of children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma. The state ranked fifth-best in the share of children living in high-poverty areas. These and other indicators helped propel Colorado to ninth best in family and community factors. However, the state slipped two spots in the overall rankings for child well-being, largely due to ranking 28^th in health factors. Colorado’s child and teen death rate and share of babies born with a low birth weight were both well above the national average. Colorado ranks 25^th in the percentage of children without health insurance.

“Thriving and well-funded health, care, and education systems benefit everyone,” said Heather Tritten, President and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the state’s member of the KIDS COUNT network. “The connection between health, care, education and overall child well-being has never been more apparent. Children facing fewer disruptions in these key areas are in a better position to achieve academically and thrive as adults.”

The Casey Foundation report contends that the pandemic is not the sole cause of lower test scores:  Educators, researchers, policymakers and employers who track students’ academic readiness have been ringing alarm bells for a long time. U.S. scores in reading and math have barely budged in decades. Compared to peer nations, the United States is not equipping its children with the high-level reading, math and digital problem-solving skills needed for many of today’s fastest-growing occupations in a highly competitive global economy.

This lack of readiness will result in major harm to the nation’s economy and to our youth as they join the workforce. Up to $31 trillion in U.S. economic activity hinges on helping young people overcome learning loss caused by the pandemic. Students who don’t advance beyond lower levels of math are more likely to be unemployed after high school. One analysis calculates the drop in math scores between 2019 and 2022 will reduce lifetime earnings by 1.6% for 48 million pandemic-era students, for a total of $900 billion in lost income.

However, some states have delayed spending their share of the $190 billion critical federal pandemic funding (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER) that could help boost achievement. Colorado had spent 79.6% of its funding as of March 31, 2024. The deadline to allocate – not spend – this funding is September 30, 2024. Tens of billions of dollars set aside for schools will vanish forever if states do not act immediately.

The Foundation recommends the following:

• To get kids back on track, we must make sure they arrive at the classroom ready to learn by ensuring access to low- or no-cost meals, a reliable internet connection, a place to study and time with friends, teachers and counselors.
• Expand access to intensive tutoring for students who are behind in their classes and missing academic milestones. Research has shown the most effective tutoring is in person, high dosage and tied directly to the school.
• States should take advantage of all their allocated pandemic relief funding to prioritize the social, emotional, academic and physical well-being of students. As long as funds are obligated by the Sept. 30 deadline, states should have two more full years to spend them.
• States and school systems should address chronic absence, so more students return to learn. While few states gather and report chronic absence data by grade, all of them should. Improving attendance tracking and data will inform future decision-making. Lawmakers should embrace positive approaches rather than criminalizing students or parents due to attendance challenges, because they may not understand the consequences of even a few days missed.
• Policymakers should invest in community schools, public schools that provide wraparound support to kids and families. Natural homes for tutoring, mental health support, nutritional aid and other services, community schools use innovative and creative programs to support young learners and encourage parent engagement, which leads to better outcomes for kids.

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RELEASE INFORMATION

The 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book will be available at www.aecf.org. Additional information is available at www.aecf.org/databook. Journalists interested in creating maps, graphs and rankings in stories about the Data Book can use the KIDS COUNT Data Center at datacenter.aecf.org.

ABOUT THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s young people by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

by Children's Campaign

Colorado Ranks 15th in Child Well-Being, but Inaccessible Child Care Is a Continuing Barrier to Stability and Health for Families

DENVER, CO — Colorado ranks 15th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the 2023 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring. However, our country’s lack of affordable and accessible child care short-changes children and causes parents in Colorado to frequently miss work or even quit their jobs, while those who can find care are forced to make inequitable sacrifices. These child care challenges cost the American economy billions of dollars a year and stymie women professionally.  

Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains —  economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors – and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.

In 2022, Colorado saw improvements in teen obesity, school attendance of three- and four-year olds, and the percentage of children in families where a household head holds a high school diploma. But there were concerning changes in the state’s poverty rate and parents’ job security: Between 2019-21, the percentage of Colorado children living in poverty increased by 9%, an increase that represents approximately 10,000 children. Over the same period, the percentage of of children living in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment, increased by 7%.

These trends intersect with a child care landscape in which — even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — capacity, affordability, and the accessibility of culturally- and trauma-informed options were too limited.

“Child care providers keep our state’s economy afloat and are an essential part of our communities,” said Melissa Mares, Director of Early Childhood Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the state’s member of the KIDS COUNT network. “Yet families are facing care disruptions and providers are struggling to recruit and retain staff. We must do more to create a system in which our youngest children — and their caregivers — are supported and cared for.” 

The Data Book reports too many parents cannot secure child care that is compatible with work schedules and commutes. In 2020-21, 14% of children birth to age 5 in Colorado lived in families in which someone quit, changed, or refused a job because of problems with child care. This is higher than the national rate (13%). Women are five to eight times more likely than men to experience negative employment consequences related to caregiving. 

Even if parents can find a child care opening near their home, they often can’t pay for it. Colorado’s average annual cost of center-based child care for a toddler was $16,333, 14% of the median income for a married couple and 41% of the median income for a single mother in the state. Colorado is among the states with the most significant care cost burdens for married couples seeking both center-based care (14%) and home-based care (10%). These challenges disproportionately affect the financial well-being of women, single parents, parents in poverty, families of color, and immigrant families. 

While the cost of care burdens families, child care workers are paid worse than 98% of professions. Median national pay for child care workers was $28,520 per year or $13.71 an hour in 2022, less than the wage for retail ($14.26) and customer service ($18.16) workers. In Colorado, the hourly median wage for child care workers in 2022 was $16.74, up from $14.59 in 2021.  

The failings of the child care market also affect the current and future health of the American economy, costing $122 billion a year in lost earnings, productivity and tax revenue, according to one study. All of these challenges put parents under tremendous stress to meet the dual responsibilities of providing for their families and ensuring their children are safe and nurtured. 

“A good child care system is essential for kids to thrive and our economy to prosper. But our current approach fails kids, parents, and child care workers by every measure,” said Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Without safe child care they can afford and get to, working parents face impossible choices, affecting not only their families, but their employers as well.” 

Transitioning from a faltering child care system to creating a flourishing one will take new thinking and investing at the local, state, and national levels. An executive order issued by President Biden in April is aimed at expanding access, lowering costs, and raising wages. It could prove to be a helpful framework, but more is needed, including: 

1. Federal, state, and local governments should invest more in child care. State and local governments should maximize remaining pandemic recovery act dollars to fund needed child care services and capacity.  
2. Colorado should make substantial, long-term investments in order to raise compensation and improve benefits for the early care and education workforce, across all care settings, with a specific focus on providers who serve high-priority populations and infant-toddler child care providers.  
3. Public and private leaders should work together to improve the infrastructure for home-based child care, beginning by lowering the barriers to entry for potential providers by increasing access to start-up and expansion capital. 
4. To help young parents, Congress should expand the federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which serves student parents.

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RELEASE INFORMATION

The 2023 KIDS COUNT® Data Book is available at www.aecf.org. Additional information is available at www.aecf.org/databook. Journalists interested in creating maps, graphs and rankings in stories about the Data Book can use the KIDS COUNT Data Center at datacenter.aecf.org.

ABOUT THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s young people by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

by Children's Campaign