Children of color in Ohio fair far worse than their white peers when it comes to well-being and opportunity in Ohio.
The report from the non-partisan Annie E. Casey Foundation uses 12 indicators to compare childhood well-being across states. The indicators cover a range of outcomes in education, health and economic areas, such as fourth-grade reading proficiency and teen-pregnancy rates.
In Ohio, African-American children score far lower than their white, Asian and Latino peers. Ohio ranks 42nd in the nation when it comes to well-being for black children – and that’s among the 44 states with available data.
Laura Speer, of the Casey Foundation, says Ohio can take steps to improve outcomes for the group.
“Things like increasing access to early care and education and making sure that kids are primed for higher ed, tax credits for working families, access to food and childcare subsidies,” Speer says. “All of these things can make a real big difference.”
The foundation ranks Ohio as 24th in the nation when it comes to the well-being of all children in the state.
Speer says Ohio is doing better than many states in providing necessary resources for immigrant children or children with immigrant parents.
Seven in 10 immigrant children live in low-poverty areas, and 8 in 10 live in two-parent households.
