Mike Huckabee Good news for children in Mississippi: you’re no longer in the worst state to be a child. For 24 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has ranked the 50 states for child well-being. It’s based on 16 indicators, such as how many children have health insurance. Since the rankings began, Mississippi has always been dead last. But this year, it rose to #49, with New Mexico dropping into last place. They say it’s part of an overall trend of improvement in the South, with Mississippi chalking up higher test scores and more kids enrolled in preschool. I’m glad to hear that things are improving for kids in the South. But I have to say that I’d take these rankings with a grain of salt. A lot of dry figures from test scores and other standardized criteria don’t really tell the story of whether someone has a good childhood or not. When you think back on your childhood, do you rank your well-being by how well you did on a math test? Who’s to say whether a child is better off in preschool, or at home, learning from caring parents? And can you honestly say that a child in Mississippi, growing up on a farm in a loving family isn’t as well off as a kid in Chicago, dodging gang bullets? No, a lot of things go into creating a childhood that gives a kid a good foundation for life. And you’re not likely to find those things on a stack of charts and graphs.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 15:18:19 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015