Building evidence and innovating programs to reduce disparities in children’s well-being 

Among the lessons we learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is that when we take bold steps to stave off financial catastrophe for families who face it, we can substantially reduce child poverty. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Race for Results report suggests that continued efforts are needed to address persistent disparities in child well-being. 

The Race for Results report series tracks how children across racial and ethnic groups are faring at the state and national levels on key education, health, and economic milestones. The latest report, released this month, shows that we are failing to equip children of every race and ethnicity with what they need to succeed. Wide disparities rooted in race and geography endure.  

The Race for Results index standardizes scores across 12 indicators that represent critical milestones—including fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math proficiency, high school graduation rates, likelihood of living in low-poverty areas, and educational attainment and employment as young adults. Six indicators have improved for every racial and ethnic group during the past decade—but unevenly. When indicator scores are combined into a composite score out of a possible 1,000 for each state and racial or ethnic group, the disparities are stark. National scores ranged from 386 for Black children, 418 for American Indian or Alaska Native children, and 452 for Hispanic children, to 612 for children of two or more races, 697 for white children, and 771 for Asian and Pacific Islander children. 

State scores show that experiences also vary widely within groups depending on where a child lives, from a high of 877 for Asian and Pacific Islander children in New Jersey to a low of 180 for American Indian or Alaska Native children in South Dakota. Within each group, the report also examines the well-being of children in immigrant families, finding disparities relative to their non-immigrant family peers. 

These unacceptable outcomes are a direct result of under-investment in young people from under-resourced communities and communities of color. For America to prosper now and in years to come, we need the talent, intelligence, and hard work of people of every race and ethnicity, regardless of status.  

We can and should take further steps to ensure that all children—including those in under-invested and under-resourced communities—thrive. During the COVID-19 pandemic, The American Rescue Plan significantly expanded the 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) and provided half of it in six monthly direct advance payments instead of making recipients wait until they filed their taxes in the spring of 2022. The expanded CTC lifted 2.9 million children out of poverty, including 716,000 Black children, nearly 1.2 million Hispanic children, and 820,000 white children. The national child poverty rate fell from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021, the lowest rate on record, according to the U.S. government’s Supplemental Poverty Measure. But when Congress declined to extend these benefits, the child poverty rate more than doubled from 2021 to 2022—to 12.4%, higher than before the pandemic.  

The expanded CTC was only one of many investments and innovations that improved outcomes for both eligible families and U.S. society broadly. For its part, philanthropy is investing in building evidence for innovative programs as well as exploring new ways to engage communities and young people themselves in identifying solutions. For example, children who are healthier use fewer health care resources and have a stronger foundation to contribute to our society in through age 21 can help young people, particularly those of color, to earn educational and work credentials. Earning at least an associate degree by age 29 paves the way for financial stability, equipping them to support their own children if they choose to have them. Enabling young people to attain this level of education is key to ensuring that the U.S. economy has a skilled labor force.  that extending foster care benefits through age 21 can help young people, particularly those of color, to earn educational and work credentials. Earning at least an associate degree by age 29 paves the way for financial stability, equipping them to support their own children if they choose to have them. Enabling young people to attain this level of education is key to ensuring that the U.S. economy has a skilled labor force.  

The data contained in Race for Results can help policy makers and program developers address the root causes of racial and ethnic disparities and eliminate barriers to opportunities and success. Targeted strategies include engaging those facing the steepest challenges. This is a country of great abundance, creativity, and possibility—one that can come together to chart a course toward a brighter future for all. 

(Photo credit: skynesher via Getty Images)