Report highlights trends in child care costs, poverty, diversity for children

"The well-being of children in the state is changing, with a recent report finding both positive and negative changes happening over the last few years. The Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth and Tennessee State Government has released its 2022 State of the Child report, which captures trends in children’s well-being in the state. The report breaks down research on six factors that influence children’s well-being, including: demographics, special topics (such as communities and COVID-19), economics, education, health, and child welfare and youth justice. Among some of the more concerning findings was that the cost of child cares for an infant and a 4-year-old in Tennessee was 81% higher than the average annual rent across all housing types, that in 2020, 64 percent of children who were uninsured remained uninsured despite being eligible for coverage, and that at least 41 percent of children in the state have had at least one adverse experience."