Virginia children’s economic well-being has improved, but education measures have declined, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The report evaluated child well-being in each state across four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. Virginia ranked 11th among states overall.

The commonwealth saw modest declines in child poverty and in the share of children living in homes where adults lack secure employment. Virginia also recorded 10% declines in reading and math scores among fourth and eighth graders, matching a national trend in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the foundation, said the report is not just about numbers. Each data point represents a child who may or may not have the resources needed to thrive.

“It's a child who either has enough to eat or doesn't have enough to eat,” Boissiere explained. “It's a child who is either in a stable home and has access to quality education to put themselves on a pathway to thrive, or it's a child who doesn't have those necessities.”

For the first time, the report offers a comprehensive score, rather than just a ranking, to better track whether investments in children lead to measurable improvements. North Carolina received a score of more than 530 on a 1,000-point scale.

Liz Nigro, director of research at Voices for Virginia’s Children, said Virginia lawmakers should take up education funding reform in the next legislative session to help the commonwealth keep pace with other states.

“This could come through something like a fair share tax, which would tax any income above a million dollars at a higher rate,” Nigro suggested. “That could help economic well-being, which is fairly interconnected to if kids are able to show up at school, and also are prepared in math and literacy.”

The vast majority of income earners in Virginia pay the same 5.8% income tax rate. Efforts to pass a fair share tax have been proposed but have been pushed to next year’s legislative session.

Source: Public News Service