Oklahoma ranks in the bottom five in a new report on child well-being.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book ranks the state 46th overall. The ranking is based on four indicators in 2021: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

Carly Putnam - policy director for the Oklahoma Policy Institute - said state lawmakers have focused on ensuring Oklahoma has low taxes for businesses, but are failing to address another issue that impacts families: the high costs of child care.

"There's really a lot of factors that go into whether or not someone can actually work a job and raise a child somewhere," said Putnam. "And what those numbers show is that for all of our efforts to be a business-friendly state, we're actually maybe focusing on the wrong things."

Oklahoma families spend more than $8,300 a year on center-based child care.

The state's worst indicator is in education, scoring 49th. Its highest ranking is in health, at 37th.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president for external affairs at the Casey Foundation, said the U.S. needs a functional child care system.

"The country has never had a childcare system that is affordable and accessible to families, and also pays a family-sustaining wage to workers," said Boissiere. "And it's imperative that we invest in a childcare system that can work not only for kids and families, but also for our businesses and the economy."

Putnam said Oklahoma received its highest ranking in health because voters passed Medicaid expansion. She said this is proof the state can improve in other areas as well.

"We know that when we do put forward concentrated investments," said Putnam, "we can turn this around."

The University of Nebraska is addressing a shortage of lawyers who represent the state's most vulnerable children, especially in rural areas.

The attorneys are being equipped to work with kids who have suffered through physical, emotional, or financial trauma - and are often living in poverty.

Of Nebraska's 5,500 licensed attorneys, only 7% of them practice in rural areas.

Michelle Paxton, director of the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, said two thirds of child neglect and abuse cases originate outside the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas, in what she calls "rural legal deserts."

"We have twelve counties in Nebraska with zero attorneys living in those counties," said Paxton. "We have 22 with less than three."

Paxton said that there are too few qualified rural child justice attorneys, which means lawyers may drive hundreds of miles for juvenile cases, creating delays and court backlogs.

The University of Nebraska program will add lawyers trained to handle issues unique to children in low-income families.

Attorneys who work on juvenile court cases are getting the tailored knowledge they need, but Paxton added that the program is also creating an opportunity for those attorneys to network and get support from other lawyers in the field - who are often isolated.

"And so they don't often have another attorney doing this type of work that they can rely on for support and mentorship," said Paxton, "and our program provides that support and mentorship so that they are not only willing to continue working in juvenile court, increase their hours in juvenile court and increase their commitment. "

The advocacy center will also develop a case-tracking tool, enabling people to find an attorney online.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



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Statistics show one in five children in Texas struggles with hunger.

Approximately 10,000 students a day are getting a nutritious meal through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Houston Food Bank. The meals are distributed across the food bank's 18-county region.

Jourdan Stansberry, senior manager of education programs for Houston Food Bank, said they partner with summer camps, churches and other nonprofit organizations to serve the students. She added anyone who is not near a meal site can take advantage of their non-congregate option.

"Sites that are considered rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture," Stansberry explained. "It's a grab-and-go model where families can pick up the meals, It's like a five-day bundle of frozen meals, breakfast and snacks, so 10 meals all together. They're able to pick it up and take it home."

Locations of the meal sites in the Houston area and across Texas are available at the Department of Agriculture's Summer Meal Site Map. The meals are available to anyone 18 years old or younger or students with a disability, up to 21 years old.

The meals are distributed at more than 250 sites around the Houston area. Students do not have to register to take advantage of the meals. Stansbury emphasized it is a great way to ensure kids have access to fresh fruits and vegetables during the summer. She added the menus consist of more than just a sandwich and chips.

"One thing that I know has been pretty popular is our orange chicken with rice, and we also have broccoli, vegetable-medley side that goes along with that. We saw also chicken tikka masala," Stansbury outlined. "We try to expose them to different meals, not only healthwise but also culturally."

The Houston Food Bank expects to distribute around 800,000 meals this summer. The meal program runs through Aug. 8.


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When South Dakota's new budget kicks in this week, there will be money to address potential funding shortfalls for rape kits. At the same time, a key lawmaker says he's looking at other improvements.

The Legislature has set aside $180,000 for purchasing, storing, and distributing sexual-assault kits. These are packages of items used to collect evidence after an attack with the contents sent to a lab for testing.

State Sen. Tim Reed, R-Brookings, said he pushed for the bill amid funding uncertainty for a federal program that covers those costs.

He said maintaining supplies aids investigations, while serving as a training tool for hospital staff who assist survivors.

"It's a little different than a medical examination, because you are collecting evidence," said Reed. "Yet, it's still a medical situation because the victim has been assaulted. And so, it's really critical that we have the best trained nurses to do that."

He said that's the case for all victims, but is especially important for situations where a minor is sexually assaulted.

Reed chairs the advisory board for the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment, which prioritizes hospital training and access regarding the kits.

Before next session, Reed said he's looking at possible ways to improve tracking of evidence after it's processed.

National watchdogs say South Dakota has made progress in reducing its backlog of rape kits, but its approach to tracking them still lags behind.

Reed said he agrees that other reforms are needed, so that investigations aren't fizzling out.

"What we've found, though, is we don't track those kits very well through the whole system," said Reed. "How many of those cases were actually prosecuted?"

As for preventing child sexual abuse, the Annie E. Casey Foundation recently noted that promoting internet safety for teens should be a key part of such efforts.

It says teens need to understand and identify how online predators may attempt to gradually build trust.

Those experts also stress the importance of never meeting online contacts in person without a trusted adult.



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