Nearly 15 million children were chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year, double the number before the pandemic, and millions have experienced at least one traumatic experience, such as the death of their parents or abuse.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book 2024 examines the causes of the “astounding” numbers, which result in dismal educational outcomes and disproportionately impact Native, Black and Latino children.
The national report, which examines social, health, and economic factors in all fifty states while highlighting programs that are working, paints a grim portrait of the state of child welfare. From a decline in the number of three- and four-year-olds attending school to a rise in infant deaths, the report warns that the United States is “on the brink of losing our economic position.”
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Without urgent, targeted investments in family engagement, social-emotional health and tutoring, a generation of Black and brown children could soon be left out of fast-growing, high-paying STEM fields, researchers say.
Today, 2 in 5, or 40%, of children have experienced at least one of what experts call adverse childhood experiences: trauma such as the loss of a parent through incarceration, divorce or death; housing or food insecurity; exposure to violence or substance use; and forms of abuse. In Mississippi and New Mexico, half of children have experienced such trauma, according to 2021-2022 data.
“I think we should all be surprised that children in this country are experiencing ACEs [trauma] to the extent that they do,” said Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs at the Casey Foundation, which has published data books on the state of childhood and funded related initiatives for more than three decades.
“We also know that chronic absenteeism after the pandemic is twice as high as before. It is crucial that we understand the factors that influence children when they enter the classroom and what prevents them from coming to school.”
Alaska, Arizona, Washington DC and Oregon had the highest rates of chronic absenteeism, between 42 and 46%. Idaho, Louisiana, New Jersey and Washington had the lowest rate, with between 4 and 18% of children chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year, the latest available data shows.
Several New England states that invest heavily in early childhood education – New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont – rank highest in overall child well-being in Kids Count’s latest annual state ranking, compared to states. Utah and Minnesota complete the top five, based on sixteen indicators in the areas of education, health, economy and family.
In addition to traumatic experiences, the data book points to increasing economic or housing instability; limited or expensive childcare options, causing siblings to care for each other or go to work; and transportation issues as common factors that prevent children from consistently attending school.
“What we are seeing is that many children are not meeting these basic principles… Most of the country now accepts that we are in a reading and literacy crisis, but what does it actually look like and what does it mean? It is particularly alarming,” said Boissière.
‘Astonishing’ Absenteeism, Trauma Rates Cause of Academic Crisis
While the report highlights some bright spots that will improve children’s well-being – an increase in the number of children with insurance and a decrease in teen births – the reality facing educators is that only one in three children in the fourth grade reads. figure.
One in four children is proficient in math by 8th grade. Racial disparities reveal alarming disparities: Only 9% of Black children, 11% of Native children, and 14% of Latino children are proficient.
In addition, 54% of 3- and 4-year-olds, about 4.3 million, are not in school, an increase from pre-2018 figures. This has alarmed experts who see this age as crucial for mastering basic literacy and numeracy. The share is much higher for young native and Latino children, 60% and 61% of whom are out of school, respectively.
NC Ed Corps emphasizes the need for more high-dose guidance
“The demographics of the public school system are only becoming more diverse, so ignoring these differences would really serve most public school students poorly,” Boissiere added.
More than $40 billion in federal pandemic relief funds for education remain unused; states have until September 30 to allocate funds, which can be used until 2026.
The authors urge every school to map absenteeism and invest in family involvement to better understand the challenges families face in their specific context. They recommend implementing high-dose tutoring and point to the community school model, which provides physical and emotional health support in addition to academic support.
School resource coordinator overcomes tragedy to help children in need
For example, Richmond Public Schools in Virginia reduced its chronic absenteeism rate from 37 to 18% by investing in strategies such as installing washers and dryers on campuses, rolling out a chatbot to answer frequently asked questions about transportation and other barriers, and change their automated calling system. to better identify absenteeism and its causes.
On one campus, a hairdresser comes by every month to give you a free haircut. They’ve added extra bus transportation for the coldest days to help children who don’t have proper winter clothing, and launched a housing center to help families who are homeless and need help navigating local services.
“It will take educators, administrators, parents and communities coming together,” Boissiere said, “to get back to hopefully better levels than before the pandemic, ensuring that children attend school regularly and that they are prepared to learn . .”
