�鶹Ů��

With more investments in health, the well-being of California's children continued its three-year improvement, new data shows. At the same time, measurements in four broad categories of children's welfare place the Golden State in the bottom third of the nation -- 36th out of the 50 states, in an annual survey released Tuesday by the child-advocacy groups the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Children Now. California's overall ranking in children's well-being moved up two places from last year, when it was 38th. (Noguchi, 6/20)

Richmond’s poverty rate among children is the second-highest in Virginia, but more of the state’s youngest residents have health insurance, according to a report to be released today. About 39 percent of the city’s children were living in poverty in 2014, well more than twice the poverty rate for children across the state, according to the 2016 Kids Count Data Book, a report produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (Kleiner and Demeria, 6/20)

A much-watched annual report shows Texas slipping two spots to 43rd in a national ranking of the top states to be a kid. The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2016 Kids Count assessment released Tuesday ranked Texas 43rd. That's worse than last year's 41st ranking. Texas has hovered around the bottom 10 of states in recent years, despite an economy that has remained strong even amid declining oil prices and a fast-growing, richly diverse population. (Austin Statesman, 6/21)

Life has gotten worse for Louisiana's children since 2008, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The annual Kids Count report, released Tuesday (June 21), compared health, education, community and economic well-being benchmarks from recent years to the start of the recession. (Dreilinger, 6/20)

New Hampshire slipped from second to fourth place in the national Kids Count ranking, according to new data released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Granite State maintained its spot in the top 10 states in the country in the report, which measures the well-being of kids. The report takes four different indicators into account, including economic well-being, health, education and family and community. (Nilsen, 6/20)

The next time older Iowans start harrumphing about “kids these days,” they might want to look at how the state stacks up in a new national report about children’s health and well-being. Iowa kids get strong marks for avoiding pregnancy, remaining sober, staying in school, and having health insurance. (Leys, 6/21)