Neediest kids live in rich states - USATODAY.com: Low-income children who fare the worst in health care, education and family structure live in some of the nation's wealthiest states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, a study to be released next week reveals.
The report is the first to look at the well-being of low-income children by state, says co-author William O'Hare, demographer and senior fellow at the Kids Count program of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which advocates for needy children and families. The report is based on newly available federal data.
"Many states that looked as if they're doing quite well when all children were assessed don't look so good when you assess only low-income children," O'Hare says.
Those states have big cities with pockets of poverty and more households headed by single women, says Ron Haskins, co-director of the Brookings Institution's Center on Children and Families.
