A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation has found that children of color and those from immigrant families lag behind others in nationwide measures of health, education and economic security.
Rob Thompson of the child advocacy nonprofit NC Child says the report's findings in North Carolina are a reflection of the country as a whole. Thompson says that's concerning.
"Children of color and children from immigrant families are becoming a larger percentage of all of the children in our country and in our state," Thompson said. "If we continue to allow these disparities to persist, then we're obviously not doing right by these kids, but we're also undermining our entire future."
Five takeaways for North Carolina:
- American-Indian and Latino children are faring worse in North Carolina than in other parts of the country. Both groups' overall index score based on 12 indicators of child well-being were below the national average for those ethnicities.
The Race to Results report gave a national index score for child well-being across races. Credit Annie E. Casey Foundation - North Carolina children in immigrant families are more likely to be impoverished and to live in high poverty neighborhoods than children of U.S. born parents.
- North Carolina children in immigrant families are less likely to live with at least one householder who has a high school degree or to complete an associate's degree themselves by age 25.
- Children in immigrant families in North Carolina are less likely to attend nursery school, pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.
- Children in immigrant families in North Carolina are more likely than children of U.S. born parents to have both parents in their household. Only U.S. born children of Asian descent were more likely to live with both parents compared to immigrant children as a whole.