More than 1,000 public schools closed nationwide in the 2025-26 school year, according to preliminary National Center for Education Statistics data.

Grandparents taking care of their grandkids is nothing new. But the surging cost of childcare in the U.S. has made familial support even more critical for some parents who struggle to afford it.

A national survey found 92% of parents reported their child's afterschool program had a STEM component last year, up from 73% in 2020.

Kassi Longoria tells how Casey's Children and Family Fellowship has shaped her leadership and approach to employee well-being.

Experts say that the drop is a cause for worry, and that it’s unlikely that the need for food assistance has dropped.

Parent advocates are spreading the research-backed message: Kids need to move during the school day.

Four out of 10 homeless youth in Minnesota were once in foster care, according to a new study released by Wilder Research.

In Columbus, clinics are testing 3-to-5 year olds for foundational reading skills — allowing for intervention well before a child enters school.

The KIDS COUNT Data Center has updated more than 35 indicators on America's kids and youth in the foster care and child welfare systems. Explore the data.

A new survey of more than 400 young people provides insight into the results of the government's investment in extended foster care.

From California to Maine, extreme weather is disrupting student attendance and, ultimately, their achievement.

Many schools still struggle with the transition to later school start times, advocates say.

Explore a new tool kit aimed at meaningfully engaging young people in foster care.

Many schools will resort to laying off faculty, cutting services and increasing prices

California is investing in wraparound services for families to try to keep parents from relinquishing kids to foster care.

A recent report found wide disparities in state funding for childcare and preschool, raising concerns about access, affordability and quality.

Oklahoma’s new extended foster care law gives young people more time, support and resources to successfully transition to adulthood. Learn more.

Between 2022 and 2024, the number of Texas “maternal care desert” counties grew to 129, meaning more than half of the state's counties had no birthing locations and no clinicians who deliver...

Families and providers are all struggling to meet the higher cost of childcare. Meanwhile, states are experimenting with their own fixes.

School supplies are up an average of 7.7% from last year, outpacing inflation.

A recent analysis of Census Bureau data from economist Sarah Jane Glynn reveals how families piece together childcare arrangements in the U.S.

Alaska dropped seven places to rank 47th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to a nationally recognized survey by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Santa Cruz used the Plan-Do-Study-Act method to help youth on probation improve school credit and graduation rates. Learn more.

Half the districts surveyed ban phones from 'bell to bell,' and half allow students to use them at designated times, like lunch or between classes.

New community efforts across the country are helping to connect more kids to essential therapies

Momentum grows to turn schoolyards into green spaces that can withstand climate change and where communities can gather

Invest Atlanta has announced the graduation of 21 business owners of color from an accelerator program that has helped position them for future success.

Data collected after the first full year shows that the effort is simultaneously improving student attendance and behavioral health while helping to grow the overstrained mental health field.

A new Minnesota law requires K-12 school districts to ensure that priority enrollment is given to foster youth applying for before- and after-school programs.

Several researchers have studied the effects of pre-K on future academic success, with mixed results.

A new report urges states to "reimagine and transform" youth probation orders and includes best practices and specific guidance.

Fathers are taking nearly equal shares of bonding leave in many state programs, reflecting a shift with documented benefits for families.

Explore key elements of effective youth mental health programs, from centering youth voices to building on community strengths.

The modern health care system requires the work of caregiving to fall to whoever else lives in a household — even if they’re kids.

New Jersey continues to rank among the top states for child well-being, according to a new annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.The foundation’s Kids Count Data Book has

Do students learn less when they’re taught by anxious math teachers? In short, yes.

The Farm to School program is part of a broader state effort to improve school meals, which for decades consisted of hot dogs and frozen pizzas.

Six years ago, the Osage Nation’s Social Services Agency began shifting its approach to child welfare — with surprising results.

"If we look beyond just the federal poverty level, we actually estimate that one in four kids in Colorado are economically disadvantaged."

Santa Cruz County, California, is applying the Results Count framework across multiple agencies in order to achieve equitable results for all residents.

At one of the first licensed fully outdoor preschools in Maryland, low-income and kids of color won't be shut out of the benefits nature brings.

When it comes to child well-being, Michigan ranks 34th in the country -- and last in the Midwest. That's according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book.

FrameWorks Institute CEO Nat Kendall-Taylor talks with Casey's Lisa Lawson about the role of narrative in building support for social issues. Listen now.

The Reach Out and Read model targets literacy rates among young kids. A new Pennsylvania affiliate is expanding services in the commonwealth.

For years the child welfare system has struggled with one of its most intractable problems: foster youth sent to unlicensed “emergency” placements where they try to sleep on cots or […]

Even after an infusion of COVID relief dollars and a donation from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, about a quarter of Philadelphia’s district schools still won’t have air conditioning in the 2026-27 s...

Supporting youth mental health means honoring culture and identity. A new report provides insights and recommendations.

Falling enrollment, rising debt have put an estimated 1 in 4 institutions at risk

Mississippi scores high in education gains but plummets on overall child wellbeing in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.