TENNESSEE STAYS RANKED 35TH IN CHILD WELL-BEING STUDY
Tennessee remains ranked 35th in an annual child well-being study for a second-straight year. The 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book released yesterday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows more than 60 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in Tennessee lack access to pre-Kindergarten. It also says 12 percent of high-school students don’t graduate on time. It says Tennessee ranked 27th in health, down from 26th last year. Tennessee improved from 35th to 33rd in economic well-being; slipped from 33rd to 35th in education; and gained two positions – going from 40th to 38th – in family and community. More than 9 percent of Tennessee babies were born weighing under 5 pounds, 1.1 percentage points higher than the national average. Babies born addicted to drugs are more likely to be born prematurely and at a low birth weight.