A new report says poverty remains the biggest problem facing Kentucky children, a trend affecting all other aspects of child well-being.
Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, says the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2015 KIDS COUNT report shows poverty afflicts one in four Kentucky youngsters. Brooks says reducing poverty is the single most impactful way to improve overall child well-being.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the findings generally used figures from 2013.
Brooks says the way to help families build assets include ensuring they have access to responsible lending and financial services, along with providing a more integrated approach to benefits. He says tax reform would also make a difference.
The report shows the child and teen mortality rate fell by 24 percent from 2008 to 2013.
