Every two years Children’s Health Foundation publishes a report assessing the well-being of children in North Texas. This benchmarking document does more than provide data – it provides a road map for ways our communities can ensure the next generation of our society (and our workforce) is physically and intellectually ready to lead our community forward.
On November 18th, the Children’s Foundation released the findings of their report at a luncheon featuring not only the report itself but a keynote presentation from a lead researcher for the highly acclaimed book, “The Anxious Generation.”
“As this year’s report shows, children across North Texas continue to face significant challenges, including lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These struggles, often intensified by social media, the threat of school violence and unstable home environments, persist for too many young people,” Christopher J. Durovich, President and CEO of Children’s Health wrote in a statement published in the report.
“At the same time, research indicates there is progress,” he continued. “Communities are expanding access to care and resources, giving more children the support they need to grow up healthy, resilient and hopeful.”
Here are some key findings from the assessment:
- One in five kids suffer from food insecurity.
- Twenty-one percent of Texas youth have seriously considered suicide.
- Third-grade reading proficiency declined in 2024 across North Texas.
- Texas remains the state with the highest rate of uninsured children.
- The number of families using housing vouchers has been increasing across the region.
- Child mortality rose in Collin County from 2020 to 2024.
- Pre-K enrollment has rebounded from the 2021 pandemic low.
- Kindergarten readiness rates improved across the region from 2023 to 2024.
It’s no secret, Collin County’s youth population has increased as the overall population in the County has also continued to increase. The total youth population in Collin County in 2023 was 280,048 a 9.3% increase from 2019.
The assessment also found that Collin County continues to report the lowest child poverty rate at 7.1% which as remained virtually unchanged since 2019. However, disparities exist: 15.1% of Black/African American children and 12.1% of Hispanic/Latino children live in poverty compared to only 3.7% of non-Hispanic white children. The poverty rate for Black children rose by more than 5 percentage points from 2019 to 2023.
The report contains detailed assessments from health statistics, to education and economic security and safety. In the full report you can see the numbers across the region and broken down by county.
The Beyond ABC Advisory Board also provided recommendations for policy leaders. Some of those recommendations include the following:
- Improve access for mental and behavioral health care for children.
- Protect Medicaid for children and ensure more children have access to health insurance coverage.
- Address housing instability and improve access to housing options.
- Improve access to healthy foods.
- Enact safe guards to protect children from online harm.
- Improve Texas’ foster care system and enhance support for foster care youth.
- Support adequate funding for Texas public schools.
- Improve student literacy.
To access the full report, visit https://www.childrens.com/keeping-families-healthy/dfw-childrens-health-assessment
