Iowa is a top state for kids

I wish you all a happy Independence Day as we celebrate the birth of the United States of America. I hope you’re able to take some time off and spend it with family and friends in celebration of the country we all love.
Here in Iowa, we have an environment that’s great for kids and provides them with opportunities to grow, develop, and thrive. In the Legislature, our goal is to build on this and make Iowa an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
A recent study done by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Iowa as the fifth best state in the country for kids. The Foundation’s annual “Kids Count” report gives Iowa high marks in all four categories they scored, which includes economic well-being, education, health, and family/community factors. Here’s where Iowa ranked in each of those metrics compared to other states:
• Economic Well-Being: 3rd
• Education: 6th
• Health: 7th
• Family and Community: 8th
Iowa’s best ranking comes from the economic well-being metric that looks at poverty and employment security for parents. Iowa has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, which means most parents have steady, stable employment that allows them to raise a family. Additionally, Iowa’s child poverty rate is much lower than the national average and housing is very affordable in many Iowa communities. Ensuring economic opportunity for Iowa’s families is something that we all strive for, regardless of party.
Iowa also gets high marks when it comes to our education system. Our graduation rate has been the best in the country for the last several years and our students consistently score higher than the national average when it comes to math and reading. All across our state we have outstanding teachers and dedicated school boards that do incredible work in our communities to ensure that Iowa kids are set up for success.
In the Legislature, we’ve made educating Iowa’s kids a top priority, investing an additional $735 million into K-12 education over the last seven years. Iowa’s investment in K-12 education now totals $3.2 billion per year and represents 44.5 percent of all state spending. This past session, we gave schools more flexibility and home rules authority so they can address the individual needs of their students and teachers and make more decisions at the local level. We’ll continue our efforts to improve Iowa’s K-12 system and provide our kids with a world-class education.
As Iowans, we should be proud of our ranking in this report and continue to make our state a great place to raise a family or grow a business. I’m confident that we’ll keep moving Iowa forward and provide a better state for future generations of Iowans.
To read the full Kids Count report, visit the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s website at www.aecf.org.
As always, please keep in touch. As legislation moves forward, feel free to send me comments, questions or feedback that you may have regarding issues before us in the House. I can be reached at linda.upmeyer@legis.iowa.gov or (515) 281-3521.