Newly released KIDS COUNT Policy Report illustrates the need to center families and equity in Vermont's pandemic response

With a third wave looming, new report identifies critical priorities for Vermont’s pandemic response 

Data show some successes, highlights need to center equity in future policy, Annie E. Casey Foundation finds

MONTPELIER, VT — A new report places Vermont first in the nation on indicators of family housing stability and health insurance(where it is tied with Maine), but presents more worrisome figures for mental health and food security.  Kids, Families and COVID-19: Pandemic Pain Points and a Roadmap for Recovery, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, found that Vermont had the best rate among the states for two data points about adults in households with children: those worried about making their next housing payment (10%) and those lacking health insurance (5%) — both significantly lower than the U.S. average and rates in states at the other end of the spectrum.

Examining data from weekly surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, this KIDS COUNT® report shows how families across the country are challenged to meet basic needs during this global public health crisis while managing school, work and mental health. The Foundation identified four pain points for children and families that require immediate action for relief and an opportunity to build a more equitable future.  To that end, the report makes recommendations to guide the work of policymakers in both the short and long term.  

“In a state with a relatively strong safety net and a history of progressive policies, we can say that we have a head start, we’ve done a lot in recent months to help families and we are also still in the middle of an emergency,” says Sarah Teel, research director at Voices for Vermont’s Children, an independent child-advocacy nonprofit and Vermont’s member of the KIDS COUNT® network.  

The impact of this emergency can be seen in data from the report pointing to mental health concerns and food insecurity among Vermont families. In Vermont, 22% of respondents with children in their households reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless in the previous week, one point higher than the national rate of 21%.  Additionally, 11% say there is sometimes or often not enough food to eat, somewhat better than the national rate of 14%, with other states ranging from 6% to 20%.  

Nationally, the disaggregated data included in the report also show severe disparities by race, demonstrating how the concurrent health and economic crises are exacerbating pre-existing trends.  For example, while 18% of U.S. respondents in households with children said they had slight or no confidence in their ability to pay next month’s rent or mortgage on time, this breaks down to only 12% of white respondents and 16% of Asian respondents, but 31% for African American respondents and 26% across the three categories of two or more races, other race or Latino. Overall, 33% of adults with children in the U.S. felt they were “somewhat or very likely” to have to leave their home due to eviction or foreclosure.

Vermont has taken significant steps to reduce this immediate risk for families in the state. "[The state’s] pandemic response has been nothing short of extraordinary, and housing investments have played a key role in that success," said Erhard Mahnke, Coordinator for the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition. "We enacted a comprehensive eviction moratorium to prevent increased homelessness and are investing over $87 million in federal funding to make shelters COVID-safe, create new housing options, and help hurting Vermonters pay their rent and mortgages.”  However, with the third and most severe wave of the pandemic ahead of us, Mahnke notes that more support is essential. 

The report also recommends that states strengthen their safety nets, specifically naming TANF (the cash assistance program known as Reach Up in Vermont) and income tax credits that help low-income families. In both areas, Vermont already meets some of the recommendations of the report, but families on Reach up and other safety net supports still only receive just over half of what they need to survive.  For the roughly 70% of Reach Up participants who are children, this kind of deprivation can result in poor physical and mental health outcomes, academic disparities, and depressed earnings throughout their lives. For their caregivers, the constant struggle to survive can impede efforts to overcome barriers to employment and increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes, even before taking the pandemic’s toll into account. 

“We see the pressures exerted by these pain points playing out in a variety of ways.Families are stressed,” said Teel, pointing to a survey conducted by a group of organizations including Voices for Vermont’s Children earlier this year. “When people answered open-ended questions about their needs, there was a clear theme among respondents that mental health, trauma and stress—for adults, kids, everyone—is in a precarious place right now.”

Pre-pandemic, rates of self-identified symptoms of depression were 23% for middle school students and 31% for high school students in Vermont, with stark disparities by race, gender identity and sexual orientation, and a reported 27% of kids age 3-17 have one or more mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral problem.  Information from the report suggests that these rates are very likely to have been exacerbated over the course of the pandemic. 

The KIDS COUNT report suggests that schools, which are cited as being the most common place for kids to receive mental health services, can play a significant role in supporting student mental health.  Vermont is highlighted in the report as only one of three states in the country that already meets the recommended ratio for counselors to students in schools.  

“This is just one example of the commitment of our public schools and providers to the health and wellbeing of our students and communities,” says Carlen Finn, senior policy associate at Voices, working on the Vermont Education Equity Project. “But right now, schools are struggling. Even before the pandemic, economic and social disparities were on the rise. We’re headed into one of the most challenging winters in modern history—it is critical that we increase our investments now.“

Overall, tracking the still-unfolding impact of the pandemic reveals that families are navigating a set of challenges that are both intersecting and cumulative. “All across the country, families with children are struggling to overcome an unprecedented convergence of emergencies,” says Lisa Hamilton, Annie E. Casey Foundation president and CEO. “We need immediate and decisive action from policymakers. Our leaders can respond to the COVID-19 crisis by putting equity first, prioritizing children’s physical and mental health, helping families achieve financial stability and strengthening schools so kids can thrive in spite of the extraordinary times.”

About Voices for Vermont’s Children

Voices for Vermont’s Children is a research-based, multi-issue advocacy organization focused on promoting public policy that centers children and youth and is the Vermont representative of the KIDS COUNT® network. We apply research, analysis and the lived experience of Vermont’s children and families to the pursuit of equity and justice for all kids. To learn more, visit www.voicesforvtkids.org.  

About the Annie E. Casey Foundation

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.