National Center for Children in Poverty reports on the profile of young children in Tennessee

The National Center for Children in Poverty reports that "state policies that promote health, education and strong families can help the early development and school readiness of America's youngest citizens." How do young children and their families fare in Tennessee?

• The Center reports that 42% of children in the state are living in poor and low income families.
• As of 2006, 45% of children in the state were exposed to multiple risk factors - including single parent families, living in poverty, parents do not speak English well, have less than a high school education, and parents have no paid employment. One third of the children in this group were exposed to 3 or more of these risk factors.

How effective are public policies for children in Tennessee?

• The state health insurance program - CoverKids - covers infants up to 185% of the poverty line, and kids 1 to 5 up to 133% of poverty.
• Tennessee allows families earning up to 168% of poverty to request a child care subsidy.
• Tennessee is in the process of expanding access to public prekindergarten.