2021 KIDS COUNT
KIDS COUNT in Colorado!: At a Tipping Point: Building Stronger Systems for Colorado Kids in the Aftermath of COVID-19
The 2021 KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report examines how children fared during the first year of the COVID-19 crisis. The data included in the report illustrate the pandemic’s far-reaching effects on Colorado kids, from increased housing instability and hunger to difficulty accessing health care, child care, preschool and K-12 education. At some points during the pandemic, as many as one in five Colorado households with children reported little or no confidence they would be able to make their next housing payment on time. The state also saw steep declines in the number of young children enrolled in services such as preschool or Early Intervention.
The KIDS COUNT report also offers a snapshot of trends from before the pandemic. Even prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Colorado’s historic progress on kids’ health insurance coverage was beginning to erode. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of Colorado children without health coverage increased by 10,000 kids, leaving 73,000 without health coverage as the world entered the worst public health crisis in a century. Given the high rates of unemployment driven by the pandemic’s economic impact, Colorado could see even more damage to its progress toward getting all kids covered in the years ahead.
The report tracks the well-being of Colorado children statewide and at the county level. The 28th annual report includes data and research on kids in the areas of health, early childhood, K-12 education, and family economic security. The report is a complement to the national KIDS COUNT Data Book produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which was released in June.
2021 KC Final low res 8.18.21
