Report shows mental health crisis among children in Vermont despite high ranking for child well-being
Vermont ranks 5th in child well-being but young Vermonters facing unprecedented mental health impacts in spite of the state’s top ranking
Montpelier — Vermont ranks 5th in child well-being, according to the 2022 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring. However, children in Vermont and across America are in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels. This year’s annual resource focuses on youth mental health, concurring with a recent assessment by the U.S. surgeon general that conditions amount to a youth “mental health pandemic.”
The report presents data indicating that in Vermont between 2016 and 2020, the number of 3-17 year olds experiencing depression or anxiety had already increased by 40%, from 13.7% to 19.2%. “These data are not even reflective of the acute and ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. We know that this was a pre-existing trend that has worsened in the last two years,” said Sarah Teel, research director at Voices for Vermont’s Children, an independent non-profit child advocacy organization. “Children right now are growing up at the intersection of global, national, and local crises, from climate change to school teaching shortages, and the impact this is having on their mental health cannot be understated.”
According to Vermont’s most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey report, compiled with data collected in 2019, 31% of 9th-12th graders and 23% of 6th-8th graders reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row in the previous year. For LGBTQ students, the high school rate was 63% and the middle school rate was 58%. Students of color also had a higher rate: 34% in high school and 30% in middle school, pointing to the cumulative pressures facing specific populations of students and the need to think contextually about mental health supports. As Dr. Aishwarya Joshi, Assistant Faculty at the University of Vermont’s Graduate Counseling Program explains, “the level of accessibility to support resources is not equitable for all. It is important to understand the mental health impact of marginalization and minoritization of a youth based on their social identities and how it affects them and their families' accessibility to resources that are required for sustainable living.”
That these mental health trends exist in spite of Vermont’s ranking 5th overall in the country for child-well being is notable and points to the pervasiveness of this crisis. Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains — economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors — and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall. The data in this year’s report are a mix of pre-pandemic and more recent figures and are the latest available.
In addition to the 5th place overall ranking, the report places Vermont:
12th in the Economic well-being domain
5th in Education
3rd in Health
3rd in Family and Community
Some additional notable data points include:
In the economic well-being domain, Vermont ranks 23rd for households experiencing a high housing cost burden, with an estimated 31,000 kids (26%) in households where 30% or more of the household income is spent on housing costs. An estimated 30,000 kids (26%) of kids are also living in households where no parent has full-time, year-round employment (the national rate is 27%). These two economic security indicators are responsible for the 12th place ranking in that domain, as the state ranks 4th for the number of children in poverty (12% in 2016-2020; about 14,000 kids) and also ranks 4th for the number of young people ages 16-19 who are disconnected from both school and work (2,000 young adults).
Vermont ranks 2nd (after Massachusetts) for the number of children lacking health insurance – an estimated 2,000 kids. Enrolling just over 800 additional children in health insurance would move Vermont to the top spot for this indicator.
Between 2016-2020, 43% of 3- and 4-year-old children were not enrolled in preschool in Vermont; the national rate during the same time period was 53%.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health in a child’s ability to thrive,” said Lisa Hamilton, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “As our nation continues to navigate the fallout from the the COVID crisis, policymakers must do more to ensure all kids have access to the care and support they need to cope and live full lives.” Voices for Vermont’s Children joins The Annie E. Casey Foundation in urging policymakers to:
Prioritize meeting kids’ basic needs. Youth who grow up in poverty are two to three times more likely to develop mental health conditions than their peers. Children need a solid foundation of nutritious food, stable housing and safe neighborhoods — and their families need financial stability — to foster positive mental health and wellness.
Ensure every child has access to the mental health care they need, when and where they need it. Schools should increase the presence of social workers, psychologists and other mental health professionals on staff and strive to meet the 250-to-1 ratio of students to counselors recommended by the American School Counselor Association, and they can work with local health care providers and local and state governments to make additional federal resources available and coordinate treatment.
Bolster mental health care that takes into account young people’s experiences and identities. It should be trauma-informed — designed to promote a child’s healing and emotional security — and culturally relevant to the child’s life. It should be informed by the latest evidence and research and should be geared toward early intervention, which can be especially important in the absence of a formal diagnosis of mental illness.
In addition, Voices recommends several policies within reach at the state level:
Adequately fund Vermont’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Reach Up. Children deserve a firm foundation of being fed, housed, and clothed, so that families can turn their energy from survival to security. Vermont must commit to bringing the benefit in line with families’ basic needs, including adequate support for housing costs and automatic cost of living increases.
Leverage Vermont’s existing Community Schools framework. School districts should be encouraged to explore a community schools strategy as part of a larger effort to develop responsive schools that create safe, equitable climates for learning and center the needs of children and their families through authentic family engagement and youth leadership.
Fund and support existing equity initiatives and policies established by the state of Vermont to ensure robust implementation and impact.
About Voices for Vermont’s Children
Voices for Vermont’s Children is a research-based, multi-issue policy advocacy organization focused on taking a systemic approach to meeting the needs of Vermont’s children and youth. We apply research, analysis, and the lived experience of children and families to the pursuit of equity 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 young children, youth and young adults 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.