BISMARCK (Prairie News Service) – Despite North Dakota’s high overall ranking, an annual child well-being report says children of color in North Dakota are still being left behind. The findings also call attention to mental-health concerns. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count data book ranks North Dakota eleventh overall, and second in the nation in economic well-being for children. But the state’s Kids Count coordinator Xanna Burg says when you just measure how BIPOC kids are doing, North Dakota is near the bottom. She says the disparities spill over into the area of mental health, noting there’s a lot of overlap with these measuring sticks.
“We want policymakers to also be considering how they’re supporting families with safe and stable housing access, to healthy food and financial security before you can really expect health and education outcomes to follow,” she said.
In 2020, 11 percent of North Dakota children experienced depression or anxiety, but Burg says the rates are higher for children of color. The report also says more children are going without health insurance in North Dakota than a decade ago. The current number stands at around 14,000.
As for mental health, the Casey Foundation’s Leslie Boissiere says North Dakota isn’t alone in dealing with this issue, noting that it’s surfacing around the country.
“We’re seeing an incredible increase in the number of children and young people who are experiencing anxiety and depression. Children were struggling with mental health issues prior to the pandemic and the pandemic absolutely exacerbated that,” Boissiere said.
These experts say opening up care access, especially in schools, might help to reduce the extra stress kids are feeling these days. The report backs a recommendation that schools maintain a ratio of 250 students per counselor. That might be harder for a rural state such as North Dakota, with analysts suggesting telehealth or collaborations with community health centers as other solutions.
