June 2026 Newsletter
Kansas Action for Children | June 30, 2026
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Kansas Ranked 14th in Overall Child Well-being
Earlier this month, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which looks at child well-being in all 50 states. Overall, Kansas fared well compared to the rest of the country, ranking 14th out of all 50 states.
This ranking can be largely attributed to the state’s ranking of 5th in economic well-being. From 2023 to 2024, child poverty levels dropped, more parents worked full time, and fewer families were burdened by high housing costs.
Unfortunately, Kansas families’ better fiscal outlook still isn’t translating to all corners of children’s lives in the state. For instance, the number of uninsured children shot up to 51,000 in 2024, which is about 10,000 more than in 2023.
And, as we shared in the Kansas Reflector today, this data is especially concerning because it’s from before H.R. 1 was passed last year, and advocates fear children and families will be heavily impacted once those federal policies reach full implementation.
In addition to state rankings, this year’s data book also unveils a new scoring system (0 to 1,000) to measure states’ individual progress since 2019. The new scoring system shows whether policies and public investment are actually improving children’s lives, not merely how states compare to each other.
Kansas rankings and scores this year:
| Domain | Ranking | Score out of 1,000 |
| Overall | 14th | 636 |
| Economic Well-being | 5th | 849 |
| Education | 23rd | 416 |
| Health | 25th | 588 |
| Family and Community Context |
22nd | 690 |
You can read more about what the data says about Kansas kids and how our state compares in our KIDS COUNT analysis.
H.R. 1 Anniversary
This Saturday is the anniversary of President Trump signing H.R. 1, the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress. This bill cut more than $1 trillion combined from the SNAP and Medicaid programs, primarily through onerous requirements that many struggling families will find difficult to overcome.
The data is already proving this to be true. In Kansas, around 24,000 Kansans have been kicked off SNAP, presumably due to new work reporting requirements in H.R. 1. And not only that, we’re starting to see decreases in the number of Kansans enrolled in the ACA Marketplace after enhanced credits expired last year, some immigrants lose access to SNAP and Medicaid, and the start of education changes that could impact the degree choices of college students.
We’ve released a three-part overview of what H.R. 1 means for our state at the one-year mark:
- Thousands Have Lost SNAP Benefits
- Health Fallout
- Numerous Immigration, Education, and Tax Changes Now in Effect
While the costs of food, health care, gas, and other necessities continue to rise, thousands of Kansas families are losing the support they need to get by. As more provisions of H.R. 1 go into effect and with threats of Congress doubling down on the harm caused by this bill, the data will tell the story of who comes out on top. What it shows so far is that it won’t be the average Kansas family.
More Young Children Going Uninsured
New analysis from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families found that Kansas outpaced all other states for the number of young children going without health insurance from 2022 to 2024. In 2024, about 15,000 Kansas kids under the age of six didn’t have health coverage compared to 2022’s 7,900. That’s an 87% increase in just two years.
Without steady health coverage, children lose out on critical health care, including immunizations, interventions, prescriptions, and doctor visits.
You can read our analysis on the new numbers and what can be done to reverse these alarming trends.
More KAC Analyses
The FY 2027 Budget: With FY 2027 set to start in just a few days, we’ve taken a closer look into the budget passed by lawmakers this past session and how decisions will cascade to Kansas kids over the coming year. We also look at what opportunities lawmakers have to direct more funding toward children’s programs to support all Kansas kids in the years to come. Read more here.
Education Funding Task Force: After its two most recent meetings in April and May, the Education Funding Task Force is now on the cusp of crafting K-12 funding formula recommendations for the 2027 Legislature to take up in January. Catch up on everything the Task Force has learned over the past 18 months before final plans are crafted later this year. We’ve recapped the two most recent meetings here and here.
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