With school back in session and primary elections around the corner, advocates hope to see more investment in Hawaii’s children who, according to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book released today, rank in the lowest third of states when it comes to education and economic well-being.

Hawaii ranked 22nd overall in children’s well-being across the U.S., but fifth in health, according to the report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national children’s advocacy group in Baltimore. The report analyzed 16 indicators across economic well-being, education health, and family and community, though much of the data originated from before the pandemic.

“Years of public underinvestment in Hawai‘i’s keiki have led to these disturbing statistics, which should be a wake-up call to everyone who cares about the future of our state,” Deborah Zysman, executive director of Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network, a member of the Kids Count network, said in a news release. “The upcoming election is a chance for voters to ask candidates how they’re going to make the profound changes our keiki need and deserve.”

Children’s economic well-being tends to depend on that of their parents. Hawaii’s high unemployment rate during the pandemic caused children in Hawaii to suffer disproportionately compared with those in other states, the news release said. The state unemployment rate rose to 22.4% from 2.2% in April 2020 after officials instituted a 14-day quarantine for new arrivals, effectively halting tourism and leading to thousands of layoffs. “Our economic well-being is primarily drawn down by our high housing costs,” said Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network.

Economic instability and its correlate, housing instability, undermined the mental health of children, the news release said. One of the report’s “indicators”: About 111,000 children — 37% of all children in Hawaii — lived in households that used 30% of their income on housing costs, the release said. Almost 2,200 more children suffered from anxiety or depression in 2020 than in 2016, a 23% increase, according to the release.

Issues like these can hurt some children’s education. The report found that almost three-quarters of eighth graders in Hawaii — 72% — were “below proficient” at math, ranking the state 42nd nationally. About 9% of teenagers between ages 16 and 19 — around 5,000 people — did not work or go to school, the report said.

“We know what works for keiki: providing quality, universal early care and learning, enacting paid family and sick leave, adopting student-centered budgeting, and ensuring economic security for families,” Zysman said in the news release. “Next year, the Legislature will have the opportunity to pass these priorities, putting children and families first and closing long-standing racial disparities.”

The high ranking in children and youth health is likely due to health insurance in Hawaii, Woo said. “We had an employer mandate to give health insurance to workers decades before the Affordable Care Act, so that helps make sure children and their parents have health coverage.”

The Data Book’s indicators are determined by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and are applied to all 50 states. “It’s a good way to have a check-in every year and see how we’re doing compared to other states,” Woo said.

The latest data comes from 2019 and 2020 because the Data Book draws on federal sources like the American Community Survey, run by the Census Bureau, which the pandemic interrupted. “For this book they had to use five-year estimates,” Woo said. “That is an issue with this year’s data book. We were told it’s not a great idea to compare data in this year’s book with data in last year’s book.”

Another issue: that the federal poverty rate does not account for the high cost of living in Hawaii, Woo said. “If the federal poverty line were more accurate, we would be lower in the economic rankings.” Hawaii ranked 34th in the Data Book’s economic well-being category.

Improving the quality of life for children in Hawaii depends on the right policies, Woo said. “We need to keep investing in our schools and teachers,” she said. “Tax credits are another way to help working-class parents keep money in their wallets.” With the primary elections on Aug. 13, Woo stressed the importance of talking to candidates about these issues. “It’s important to prioritize our children, and talking to candidates and having them think about children is a good thing to do,” she said.