California children are still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic both academically and mentally, according to a new report from research organization Children Now.
“Children in California … have not bounced back from the pandemic,” Children Now President Ted Lempert said in a Jan. 26 statement. “Too many kids are not thriving today and were not thriving before the pandemic.”
The 2023 California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being evaluates 40 areas of well-being among children—including academic scores, health, and early childhood—for each of the 58 counties in the Golden State.
The study’s most alarming findings include few students meeting academic standards and many experiencing chronic depression and suicidal thoughts….