​Summary: The California Children’s Report Card grades the state on its ability to support better outcomes for kids, from prenatal to age 26. Each grade is based on the state’s progress (or lack thereof) on passing and implementing state-level policies and making investments in the supports and services needed for all kids to reach their full potential. Authors used data from the 2018 and 2021 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS).

Findings: Progress reports are made on high-level categories, including health insurance, health care access, food security, child care, education for dual language and English learners, education funding and more. After each progress report, a Pro-Kid Agenda provides recommendations to the state’s leaders on how to improve outcomes for kids in each section.

This year’s California Children’s Report Card highlights some good news: key areas of improvement in the state’s ability to meet the needs of California’s children with increased funding and policy advances. For example, state leaders invested significantly in community schools and children’s behavioral health, and added a grade to our education system to address long unmet early learning needs. 

Yet, in far too many areas, state leaders are failing to do enough to support kids. The child care system, already fragile before the pandemic, is now in crisis. The state is not providing enough oversight to ensure children are receiving the access to health care they need. And students who are English learners lack access to core content, bilingual instruction, and well-prepared teachers. This lack of policy progress, along with unacceptable racial gaps highlighted in the data and mediocre national rankings, contribute to the mostly low grades in this report.