Vermont ranks second in the country in an annual report of kids' well-being.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count report shows improvements in eight areas like the percentage of children with health insurance and fewer teen births, but poverty continues to be a problem. Vermont fell slightly in the percentage of children with parents who lack secure employment to 29 percent and 36 percent of children lived in households with a high housing cost burden in 2011.
New Hampshire was the top-ranked state, followed by Vermont and Massachusetts. Nevada, Mississippi and New Mexico took the bottom three spots.
Overall, Vermont ranked third in the country in education, family and community, and fourth in health. The report found the state improved in the percentages of fourth graders who were proficient in reading and eighth graders who were proficient in math between 2005 and 2011.
