As our nation celebrates 250 years, are we keeping our promises to Kansas kids?

This week, America celebrates its 250th birthday. But as we honor the beginning of our country, we can’t ignore the realities Kansas families face today. The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book — released just ahead of this significant milestone — paints a clearer picture of how kids across the country are doing today.

The 2024 data highlighted in the report show Kansas kids are faring well compared to other states, as our overall child well-being was ranked 14th in the nation. Taking a closer look at how we got to that standing, there are some strong successes, as well as some shortcomings that should concern us all.

Kansas earned its place among the top states by making real progress on the outcomes that shape family financial stability. Child poverty dropped from 101,000 kids to 87,000 between 2019 and 2024. More Kansas parents are working full time. And Kansas ranks second in the nation for families not being crushed by housing costs. These are real wins that demonstrate how Kansas remains generally more affordable than many other states in the nation.

But that economic strength is undercut by other factors.

The spike in uninsured children makes that clear. In 2024, 51,000 Kansas children lacked health insurance, up from 43,000 in 2019. This also marks the highest count of uninsured Kansas kids since 2012.

Our schools tell a similar story of unmet potential. In 2024, 72% of Kansas fourth graders scored below reading proficiency and 74% of eighth graders fell below math proficiency, both of which are worse than 2019. This follows a nationwide slide accelerated by the pandemic, showing a deeper systemic need to better support students in the classroom.

Those shortcomings are serious on their own, but they’re about to be exacerbated by choices made in Washington, D.C.

This July 4 marks another anniversary, one that has already unleashed harm on thousands of Kansans. Last summer, Congress passed H.R. 1, the “Big, Beautiful Bill” cutting more than $1 trillion combined from Medicaid and SNAP. These are programs that help a working parent cover a sick child’s doctor visit or put food on the table when families are going through tough times. The 51,000 uninsured Kansas children highlighted in this year’s data report were before those cuts took effect.

Just since H.R. 1 was signed into law, more than 20,000 Kansans — including 10,000 children — have been kicked off SNAP and dozens of Kansas hospitals are deemed at risk of closure.

With Congress teasing another round of cuts from programs that help struggling families make ends meet, more kids across the country are likely to experience challenges with seeing a doctor when sick, live in economically secure homes, and have enough to eat for every meal. Remember, what happens inside the classroom is influenced by what happens outside the classroom.

Kansas can reverse the alarming trends revealed in the 2026 Kansas KIDS COUNT Data Book.

Our state leaders can start by protecting and expanding Medicaid access so that the 51,000 children without health insurance have an affordable path to coverage. They should pass a state child tax credit that helps families afford the essentials, because even in a state that ranks 5th in economic well-being, too many parents are still forced to choose between food, health care, and housing.

They should fully fund a new school finance formula that reflects a commitment to every Kansas child’s education. And they must protect state funding so Kansas never returns to the budget crises that hurt K-12 classrooms and failed to properly fund safe roads.

These are not abstract policy ideas. They are choices about what kind of state we want to be and what kind of country we are building.

We can make life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness a possibility for all Kansas kids. My vision for our country’s next 250 years is one that would center children’s well-being in all decisions. Our communities cannot be the strongest they can be without thriving families. So as we go to our family potlucks this week and celebrate our country’s foundation, I hope we remember that the truest measure of our country’s success isn’t the 250 years behind us. Instead, it’s how we treat the children in front of us.

John Wilson is president of Kansas Action for Children. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.