Where does Tennessee rank
in comparison with other states?

You can change this by VOTING.

In Tennessee and its Children: Unmet Needs 2001, the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth reports that Tennessee ranks

43^rd in indicators of child well-being
46^th in percent of persons age 25 and over with a high school degree
41^st in percent of adults with a bachelor's diploma
50^th in total education spending per capita
49^th in elementary and secondary education spending
35^th in per capita spending on higher education
44^th in overall health ranking
45^th in the "Condition of Children" index
49^th in library systems
48^th in total library operating expenditure
50^th in home and community-based care

It is estimated that 20 to 39% of Tennesseans are functionally illiterate.

In Tennessee, 74% of the people in the state's prisons failed to complete high school.

More information on the status of Tennessee's children

We can do better for Tennessee's children.

Children cannot vote.

They need us to vote for them.

Tennessee ranked 46^th in voter registration and participation.

Tennessee ranked 50^thin the nation in participation in the 1998 Congressional elections, when only 24% of the state's voting age population voted.

VOTE FOR CHILDREN    TAKE ACTION

Register to vote.

Learn more about candidates' positions on the local, state, and national levels. Vote.

Communicate your desires, needs, and opinions to policymakers on the local, state, and national levels.

Be certain that your child's immunizations are current. Watch for children's developmental milestones. If you have concerns about your child's health and development, tell your health care provider.

Get a library card and use it frequently.

Read to your child every day.

Week of the Young Child | Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

For Families | Voting | Events | Health | Information Resources | Parenting

Home | Reading | Early Education | Children with Disabilities