Louisiana is fortunate that our state’s journalists report on Louisiana children in the news. Without an Office of Children’s Ombuds, Louisianans rely on the work of reporters and journalists for information about the conditions of Louisiana’s children.
For too long, Louisiana has lagged the nation when ranked for Child well-being. According to the annual KIDSCOUNT rankings of the states, Louisiana holds the average rank of 49th in the nation for 33 years.
The truth is this: conditions for Louisiana’s Children must improve or Louisiana will never have reason to expect a brighter future. We must understand this truth and act in responsible ways to improve the well-being of our children today, or Louisiana’s future will be worse than we anticipate.