Like many other states, Indiana saw progress in improving children’s lives before the pandemic… but an annual report says the pandemic crisis disrupted much of the positive momentum.

The latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book says the Hoosier State ranked 29th overall, with economic well-being and education as the bright spots… but Tami Silverman of the Indiana Youth Institute says the state hasn’t fared as well in other areas. She says there are a lot of needs and plenty of room to grow, for example, in the area of children’s health.

Thirty-seven percent of Indiana children between ages 10 and 17 are overweight or obese, and there’s been a gradual increase in the number of families without health insurance.