• Kentucky ranks 36th overall in child and family well-being, according to the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book.
• The state saw improvements in economic well-being, with fewer children living in poverty.
• Education and health metrics have generally worsened, including lower reading and math proficiency rates.

The release of the KIDS COUNT Data Book on Monday, June 8, shows that Kentucky ranks lower than most states in child and family well-being.

The report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzes all 50 states across 16 indicators related to family and community, economic well-being, education and health. The commonwealth ranks 36th overall in the 2026 results, with improvements in some areas and declines in others.

Kentucky ranks 36th overall in 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Kentucky ranks 36th overall in the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, showing improvements and declines in various areas.

Related to economic well-being, the number of children living in poverty in Kentucky decreased from 22% in 2019 to 19% in 2024, and the number of children whose parents lack secure employment dropped from 31% to 28%. The commonwealth ranks 39th for economic well-being.

Metrics related to education have worsened, with an overall ranking of 22. There was increase in young children not in school (ages 3-4) from 59% to 63%; an increase in fourth graders not proficient in reading from 65% to 67%; and an increase in eighth graders not proficient in math from 71% to 76%.

The rate of high school students not graduating on time has dropped from 9% to 8%.

Health metrics have also worsened, with an increase in low birth-weight babies from 8.7% to 8.8%; an increase in children without health insurance from 4% to 5%; and an increase in child and teen deaths per 100,000 from 29 to 31. The rate of children and teens who are overweight or obese has dropped from 37% to 33%. Kentucky ranks 31st for health.

Family and community metrics improved, with a drop in the percentage of children in single-parent families from 36% to 34%; a drop in children living in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma from 11% to 10%; a drop in children living in high-poverty areas from 15% to 11%; and a drop in teen births per 1,000 from 25 to 20. The commonwealth ranks 44th for family and community.

Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The Miss Kentucky pageant returns to Bowling Green for the fifth time, with contestants gathering for the scholarship competition.

Pageant director, Regina Webb, and several contestants previewed the event ahead of the competition.

The Miss Kentucky Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than $45 million in scholarships, ranking it among the largest scholarship providers for women in the world.

“I know I’ve heard one young lady who was a former Miss America, and she said that she won $80,000 over her time being in preliminaries in her state pageant and then won Miss America,” Webb said.

Contestants share personal growth

Contestant, Bella Franklin, said three years ago, she never would have imagined being part of the Miss Kentucky organization.

“I was a shy little girl. I didn’t even have a community service initiative. And being involved in it now, just saying yes to that one opportunity to compete in a prelim changed my life for the better. Now I’m so much more confident in myself. I’m able to talk to people and just overall the experiences that I had are truly amazing,” Franklin said.

Bowling Green resident and contestant, Madison Taylor, said she is proud to show off her hometown to contestants from across the state.

“I think Bowling Green is the perfect location for this pageant because it has everything that you could possibly need. And I’m excited for all of my friends across the Commonwealth to come and experience all the things that I love about my hometown of Bowling Green,” Taylor said.

Webb said, pageants are often misunderstood, and she wants audiences to see the women as more than their appearance.

Franklin and Taylor said, contestants are defined by far more than a crown and a sash.

“Obviously sometimes it’s hard to hear what they think, but truly just showing them that pageant girls are so much more than just the crown on the sash. We’re educated. We know how to use our voices,” Franklin said.

“These girls are smart and they have service initiatives where they’re going out into the community and making a difference. It’s really about sharing your message and making a difference in our community and our state overall,” Taylor said.

The Miss Kentucky pageant runs June 10-13 at SKyPAC in Bowling Green. The pageant can be streamed on Pageant Vision.

The MLB Draft is just a month away. Numerous Kentucky players will be selected. Shortstop Tyler Bell will likely come off the board in the first round. However, there is one prospect that both Will Stein and Nick Mingione will be watching closely. What will Matt Ponatoski decide? No one really knows.

The Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller quarterback and pitcher sat down with Over-Slot’s Joe Doyle over the weekend to discuss his upcoming draft decision. This two-sport star wants it known that his top goal is to become a professional baseball player sooner rather than later.

“The goal has always been how do I get drafted…It’s what I want to do. I want to be a professional baseball player,” Ponatoski said. “And I don’t know who I need to sell myself to, but I want to be a professional baseball player. That’s been my dream since I was a little kid.’

Matt Ponatoski called his commitment to Kentucky last July “a baseball first decision” with the plan always being to become a Major League Baseball player. Ponatoski said he fell in love with baseball when he was a t-ball player and that passion has not gone away. The football opportunity presented itself late. While a great option, Ponatoski plans on making a baseball-first decision.

“I came on late with the recruiting in football, and now I think it portrays that I want to be a football player. And yes, that’s a great option if I don’t go to the draft,” said Ponatoski. “But I want to be a professional baseball player as fast as possible. That’s where my heart’s been and where it’s always been.”

“Option 1A is to go be a draft pick.”

Matt Ponatoski has been sitting between 92-95 while reaching 96 mph with his fastball this baseball season. Ponatoski says this was accomplished without ever having full-individual instruction from a pitching coach. Ponatoski believes he has a ton of room to improve as a pitcher and that upside will be met once he begin a professional baseball journey.

This has been a long waiting game for Ponatoski, Kentucky football, and Kentucky baseball. A final decision will be made once the draft arrives in July. If Ponatoski likes where he’s drafted and what an organization is financially offering, it sounds like he will jump at the opportunity to begin a minor league career. If that doesn’t occur, there is the fallback option of playing two sports at Kentucky.

Ponatoski currently sounds like a prospect that is ready to make the jump to professional baseball this summer.