In California, almost 27 percent of eligible families with children under the age of 18 do not receive food stamps, compared with just 2 percent of such families in Tennessee. In Mississippi, more than 76 percent of children under the age of 3 do not receive a critical screening for developmental delays, nearly twice the percentage of children who go without in Minnesota. And in Texas, nearly half of low-income women lack health insurance, compared with fewer than 6 percent in Vermont. These are some of the findings of a new report released by the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at The University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs. Researchers looked at the myriad ways in which life differs for mothers, infants and toddlers in America and the disparities families face when it comes to challenges like food insecurity, poverty and housing.
