News from rural America.

The well-being of children has declined in multiple states, Ho-Chunk tribes are honored at Nebraska's Winnebago Public Schools, solar isn’t just for homeowners in Colorado and despite a lack of data on rural LGBTQ populations, Pride Month is celebrated.

TRANSCRIPT

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, this is the news from rural America.

Child well-being varies widely in the U.S. A new Annie E.

Casey Foundation Kids Count Report shows the Northeast is doing better while parts of the South and West fall near the bottom.

The rates for poverty, health, and education got worse in more than half of states, while trending better in about a dozen.

The foundation's Leslie Bossier says their numbers are more than statistics.

It's a child who either has enough to eat or doesn't have enough to eat.

It's a child who has access to quality education or it's a child who doesn't have those necessities.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed Congress to expand tax credits, which cut child poverty to historic lows.

But she says that didn't last.

It declined to 5 percent.

The next year when those child tax credits expired, it spiked again, back up to 13 percent.

Rural Nebraska's Winnebago Public Schools now provide student services through a resource center that honors the 12 local Ho-Chunk tribes.

Superintendent Camo Turner says tribal members are returning home, and Winnebago now serves more than twice as many students.

And the schools are helping keep those children connected to their indigenous roots.

When you make that decision, you can trust that your kid's getting a good education and they're going to be treated well in Winnebago Public Schools.

The center provides services including mental health therapy, tutoring, and skill testing.

And Turner says it features paintings of all 12 of the Ho-Chunk tribe clans.

We had kids and they're like, hey, here's my clan.

Hey, let's all stand on our clan.

That was awesome to see that they understand that and they know that.

Rural Coloradans with apartments or condos can soon start using solar to cut their electric bills.

A law taking effect next January will allow portable panels that can sit in the sunshine anywhere.

Advocate Lynn Fritz says balcony solar plugs into electrical outlets, even in shared housing where permanent panels are not an option.

It allows lots and lots of people to generate their own energy.

Fritz notes it could be a lifesaver for people with medical devices.

It allows you to fill up your storage battery through solar energy, and then if the power goes out, you can use your battery until the power comes back on again.

Despite its snowy reputation, Colorado enjoys nearly 300 days of sunshine each year.

June is Pride Month, yet according to Daily Yonder data editor Sarah Mallott, there's a frustrating lack of statistics about rural LGBTQ populations.

Without good data on where people live, what they value, and challenges they face, Mallott says it can be difficult for non-profits and local governments to support LGBTQ communities.

In the U.S., Massachusetts and California have the most supportive policies.

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, I'm Roz Brown.

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com.