6-24-13 kids count-wisconsin

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Children's lives are improving with the economy in Wisconsin, but many families remain worse off than before the Great Recession.  That's according to the latest Kids Count Data Book, an annual report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks children's welfare.  The report ranks Wisconsin 12th in the nation as a place to grow up.  It says New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts do the best when it comes to children's overall well-being. Nevada, Mississippi and New Mexico do the worst.  The spokesman for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Bob Jacobson, says Wisconsin has benefited from past investments in health care and education. That allowed the state to do well even though almost one in five Wisconsin children lives in poverty.