children's health

Many children in Florida lack access to routine dental care. According to data from the Florida Department of Health, nearly 1 in 3 third graders in the Sunshine State had cavities during the 2021–2022 school year.

Norín Dollard, director of Kids Count and a senior analyst for the Florida Policy Institute, said the rankings are relative, but they do reveal areas that can be improved.

Access is especially tough for kids in rural areas or whose families don't have a lot of money. Some dentists say a new statewide ban on adding fluoride to drinking water affects these communities the most.

The 2025 report by the Florida Policy Institute ranks counties on five factors, with the newest being food security.

The Broward Children's Center unveiled on Thursday a $117,000 playground and basketball court that's intended to better accommodate the children with disabilities receiving services at its Dania Beach location.

A lot has changed for pediatric bionic arms in the last 10 years. Many of those developments have come from local organizations, like University of Central Florida's Limbitless Solutions, leading the way.

President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to add pressure to the Republican-led states that have refused funding for a summer meal program for kids. Among those states, is Florida.

The Biden administration is urging a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling aimed at keeping Florida children with complex medical conditions out of nursing homes.

Experts attribute the change to improved screening and autism services for all children, and to increased awareness and advocacy for Black and Hispanic families.

The plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also seeks to decrease sodium in the meals served to schoolkids by 2029, while making the rules for foods made with whole grains more flexible.

Expanded growth charts now include a body mass index of 60 — up from previous charts that stopped at 37. Officials also expanded measures to map severe obesity, which affects an estimated 4.5 million children and teens in the U.S.

Hospitals in St. Petersburg and other parts of the U.S. are seeing more young people come in with suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.