DALLAS, Nov 18, 2025 — New data from Children’s Health, the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, reveals ongoing challenges facing children and families across the region — from the impact of digital technology on youth mental health to persistent gaps in behavioral health care access.
Today, Children’s Health releases the 19th edition of ‘Beyond ABC: Assessing Children’s Well-Being in North Texas.’ Produced in collaboration with the University of Texas at Dallas Institute for Urban Policy Research, this biennial report examines key indicators of child health, safety, economic security, and education across Dallas, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Tarrant and Ellis counties. As Texas’s pediatric population continues to grow rapidly, the report highlights both progress made and emerging issues that shape the well-being of children in the region.
“The Beyond ABC report offers a comprehensive view of what shapes the health and well-being of children in North Texas,” said Christopher J. Durovich, President and CEO of Children’s Health. “Families today face increasingly complex challenges. By highlighting critical issues such as mental health, online safety, and access to care, we hope this report inspires collective action to make life better for children today and for generations to come.”
The 2025 Beyond ABC report finds that while overall child well-being in North Texas has improved in some areas, deep inequities remain — particularly in mental health and access to affordable care. The findings call for urgent, coordinated efforts to strengthen services that shape children’s physical and emotional health in an increasingly digital world.
Recommendations from the 2025 report include:
Improve access to mental and behavioral health care for children
- Rates of emotional and behavioral health challenges continue to rise across North Texas, with more than one in five youth seriously considering suicide. This urgent reality highlights the need for coordinated school and community-based behavioral health services that ensure every child has access to timely care and support.
Protect Medicaid for children and expand health coverage
- Texas continues to lead the nation in the rate of uninsured children (11.9%), nearly double the national average. Preserving Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is essential to ensure that thousands of low-income children maintain access to critical health care services.
Address housing instability and family economic security
- Between 2020 and 2024, Dallas County experienced a 30% rise in students without permanent housing — a stark reminder of the urgent need for affordable housing options and family support programs that promote stability and long-term well-being.
Support adequate funding for education and literacy
- In 2024, third grade reading proficiency declined across North Texas, underscoring the importance of investing in evidence-based literacy programs and equitable school funding to help every child reach grade-level success.
This year’s Beyond ABC Symposium brought together community leaders in health care, education and policy to discuss the report’s findings and explore actionable steps forward. Zach Rausch, Senior Research Scientist and Managing Director of the Tech and Society Lab at NYU’s Stern School of Business and Chief Researcher to Jonathan Haidt, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the urgent need to balance digital exposure with healthy development and human connection.
The Beyond ABC report recommendations are guided by a regional Advisory Board representing leaders in health care, education, philanthropy and social services across North Texas. In collaboration with the University of Texas at Dallas Institute for Urban Policy Research, the board ensures the report reflects both data and lived experience to inspire meaningful community action.
“It’s an honor to collaborate with Children’s Health in producing a biennial resource that helps North Texas identify both progress and persistent gaps affecting our community’s children,” said Timothy M. Bray, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research at University of Texas at Dallas. “We take pride in helping the community use this data to drive meaningful action so every child in our region has the opportunity to thrive.”
To learn more download the full report.
About Children’s Health
Children’s Health is the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas and has long been recognized as a leader in pediatric health. Children’s Health campuses include Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Children’s Medical Center Plano and multiple Children’s Health Specialty Centers. With its academic partner, UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center Dallas is consistently recognized among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Its commitment to excellence and providing outstanding care has resulted in being the only children’s hospital in the region to be honored across all pediatric specialties for eight consecutive years, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Behavioral Health, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology.
In addition, Children’s Health nurses have received the Magnet® designation for the past 14 years, the highest honor for nursing excellence, and the health care system has been named a 2025 top place to work by Forbes and USA Today and one of the 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review for 13 consecutive years. In addition, Children’s Health was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for its pioneering model to train physicians to treat children’s mental health.
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