NCJ Number
231594
Date Published
2010
Length
60 pages
Annotation
This report presents the annual, updated Kids Count Data Book reporting on the well-being of children and families in the Nation for 2008.
Abstract
Highlights of the 2010 Kid Count report include: (1) after showing improvement in the late 1990s, overall, child well-being has stagnated since 2000; (2) 5 of the 10 indicators of child well-being showed that conditions improved since 2000, while child well-being worsened in 3 indicators; (3) the survey tool for 2 indicators, the percent of teens not in school and not working and the percent of children in families where no parent works full-time year-round was significantly changed in 2008; (4) between 1996 and 2000, 8 of the 10 key indicators used in KIDS COUNT improved, and several improved dramatically; the improvement was experienced by every major racial group and in nearly all of the States; (5) between 1994 and 2000, the child poverty rate fell by 30 percent, the largest decrease since the 1960s; (6) since 2000, improvements have stalled and the child poverty rate has increased by 6 percent; and (7) since 2000 gaps in the difference in child well-being along racial and ethnic lines have decreased in some areas, most notably, the high school dropout rate; on the whole, non-Hispanic White children continue to have greater opportunities for better outcomes compared with most other racial and Hispanic origin groups. The 10 indicators used in Kids Count reflect a wide range of factors affecting the well-being of children, such as health, adequacy of income, and educational attainment, reflect experiences across a range of developmental stages from birth through early adulthood, and permit legitimate comparisons due to consistency across States and over time. Data from all 10 key indicators were used to develop a composite index of child well-being for each State. This Kids Count report presents national information available from either 2007 or 2008, before the recession had taken hold for most families. Tables, figures, charts, and appendix