The Kids Count Data Book is an annual publication of the Annie E. Casey Foundation—at times in cooperation with the Center for the Study of Social Policy[1]—reporting comparative statistics on child welfare in each of the 50 states of the United States of America.[2][3][4]
Form and content edit
Annual editions are prefaced with the year of publication—hence the 2019 edition is commonly titled 2019 Kids Count Data Book. The book's first annual edition was published in 1990.[2]
Separate editions, for each individual state—with detailed information on that state, plus comparisons to national data—are available.
An interactive, online edition is available, as well.
Topics covered, in past annual issues, have included U.S. children's economic status, health, education, family and community, child protection, foster care, juvenile justice and incarceration—with current and historical data, and comparative rankings of states.[2][3]
Use edit
The book is widely quoted as a leading reference on the subject of child welfare in the United States.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In 1992, it was reportedly featured in about 1,400 of America's 1,600 daily newspapers.[1]
KIDS COUNT Network edit
In each of the 50 states, AECF originally selected a single local child-issues organization to partially fund with an AECF grant, and to partner with to develop a customized version of the Data Book for each state. However, AECF later modified its plan, treating the grantees as its "KIDS COUNT Network," and began to use them as outlets for its media and influence efforts—including distribution and promotion of the KIDS COUNT Data Book—although AECF accepts that the grantees' individual goals and priorities may differ somewhat from AECF's.[10]
Criticism edit
Critics have suggested that the KIDS COUNT Data Book and other media efforts by AECF (and copycat efforts by other organizations) may be an attempt to promote government spending on social programs, generally—and particularly for the poor—using public sympathy for "kids" to generate public support for social programs that serve adults as well.[1] Others have suggested that it sometimes paints a picture that is more gloomy than realistic.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Political Memo; Using 'Kids' to Push Fight on Poverty Obscure the Issues, Critics Say," March 29, 1993, New York Times, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ a b c "Kids Count Data Book, 2019: State Trends in Child Well-Being," ERIC, U.S. Department of Education retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ a b c "2019 Kids Count Data Book," October 30, 2019, Boston University Libraries, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ a b Gurch, Josephine, "Texas Scores Low in the 2019 Kids Count Data Book," Jul 31, 2019, Hogg Blog, Division of Diversity & Community Engagement, University of Texas at Austin, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ LeBlanc, Matthew, "Opioid use breaking up families," February 5, 2018 (GMT), Associated Press, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ "Report on kids' poverty in U_S_ raises eyebrows," July 21, 2015, CBS News, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ "Experts Worried That 2020 Census Will Undercount Number Of Children," June 28, 2018, All Things Considered on National Public Radio retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ "Report on child welfare suggests many US children were left behind in economic recovery," July 21, 2015, updated May 3, 2016, Associated Press in Fox News retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ "The best and worst US states for children," Cable News Network (CNN), June 27, 2018, retrieved December 28, 2019
- ^ Gienapp, A., Reisman, J., Langley, K., Cohen, C., Cipollone, T., Kelly, T., Crary, D., & Lin Chong, S. (2010). "Strategic Communications for Influence: Lessons From the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Its KIDS COUNT Initiative. The Foundation Review, 1(4). [1] (PDF at [2]
External links edit
- Interactive Kids Count Data Book
- 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book, official free PDF download
- Annie E. Casey Foundation