Project report
2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book: 2018 State Trends in Child Well-Being
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation tracks child well-being across four domains: economic well-being, health, family and community, and education. The report shows national improvements in economic outcomes, with fewer children in poverty and more parents employed, but mixed results in health, family stability and education. A major concern highlighted is the risk that the 2020 census could miss over 1 million children under 5, which would reduce federal funding for critical family support programs. Regional disparities are stark, with Northeast states ranking highest in child well-being while states in Appalachia, the Southeast and Southwest rank lowest.
Key points
- The 2020 census risks missing at least 1 million children under age 5, which could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost federal funding
- Nationally, economic well-being for children and families has improved, with fewer children living in poverty and more parental employment
- Results are mixed across health, family and community, and education domains
- Five of the top 10 states in overall child well-being are in the Northeast (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New Jersey rank 1st, 2nd, and 3rd)
- States in Appalachia, the Southeast, and Southwest rank lowest, with Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico at positions 48, 49, and 50
Limitations
This report provides aggregate state-level data and rankings but does not offer detailed analysis of specific interventions or deep explanations for regional disparities. The document excerpt does not provide disaggregated data by demographic characteristics or specific indicators within each domain.
Abstract
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2018 KIDS COUNT® Data Book opens with a special focus: the approaching 2020 census, which it warns is mired in challenges and at risk of missing at least 1 million kids under the age of 5. Such a discrepancy would put hundreds of millions of federal dollars at risk and, in doing so, underfund programs that are critical for family stability and opportunity.With this possibility pending, the publication calls on leaders to take five critical steps to ensure that every kid is counted in 2002. These are: 1) maximizing the Census Bureau's capacity to count young kids; 2) fully funding state and local outreach campaigns focused on the parents of young children; 3) expanding the pool of trusted messengers who can reach hard-to-count families; 4) ensuring internet access for families least likely to have it at home; and 5) addressing privacy and confidentiality concerns.Nationally, the Data Book shows continued improvement for kids and families in the area of economic well-being. Fewer children are living in poverty, more parents are employed and fewer families are spending a disproportionate amount of their income on housing costs. Yet, across the other three domains — health, family and community, and education — results are mixed.More locally, the Data Book's signature state rankings reveal sharp regional patterns. In overall child well-being, five of the top 10 states are in the Northeast, with New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Jersey claiming spots 1, 2 and 3. States in Appalachia, as well as the Southeast and Southwest — where families have the lowest levels of household income — populate the bottom of the overall rankings, with Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico coming in at 48, 49 and 50, respectively.