2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book

Counting What Counts: Taking Results Seriously for Vulnerable Children and Families

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 20th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, a national and state-by-state report that includes key measures and statistical trends on the condition of America's children and families. Nationally, improvements have been made in six of the key indicators and declines have occurred in four indicators.

2009 KIDS COUNT Materials

The 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book essay, "Counting What Counts," looks at how improving the volume and accessibility of strong and easily understood data can lead to better-informed policies, more focused programming, and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars. The essay also challenges federal and local government officials to: support initiatives to fully count everyone residing in the U.S. in the 2010 Census; revise the poverty standard to include costs related to work, child care, taxes, medical expenses, and regional differences in costs of living; increase data collection on children and families through the National Survey of Children's Health; and address the problems in the National Vital Statistics System.

(Information above prepared by National KIDS COUNT and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.)

New Resource: A Guide to Resources for Creating, Locating, and Using Child and Youth Indicator Data

This guide provides brief descriptions of the ever-increasing number of data and information resources available to those who work in the child and youth indicators field. It is a resource useful to the novice and the veteran, to those who work in governance, advocacy, research, and the media. Items covered include: books, journals, and other publications related to the identification, measurement, development and use of child indicators; professional newsletters focused on child indicator issues and products; web sites offering data at the national, state, and local levels; research centers focusing on child and youth well-being; and technical resources for those who would like to develop their own indicators web sites. Download now (251KB pdf)

Casey Foundation and FKC Collaborative Resources

  • KIDS COUNT Census Data
    The site now includes estimates for the 108th Congressional Districts; KIDS COUNT Census Data Online is currently the only site with this information.
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  • KIDS COUNT Data Center
    This system contains state- and city-level data for over 100 measures of child well-being, including all the measures regularly used in the KIDS COUNT Data Book and The Right Start for America's Newborns.
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  • The Right-Start Data
    State- and city-level data on birth outcomes can be used to generate custom graphs, maps, ranked lists, and state-by-state profiles; or, download the entire data set as delimited text files.
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  • National Survey Indicators Database
    The database can be searched from a number of different entry points according to the interests of the user.
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The 2009 National KIDS COUNT Data Book calls on federal leaders, state and local decision makers, and children's advocates to transform how they use data to improve the lives of vulnerable children through:

  • Leadership at the federal level to develop high-quality data systems.
  • Commitment at the state and local level to improve performance measurement.
  • Engagement of children's advocates and other concerned leaders.

KIDS COUNT Data BookKIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state project of the Casey Foundation to track the status of children in the United States. At the national level, the principal activity of the initiative is the publication of the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provides the most credible data on child well–being and is the only source that measures national and state-by-state trends on a wide range of indicators.The Foundation also funds a national network of state-level KIDS COUNT projects that provide a more detailed, county-by-county picture of the condition of children.

Florida KIDS COUNT (FKC) serves to inform Floridians and their policy makers about the quality of life for Florida's children, and to build leadership and accountability for action on behalf of our children. Data is updated regularly for use at the national, state and local levels and includes county specific information, statewide measures and comparisons among counties and regions within Florida.

A Few Words from Florida KIDS COUNT Director Susan Weitzel:

"The 2009 Data Book essay stresses the importance of using accurate, timely and easily understood data to help measure progress and evaluate programs."

FKC Goals

  • Develop child well-being indicators
  • Provide technical assistance and consultation services
  • Centralize current research efforts policy agendas, and program activities
  • Develop and disseminate data rich products
    • Products from all 53 contributing KIDS COUNT projects National and Florida foundations
    • Reports and products from numerous research affiliates
    • National, state, and county government and private agencies
    • Private and public associations
    • Training centers and institutes

For more information about local programs and services throughout the state, visit Florida Children's Services Councils.