America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2020

"This year’s America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being continues two decades of collaboration by agencies across the Federal Government to advance our understanding of our Nation’s children and what may be needed to bring them a better tomorrow. Data used in this report were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of the data surveys reflected in this report have adapted to address data needs related to the pandemic, these data were not available for inclusion at the time of publication. Office of the Chief Statistician, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
 

Introduction

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (Forum) was chartered in 1997 by Executive Order No. 13045. The Forum fosters collaboration among 23 Federal agencies that produce and use statistics on children and families and seeks to improve these Federal data. Each year, the Forum publishes a report compiling measures of well-being drawn from the most reliable Federal statistics.

Conceptual Framework for Key National Indicators 

The Forum has identified 41 indicators that describe the well-being of children. These indicators span seven domains: Family and Social Environment, Economic Circumstances, Health Care, Physical Environment and Safety, Behavior, Education, and Health. The indicators also must meet the following criteria:

„Easy to understand by broad audiences
„Objectively based on reliable data
„Balanced, so that no single area dominates the report
„Measured regularly so that they can be updated and show trends
Representative of large segments of the population
 

Pending data availability, the Forum updates all 41 indicators annually on its website (https://www.childstats. gov/) and alternates publishing a detailed report, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, with a summary version, America’s Children in Brief, which highlights selected indicators..."
America's children in brief 

Kids Count: 2020

[Annie E Casey Foundation]

"The 31st edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children across the United States were faring before the coronavirus pandemic began.

This year’s publication continues to deliver the Foundation’s annual state rankings and the latest available data on child well-being. It also identifies multi-year trends — comparing statistics from 2010 to 2018. As always, policymakers, researchers and advocates can continue using this information to help shape their work and build a stronger future for children, families and communities

Trends prior to the pandemic

Data over a recent period of eight or so years reveal encouraging trends in child well-being nationally, with improvements documented in 11 out of the 16 indicators.

In 2018 — the latest year of data available — more parents were economically secure and lived without a high housing cost burden. In addition, more teens graduated from high school and delayed childbearing and children’s health insurance coverage continued to be something to celebrate.

Broadly speaking, kids nationwide experienced gains in the Economic Well-Being domain and promising-but-mixed results in the Health, Education, and Family and Community domains. The positive strides realized — driven by effective policies and achieved before the coronavirus pandemic — serve as an encouraging reminder that the nation can advance the substantial work now needed to improve the prospects of its youngest generation..."
Kids count 

Kids Count Data Book: 2019

[Annie E. Casey Foundation]

"The 30th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book begins by exploring how America’s child population — and the American childhood experience — has changed since 1990.

And there’s some good news to share: Of the 16 areas of child well-being tracked across four domains — health, education, family and community and economic well-being — 11 have improved since the Foundation published its first Data Book 30 editions ago.

The rest of the 2019 Data Book — including the latest national trends and state rankings — rely on a shorter review window: 2010 to 2017.

The data reveal, in the United States today, more parents are financially stable and living without burdensome housing costs. More teens are graduating from high school and delaying parenthood. And access to children’s health insurance has increased compared to just seven years ago.

But it is not all good news. The risk of babies being born at a low weight continues to rise, racial inequities remain systemic and stubbornly persistent and 12% of kids across the country are still growing up in areas of concentrated poverty..."
Kids Count Data Book: 2019 

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2013

"America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2013 is a compendium of indicators depicting both the promises and the challenges confronting our Nation's young people. The report, the 16th in an ongoing series, presents 41 key indicators on important aspects of children's lives. These indicators are drawn from our most reliable statistics, are easily understood by broad audiences, are objectively based on substantial research, are balanced so that no single area of children's lives dominates the report, are measured regularly so that they can be updated to show trends over time, and are representative of large segments of the population rather than one particular group..."
America's Children...:2013

AMERICA'S CHILDREN: KEY NATIONAL INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING, 2011
"The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children and youth.

However, a higher proportion of 8th graders used illicit drugs, more children were likely to live in poverty, and fewer children were likely to live with at least one parent working year round, full time, according to the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011..."
View full report.

AMERICA'S CHILDREN IN BRIEF: KEY NATIONAL INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING, 2010
"Each year since 1997, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has published a report on the well-being of children and families. Pending data availability, the Forum updates all 40 indicators annually on its Web site (http://childstats.gov) and alternates publishing a detailed report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, with a summary version that highlights selected indicators. The America's Children series makes Federal data on children and families available in a nontechnical, easy-to-use format in order to stimulate discussion among data providers, policymakers, and the public.

The Forum fosters coordination and integration among 22 Federal agencies that produce or use statistical data on children and families and seeks to improve Federal data on children and families. The America's Children series provides accessible compendiums of indicators drawn across topics from the most reliable official statistics; it is designed to complement other more specialized, technical, or comprehensive reports produced by various Forum agencies..."

A Child Born in 2009 Will Cost $222,360 to Raise According to USDA Report
"Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released USDA's new annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, which finds that a middle-income family with a child born in 2009 can expect to spend about $222,360 ($286,050 if inflation is factored in) for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise that child over the next 17 years. This represents less than a 1 percent increase from 2008, the smallest increase this decade, which likely reflects the state of the economy. Expenses for child care, education, and health care saw the largest percentage increases related to child rearing from 2008, whereas expenses on transportation actually declined. This decline in transportation expenses on a child mitigated the increases in the other expenses.

This report, issued annually since 1960, is a valuable resource to courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. For 2009, per child annual child-rearing expenses for a middle-income, two-parent family ranges from $11,650 to $13,530, depending on the age of the child..."

A Child's Day: 2006: (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being)
"This is the fourth report examining children’s well-being and their daily activities both at
home and at school based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Since the SIPP data are now available for various years between 1998 and 2006, this report highlights trends in parental interaction with children, children’s participation in extracurricular activities, and school engagement. This report focuses on two outcome measures: (1) school engagement and (2) whether children are academically on-track. Further, it considers the relative importance of characteristics such as race, Hispanic origin, and parental education on those out-
comes..."

Expenditures on Children by Families, 2008
"Since 1960, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided estimates of expenditures on children from birth through age 17. This technical report presents the most recent estimates for husband-wife and single-parent families using data from the 2005-06 Consumer Expenditure Survey, updated to 2008 dollars using the Consumer Price Index. Data and methods used in calculating annual child-rearing expenses are described. Estimates are provided for major components of the budget by age of child, family income, and region of residence. For the overall United States, annual child-rearing expense estimates ranged between $11,610 and $13,480 for a child in a two-child, married-couple family in the middle-income group. Adjustment factors for number of children in the household are also provided. Results of
this study should be of use in developing State child support and foster care guidelines, as well as in family educational programs."
Access current and former full reports

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009
"..America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009 is a compendium of indicators illustrating both the promises and the difficulties confronting our Nation's young people. The report presents 40 key indicators on important aspects of children's lives. These indicators are drawn from our most reliable statistics, easily understood by broad audiences, objectively based on substantial research, balanced so that no single area of children's lives dominates the report, measured regularly so that they can be updated to show trends over time, and representative of large segments of the population rather than one particular group.

This year's report continues to present key indicators grouped by the seven sections identified in the restructured 10th anniversary report (2007): family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. The report incorporates several modifications that reflect the Forum's ongoing efforts to improve its quality and comprehensiveness: updates to data sources and substantive expansions or clarifications have been made for several indicators; a regular indicator on adolescent depression has been added, addressing an ongoing data gap on the mental heath of children; and a special feature, Children with Special Health Care Needs, has been included..."

New CDC Report Finds Motor Vehicles and Falls are Causes of Most Child and Teen Injuries and Deaths in the United States
"An estimated 55 million children and teens from birth to age 19 were treated in emergency departments for unintentional injuries from 2001 to 2006, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report also notes that between 2000 and 2005, unintentional injuries resulted in 73,052 deaths among children and teens. Falls caused most non-fatal injuries (about 2.8 million each year), while most deaths were transportation-related (about 8,000 deaths each year involved a motor vehicle occupant, pedestrian or pedal cyclist).

According to the report, every year, an estimated 9.2 million children visited emergency departments for unintentional injuries. Falls were associated with over half of the nonfatal injuries involving children less than one year, while transportation-related injuries and deaths were highest among children 15 to 19 years of age. Overall, males were almost twice as likely to die as a result of unintentional injuries than females."

America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008
"Each year since 1997, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has published a report on the well-being of children and families. The Forum alternates publishing a detailed report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, with a summary version that highlights selected indicators. This year, the Forum is publishing America's Children in Brief; it will publish the more detailed report in 2009. The Forum updates all indicators and background data on its website (http://childstats.gov) every year."