The broad array of data presented each year in the "KIDS COUNT Data Book" is intended to illuminate the status of America's children and to assess trends in their well-being. By updating the assessment every year, KIDS COUNT provides ongoing benchmarks that can be used to see how states have advanced or regressed over time. Readers can also use…

Provides adoption statistics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including the total number of adoptions in 1987, 1988, and 1990, and the number of public agency adoptions as a percentage of total adoptions for 1990. Statistics on adoption are inexact because of the variety of data sources and their changing nature. (MDM)

Analyzes adoption information from courts, social service agencies, and bureaus of vital records for 1991 and 1992. Finds that adoptions by step-parents constitute nearly half of all adoptions, and that individually arranged adoptions are likely to be by relatives. Suggests that the information provided constitutes a baseline for measurement of…

Provides an overview of adoption statistics and describes data available regarding adoption arrangements and the characteristics of parents who relinquish children, of children who are adopted or in substitute care, and of adults who seek to adopt. Recommends the establishment of a national data collection system for adoption statistics.…

Results of a survey show that high school students in North Carolina think about, attempt, and are injured as the result of a suicide attempt with alarming frequency. This report summarizes suicide-related data from the North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1993). Younger students are more at risk of suicide than older students; more than one…

These four Census Briefs highlight the information from the 2000 U.S. Census most relevant for community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and others concerned with the status of children and families in Rhode Island. The first brief describes home ownership rates, noting that homeowners are less likely to move than renters and become more…

To address the important issue of dropouts from their schools, the Council of Great City Schools undertook a major research effort to make sense of the disparate ways in which cities keep their dropout data, and to advise various policy makers on the development of common metrics for measuring the problem. A survey of Council member schools…

This KIDS COUNT statistical report is the fourth to examine trends in children's and adolescents' well-being in South Dakota using indicators of health, education, social, and economic well-being, along with information on family income, household relationships, population, and AFDC/food stamp usage for each county. The information is organized in…

This KIDS COUNT report examines trends in the well-being of Vermont's youth. The report balances at-risk youth data with survey results related to "positive youth development," an approach that promotes beneficial attributes of youth and their communities. Following an introduction and discussion of positive youth development and youth…

The final report of a statistical study of 1,737 childhood deaths in Maine from 1976-80 by cause and age also looks at distribution of deaths by cause and age in Maine's low-income population. The findings showed disease was the major cause of death (1,068 deaths) followed by accidents (578 deaths), suicide (50 deaths), and homicide (29 deaths).…

These four Census Briefs highlight the information from the 2000 U.S. Census most relevant for community leaders, policy makers, advocates, and others concerned with the status of children and families in Rhode Island. The first brief graphs the large increase in the number of Rhode Island children. Two tables show child population in core cities…

This report on the well-being of America's children focuses on the need for renewed commitment to children by all sectors of society. The foreword to the report exhorts governors to lead a culture change and show that states can more efficiently help their own children. This section also describes the mission of the Leave No Child Behind movement,…

This Kids Count report uses data from the Arkansas Department of Health to examine statewide trends in child safety. The findings suggested that in 1996, about one-third of child deaths in Arkansas were due to non-natural causes, with substantial racial and sex differences. Causes such as accidents, homicides, and suicides were more common for…

This Kids Count report focuses on the well being of Tennessee's teenagers. The statistical portrait is based on 10 indicators of well being: (1) teen pregnancy; (2) drug abuse; (3) HIV infection; (4) sexually transmitted diseases; (5) high school dropout; (6) scores on the American College Testing Program (ACT); (7) teen employment; (8) school…

This book provides a national and state-by-state (including the District of Columbia) compilation of benchmarks of the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children in the United States. Ten indicators of children's well-being are taken from government sources: (1) percent low birth-weight babies; (2) infant mortality rate;…