Overview of the legislation (pdf)

FAQ (pdf)

What child indicator data is currently available:

• Congressional Research Memorandum (pdf)
  H.R. 2477 and Child Well-Being Indicators
  
  
• An Overview of State-Level Data on Child Well-Being Available through the Federal Statistical System (pdf)
  Brett Brown, Ph.D. and Kristin Moore, Ph.D.
  October 2006 (updated May 2007)
  Child Trends
  
  
• Factors Affecting State Differences in Child Well-Being (pdf)
  William O’Hare, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
  Marlene Lee, Population Reference Bureau
  August 2007
  
  
• Data that is currently available from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH): The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007 is now available. The chartbook provides both national and state-level data on U.S. children based on the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health State-level data on over 100 child health indicators is also available at www.childhealthdata.org. Findings can be viewed by many subgroups of children, such as household income, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage and health status. This data is only collected and available every four years, and is primarily on health status. The legislation proposed here would expand this survey to collect and report the data annually and include information on a much wider range of child well-being indicators. For a comparison of what is available now and what could be in the new legislation, see the FAQs.

The uses of child indicators (pdf)

Examples of Research Using Child Indicators

These research reports by Child Trends draw on the data already collected in the National Survey of Children’s Health, and show the kinds of information that better data on child well-being at the state level can provide

• Parental Involvement In Middle Childhood: Can It Protect Children From Harmful TV Viewing Habits And Behaviors
  
• Teens as Volunteers
  
• The Parent Child Relationship: Family Strengths
  
• Neighborhood Support and Children’s Connectedness
  
• Access to Health Insurance and Health Status Among Children in Washington State: Influential Factors
  
• The Well-Being of Maryland Parents and Their Children: Differences by Income Status and Family Structure
  
• Out of School Time is Critical for Children: Who Participates in Programs?
  
• Cumulative Risks
  

Additional examples by the Annie E. Casey Foundation:

• Children with Asthma
  
• Children with Special Health Care needs
• Children who are overweight or obese
• Data Snapshot – State Differences in Rates of Overweight or Obese Youth
• 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book Profiles – Children Under Age 6 in Family Based Child Care

How child indicators have helped improve children’s lives

States need state-specific data because the national data is often significantly different than state level findings.

• Number of States That Differ from the National Rate on Ten Measures of Child Well-Being (pdf)