Trends in the Well Being of Younger Children

How are the kids doing? Pretty well, according to a new report unveiled at the New America Foundation on April 25th, but experts still have significant concerns about the future. The report, “Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006,” was authored by Dr. Kenneth Land of Duke University and funded by the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) and is part of an on-going series of events and reports hosted by the New America Foundation designed to raise awareness about the status of children in the United States and spur meaningful action to improve their quality of life. The CWI seeks to measure the well-being of the “whole child,” using seven different quality-of-life indicators: economic well-being, social relationships, health, safety and behavior, education, community connectedness, and emotional/spiritual well-being. This Special Focus Report investigated trends in well-being along three distinct periods in children’s lives: infancy/early childhood, middle childhood (ages 6-11) and adolescence during the years 1994 – 2006. Fasaha Traylor of the Foundation for Childhood Development said that the groundbreaking work of the Child Well-Being Index Project is “fundamental to the nation’s well being.”

Dr. Land, the CWI Project coordinator, said the data reveals good news on several fronts: child mortality rates are down since 1994, as are the numbers of children with elevated lead levels in their blood and the number of mothers who smoke during pregnancy. More kids are enrolled in full-day kindergarten, which may contribute to the better performance of 9 year olds on reading tests. More kids are participating in extra-curricular activities, especially school-related lessons. Children overall are safer and fewer report that they fear being attacked while in school or on their way to and from school.

Amid the good news, however, there are some red flags. The study shows a 12.3 percent increase in the number of low birth weight babies. The number of children and toddlers who are overweight is up sharply, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sara Mead, senior fellow in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, added that while number of children in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs has grown impressively since 1994, the overall preschool enrollment has decreased slightly. She added that difficult economic circumstances, which affect children’s families directly, can also put pressure on states’ fiscally strained early childhood programs.

Public opinion polls show overwhelming support for federal and state policies that promote child well being, but most child-focused programs at the federal level have seen declining programmatic funds in recent, said Bruce Lesley of First Focus. Mr. Lesley quoted heavily from a new report recently released by First Focus called “Children’s Budget 2008.” Valerie Kaufmann, who directs early childhood programs for the Maryland State Department of Education, described the programs Maryland developed in recent years to successfully boost infant health and school readiness. Lauren Ratner, who oversees Family and Community Health for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, gave a broader view of the inter-agency efforts underway at the state level to improve child health and academic performance. Ms. Ratner highlighted a variety of policy options available to and used by state legislatures and health officials to combat child health risks, such as those highlighted in the report.

Dr. Land closed the event with a note of caution. Just as the CWI indicators dropped during the 2001 economic downturn, he expects that they will decrease again in 2007 and 2008, as economic hardship once again puts pressure on families and the well-being of America’s youngest citizens.

-Christina Satkowski, Research Associate for Education Policy

Participants
Featured Speakers

• Dr. Kenneth Land
  Coordinator, Child and Youth Well-Being Index Project
  John Franklin Crowell Professor, Duke University

• Fasaha Traylor
  Senior Program Officer
  Foundation for Child Development

• Sara Mead
  Senior Research Fellow, Education Policy Program and Workforce and Family Program
  New America Foundation

• Bruce Lesley
  President
  First Focus

• Valerie Kaufmann
  Coordinator, Early Learning Branch
  Maryland State Department of Education

• Lauren Ratner
  Director, Family and Community Health
  Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Moderator

• Rev. David Gray
  Director, Workforce and Family Program
  New America Foundation