This report presents a picture of the welfare of children in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Developed by Project Respond, a group addressing the needs of at-risk children in the community, it is an attempt to measure the treatment of children by families, private institutions, government, and other facets of society. The introduction describes…

The Better Care for the Babies (BCTB) Project was initiated in April 1989 to help states improve the quality of infant and toddler child care, especially for low-income children whose parents are in the labor force and/or making the transition from welfare to work. The BCTB Project initiated ongoing, negotiated, goal-directed technical assistance…

Families undergo difficulties in trying to negotiate the labyrinth of early childhood services offered in Illinois. Because of the multiplicity of programs and scarce funding, many children and families do not receive the services they need. Coordination among programs and services is also limited. This paper offers background on how the…

This KIDS COUNT report presents information on the status of Illinois children and highlights strategies used to improve the well-being of children and families. The first section, "Facing the Challenge," contains a series of conversations with experts detailing current programs to meet a six-point action agenda: (1) support new…

Political changes underway at both the federal and state levels will dramatically affect public policies for children and their families in the years ahead. Drawing from over 550 budget line items in 10 state departments from 1990 to 1995, this report looks at spending on Illinois' children and families by program areas, with some specific…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of Illinois' children, focusing on the impact of federal and state welfare reform. The statistical portrait is based on 14 indicators of well-being: (1) families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; (2) child support enforcement; (3) children enrolled in Head Start or…

A conference held in 1987 at Dartmouth explored the design and implementation of a comprehensive, coordinated community-wide approach to promoting the health of families and children. This publication provides: (1) conference presentations; (2) reports of delegations from Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire; (3) participants' discussion of issues;…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of Illinois' children, focusing on the impact of communities on children. The statistical portrait is based on 14 indicators of well-being: (1) uninsured children; (2) infant mortality; (3) low birth weight; (4) violent death and injury; (5) early childhood education; (6) high…