Good health directly affects the educational performance of migrant children. However, there is little nationwide, accurate information on the health status of migrant farmworkers, and even less on their children. This digest summarizes recent information on migrant children's health status. Compared to all U.S. children, migrant children have a cumulative mortality rate by age 5 that is l.6 times greater and a rate for chronic health conditions that is 3.6 times greater. Most common health problems are related either to occupation or to poverty. Agriculture is the most dangerous occupation in the United States. At least one-third of migrant children (as young as 10) work on farms, and many others are in the fields with their families. The health of these children is at high risk from accidents, exposure to pesticides, and sun and heat. Children are more susceptible to pesticide poisoning than adults and also may have been affected by maternal exposure during pregnancy. Poverty among migrant families leads to malnutrition and poor sanitation, which in turn are related to dietary deficiencies and high rates of chronic illness, parasitic infection, and respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and influenza. Migrant children also commonly lack dental care and suffer from untreated dental problems. Recommendations for improving the health conditions of migrant children are listed. (SV)