Newark's image has begun to change in recent years. High-profile construction projects downtown and a boom in new housing have been among the visible signs of change. Improvements on measures of child and family well-being have added to the impression of the city moving in a positive direction. Child poverty rates fell in recent years. Incomes rose. Rates of college enrollment among young adults also improved. Some positive trends are continuing, notably: (1) Infant mortality continues to decline; (2) The number of children in families on welfare dropped 47 percent over the last five years, reflecting the state's success in moving parents into paying jobs; (3) The percentage of children in foster care or other out-of-home placement has plunged by 31 percent since 2003; (4) Teen births fell 26 percent between 2000 and 2005.; (5) The high school graduation rate rose from 49 percent in 2002 to 72 percent in 2007; and (6) Scores on most tests in the 4th, 8th and 11th grades show a narrowing of the achievement gap between students in Newark and the state as a whole. But other measures suggest some of the city's progress may be in peril. "Newark Kids Count 2008" includes signs of possible trouble. From 2006 to 2007: (1) The rate of child poverty rose from 29 percent to 35 percent, a reversal of previous declines; (2) Median household income stayed flat at about $34,000, even as it climbed in Essex County and the state; (3) The number of households paying too much for rent increased substantially; (4) The rate of college enrollment among young adults dropped 16 percent in 2007; and (5) Only 63 percent of Newark schoolchildren eligible for free or reduced-price lunch received it last school year, down from 80 percent in 2002-2003. Some of these changes might be one-year blips. But some signs point to hard times ahead. Recent state figures show a sharp rise in unemployment in the state that is likely also happening in Newark. In addition, thousands of homes in the city are in foreclosure. A high rate of foreclosures threatens neighborhood and family stability. Newark cannot afford such destabilization. The city's schools already have a student mobility rate more than twice the state average. In some Newark elementary schools, the student population is so transient that a third of the students move in or out during the school year. One underlying problem is the shortage of affordable housing in the city. "Newark Kids Count 2008" begins with a look at the foreclosure crisis and student mobility. A glossary is included. [For "Newark Kids Count 2007: A City Profile of Child Well-Being," see ED519886.]