KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children.
To carry out this mission, Idaho KIDS COUNT:
- Collects the best available data on child well-being at the national, state and county levels to measure progress
- Using data, informs policy makers and citizens about the status of Idaho children and effective policy strategies to improve their well-being
- Partners with Idaho Voices for Children and other child advocacy organizations to mobilize policy and community action to secure better futures for children
Idaho KIDS COUNT is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, America's largest philanthropic source for disadvantaged children. Idaho KIDS COUNT joins the other 49 states to shape and promote a new direction for America's Children.
Idaho KIDS COUNT is a project of Mountain States Group, Inc., a private nonprofit organization working in health and human services.
2008 Issue Priorities:
This year Idaho KIDS COUNT is focusing on the following issue areas:
Reader's View: Idaho needs tighter rules for those who watch kids
Linda Jensen's recent op-ed in the Idaho Statesman. Published 8/8/08.
IVC--KinCare Policy Forum a Success!
The IVC--KinCare Policy Forum was held on June 18th, 2008 in Boise. Click here for presentations, documents, and more from the Forum.
NEW Idaho KIDS COUNT Policy Brief: Grand Families Count in Idaho
This policy brief explores the legal, economic and social issues for caregivers raising their relative children in Idaho.
NATIONAL REPORT:
Kids' Share 2008: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget: Kids to Receive Declining Share of Federal Spending
Kids' Share 2008, a second annual report by the Urban Institute, looks comprehensively at trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children. Key findings suggest that historically children have not been a budget priority. In 2007, this trend continued, as children's spending did not keep pace with GDP growth. Absent a policy change, children's spending will continue to be squeezed in the next decade.
NATIONAL NEWS:
House Passes Major Child Welfare Bill
On June 24, 2008, the House of Representatives passed the Fostering
Connections to Success Act (H.R. 6307), major new child welfare legislation that
would create a new kinship care program, provide services for children aging out
of foster care, provide new money for training for private child welfare
providers, and provide for the educational stability and health care needs of
children in the child welfare system.
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