Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tweet[IWS] CHILD WELL-BEING INDEX: SPECIAL REPORT [24 April 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
The Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) Project
2008 Special Focus Report: Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006 [24 April 2008]
A composite index of trends in the well-being of America's children and youth.
Kenneth C. Land, Project Coordinator
April 25, 2008
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/resources/2008/outside/child_well_being_index_special_focus_report
or
http://www.newamerica.net/files/EarlyChildhoodWell-BeingReport-Final.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages
The Foundation for Child Development has initiated the development of the first comprehensive report on the overall health, education, well-being and quality of life of America's youngest children -- from birth through eleven years old. The Special Focus Report, "Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006," will be released on April 25 at the New America Foundation. The report presents the first wide-ranging picture of how children in their first decade of life are faring in the United States, and is the first to track and compare child well-being across three primary stages of development -- early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence using the Child Well-Being Index (CWI).
[excerpt]
The resulting analysis of trends over time yields the following conclusions:
Overall improvements in the well-being index are reflected across all age groups
infant/early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. Each age group follows very
similar positive trends from 1994-2002.
The Health Domain overall is on a dramatic decline, dragged down by rising obesity
rates and the number of babies born at low birth weight. Research has linked the
latter to an increase in delayed childbearing among women and the use of fertility drugs
that make multiple births with lower birth weights more likely. The prevalence of obesity
among children ages 6-11 is nearly four times what it was in the 1960s; for children ages
2-5, it is three times more.
Some areas of health show steady improvement, driven by declining infant and child
death rates (attributed to better prenatal and health care, nutrition, and seat-belt laws),
rates of mothers smoking during pregnancy, blood lead poisoning and increased
vaccinations.
Safety is on the rise: The rate of children from birth to eleven who are victims of
homicide has decreased dramatically; for children ages 6-11, that number has been cut in
half. The percentage of 6th grade children who report feeling unsafe or fearful of attack or
harm at school or to and from school is also down.
Educational attainment also on the rise: This domain is showing good progress driven
by the dramatic increase in the number of children ages 4-6 enrolling in full-day
kindergarten. What's more, the report found that more parents are reading to their
children daily and setting rules for TV watching. Performance on standardized math and
reading test scores among 9-year-olds has improved over the 12-year period.
Family economic well-being is likely to decline in years ahead. While this indicator
has been holding steady, if trends in job loss, the housing finance crisis and rising
inflation that have characterized 2007 to the present day persist, they are likely to drive
down this key economic indicator for children of all ages.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
The Foundation for Child Development Child and Youth Well-Being Index (CWI) Project
2008 Special Focus Report: Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006 [24 April 2008]
A composite index of trends in the well-being of America's children and youth.
Kenneth C. Land, Project Coordinator
April 25, 2008
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/resources/2008/outside/child_well_being_index_special_focus_report
or
http://www.newamerica.net/files/EarlyChildhoodWell-BeingReport-Final.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages
The Foundation for Child Development has initiated the development of the first comprehensive report on the overall health, education, well-being and quality of life of America's youngest children -- from birth through eleven years old. The Special Focus Report, "Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006," will be released on April 25 at the New America Foundation. The report presents the first wide-ranging picture of how children in their first decade of life are faring in the United States, and is the first to track and compare child well-being across three primary stages of development -- early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence using the Child Well-Being Index (CWI).
[excerpt]
The resulting analysis of trends over time yields the following conclusions:
Overall improvements in the well-being index are reflected across all age groups
infant/early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. Each age group follows very
similar positive trends from 1994-2002.
The Health Domain overall is on a dramatic decline, dragged down by rising obesity
rates and the number of babies born at low birth weight. Research has linked the
latter to an increase in delayed childbearing among women and the use of fertility drugs
that make multiple births with lower birth weights more likely. The prevalence of obesity
among children ages 6-11 is nearly four times what it was in the 1960s; for children ages
2-5, it is three times more.
Some areas of health show steady improvement, driven by declining infant and child
death rates (attributed to better prenatal and health care, nutrition, and seat-belt laws),
rates of mothers smoking during pregnancy, blood lead poisoning and increased
vaccinations.
Safety is on the rise: The rate of children from birth to eleven who are victims of
homicide has decreased dramatically; for children ages 6-11, that number has been cut in
half. The percentage of 6th grade children who report feeling unsafe or fearful of attack or
harm at school or to and from school is also down.
Educational attainment also on the rise: This domain is showing good progress driven
by the dramatic increase in the number of children ages 4-6 enrolling in full-day
kindergarten. What's more, the report found that more parents are reading to their
children daily and setting rules for TV watching. Performance on standardized math and
reading test scores among 9-year-olds has improved over the 12-year period.
Family economic well-being is likely to decline in years ahead. While this indicator
has been holding steady, if trends in job loss, the housing finance crisis and rising
inflation that have characterized 2007 to the present day persist, they are likely to drive
down this key economic indicator for children of all ages.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:20 AM
