Many folks are familiar with the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book, a look at child well-being in every state. In Missouri, the research is being used to delve into issues at an even more local level.
Kids Count data spans the areas of economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. The national comparisons may be helpful, but the Missouri Kids Count data offers a more detailed and actionable picture of children's outcomes.
Tracy Greever-Rice, director of Missouri Kids Count, said they examine topics like poverty, food security, low birth-weight infants and preventable hospitalizations. She explains numbers like kids' asthma emergency-room visits reflect larger systemic issues.
"If asthma ER visits are on the rise, that's an indicator that preventative steps -- access to health care, how to manage asthma -- may not be happening the way that we want," Greever-Rice explained. "If we can keep kids out of the ER for a chronic disease, they're probably doing well on other health needs, also."
She noted the approach not only helps in immediate healthcare improvements but also provides policy directions so the state can address issues more effectively.
Education is another critical area that presents unique challenges in measurement. Greever-Rice pointed out that policy decisions about content, distribution of resources, and other factors vary widely, making comparative analysis more difficult.
"Education in the United States, and this is particularly true in the state of Missouri, happens at such a very local level," Greever-Rice noted.
The state rankings in the Kids Count Data Book get a lot of attention, but Greever-Rice said they should be viewed cautiously, as they reflect Missouri's performance and how other states are faring. She added a decline in Missouri's ranking might indicate improvement elsewhere, rather than a direct decline in Missouri itself.
The Missouri Public News Service is a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
