Race for Results: Building a Path for Opportunity for All Children

Posted by on April 14, 2014

Child wellness and race

The latest Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation introduces the Race for Results index, comparing how children are progressing on key milestones across racial and ethnic groups at the national and state level. The index uses 12 indicators to measure a child’s success from birth to adulthood, grouped into four areas: early childhood; education and early work; family supports; and neighborhood context. Overall, no one racial group has all children meeting all milestones. Using a scale of one to 1,000, Asian and Pacific Islander children have the highest index score at 776, followed by whites at 704. Scores for Latino (404), American-Indian (387), and African-American (345) children are much lower in nearly every state. The Rust Belt and Mississippi Delta in particular — Michigan, Mississippi, and Wisconsin — have the poorest opportunities for black children. Children of Southeast Asian descent (Burmese, Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese) also face barriers. For Latinos, kids from Mexico and Central America face the biggest hurdles. The report makes four policy recommendations: gather and analyze racial and ethnic data to inform polices; utilize data and impact-assessment tools to target investments for children of color; develop and implement programs and practices focused on improving outcomes; and integrate strategies that connect vulnerable groups to new jobs and opportunities in economic and workforce development.

http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/R/RaceforResults/RaceforResults.pdf