ILLINOIS KIDS COUNT 2013

Voices for Illinois Children’s annual Illinois Kids Count reports examine the quality of life facing children and families throughout the state. The county-level and statewide statistics demonstrate trends, illustrate needs, and support policy proposals. By providing these measures of child well-being, Illinois Kids Count aims to enrich discussions about ways to ensure better futures for all children.

The Illinois Kids Count 2013 report, “Moving Policy, Making Progress,” examines progress in improving the lives of children over the past 25 years. The report focuses on policy achievements and challenges in 10 featured policy areas that are particularly important to children’s well-being. Great strides have been made in early childhood education, health care coverage, and access to child care services. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the Great Recession and the state fiscal crisis have stalled progress, eroded gains, or undermined achievements in these and other areas. The report calls for a renewed commitment to investing in opportunities for children.

 

Media resources				Advocacy resources
Media advisory for eight community media events News release Illinois Kids Count “in the news“ Key Statewide Highlights Key Community-Level Findings: Metro Chicago     Peoria Champaign     Quad Cities DuPage County     Quincy East St. Louis     Rockford Joliet     Sangamon       Southern Illinois				KIDS COUNT Data Center, an online, searchable database with hundreds of state-by-state and county-level indicators Video from two of the eight media launch events PowerPoint from the Illinois Kids Count symposium in Chicago Video from the Illinois Kids Count symposium in Chicago Illinois Kids Count “Symposia Around the State” series Community Fact Sheets: Champaign     Peoria DuPage County     Quad Cities East St. Louis     Quincy Franklin County     Tazewell Jackson     Williamson Joliet     Woodford

To access the Illinois Kids Count 2013 report

Click here to download the entire report.

A limited number of Illinois Kids Count 2013 report hard copies are available by request. Please contact Yassi Baharloo for details at ybaharloo@voices4kids.org or (312) 516-5577.

All of the report data in Illinois Kids Count are available for download from the KIDS COUNT Data Center.

To access the Illinois Kids Count 2013 report by section

Foreword

“Renewing Our Commitment to Children and Their Families,” Gaylord Gieseke, President, Voices for Illinois Children

Report Overview

Education
Featured Policy: Early Childhood Education “Quality Pre-School: The Ticket to A Great Start in Life” Sara R. Slaughter, McCormick Foundation Featured Policy: Education Funding “Our Dual Fiscal Cliffs” Sylvia Puente, Latino Policy Forum	Data: student enrollment special education high school graduation rates education funding higher education
Health & Development
Featured Policy: Health Care Coverage “Healthcare: From Whence We’ve Come, and Where We’re Going” Janine Lewis, Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition Featured Policy: Early Intervention “A Critical Time: The First Three Years” Amy Zimmerman Children’s Medical-Legal Partnerships at Health & Disability Advocates Featured Policy: Children’s Mental Health Services ”Supporting Young Children’s Mental Health” Sheila Smith, National Center for Children in Poverty	Data: maternal and infant health infant mortality rates teen deaths health insurance coverage family health programs
Economic Well-Being
Featured Policy: Child Care “Affordable, Quality Child Care Strengthens Families” Linda Saterfield Division of Family and Community Services Illinois Department of Human Services Featured Policy: Earned Income Tax Credit “Our Most Effective Anti-Poverty Tool” Erica Williams, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities	Data: family income child poverty economic security programs
Families & Communities
Featured Policy: Home Visiting Programs “Home Visiting in the 21st Century” Deborah Daro, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago Featured Policy: Child Welfare “We Know What Works: Protecting Our Children” Margaret M. Berglind, Child Care Association of Illinois Featured Policy: Afterschool and Youth Development “School-Community Partnerships & Afterschool” Terry K. Peterson, Afterschool Alliance	Data: child and family demographics unmarried mothers teen mothers children in substitute care child abuse and neglect afterschool programs juvenile justice delinquency prevention
Appendix: County & School District Data
State-Funded Prekindergarten Programs, 50 Largest Counties Student Characteristics, Selected School Districts Revenue and Expenditures, Selected School Districts Enrollment of Children in Medical Assistance Programs Family Income and Child Poverty, 50 Largest Counties Child Population, 50 Largest Counties Child Population by Race-Ethnicity, 50 Largest Counties Children in Substitute Care, 50 Largest Counties Rates of Child Abuse and Neglect, 50 Largest Counties