Tracking trends in fertility and birth rates is essential in planning for the current and future needs of multiple generations. Sustained high fertility rates lead to disproportionately large populations of young dependents, driving demand for supports for young families, for additional schools, and for affordable child care. For example, during…

Since the enactment of the "Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975" ("EHA"), Public Law (P.L.) 94-142 and its successor statute, the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"), the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (secretary) (and her predecessor, the commissioner of…

This year's "America's Children in Brief" highlights selected indicators by metropolitan status to give the reader a closer look at how well-being is influenced by the type of community in which children and their families live. The "Brief" also provides a snapshot of the overall well-being of America's children through the…

Teen childbearing has been generally on a long-term decline in the United States since the late 1950s. In spite of these declines, the U.S. teen birth rate remains one of the highest among other industrialized countries. Moreover, childbearing by teenagers continues to be a matter of public concern because of the elevated health risks for teen…

For more than 25 years, Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) has produced the New Jersey KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual statewide profile of child well-being. With KIDS COUNT represented in each state and several U.S. territories, ACNJ is part of a comprehensive effort to not only track how well kids are faring across New Jersey, but also…

This annual snapshot of child well-being is intended to inform policymakers and the public of the progress of and challenges to ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of all children. Following an introduction, this report contains seven sections: (1) The State of Children and Families, including data on births and family structure; (2) The…

This annual snapshot of child well-being is intended to inform policymakers and the public of the progress of and challenges to ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of all children. Following a special section on the racial disparities that exist among New Jersey children based on the Annie E. Casey Foundation's "Race for Results"…

Describes the increase in nonmarital childbearing in the United States in the past 50 years. Considers age differences in nonmarital childbearing and the disproportionate numbers of poorly educated unmarried mothers. Maintains that changes in sexual behavior of unmarried people and declines in marriages of unmarried pregnant women contributed to…

Analysis of Hispanic birth data for 22 states in 1980 showed the following: (1) The fertility rate for Hispanic women was 95.4 births per 1.000 women aged 15-44; this rate was 53 percent higher than the rate for non-Hispanic Whites and five percent higher than for non-Hispanic Blacks. (2) Age-specific birth rates indicated that the fertility of…

All OECD governments want to give parents more choice in their work and family decisions. This book looks at the different ways in which governments support families. It seeks to provide answers to questions like: Is spending on family benefits going up, and how does it vary by the age of the child? Has the crisis affected public support for…

This paper traces the history of "The Right Start," discussing differences between the 50 largest cities and the nation overall and differences among states. It highlights eight measures reflecting a healthy start: teen births, repeat teen births, births to unmarried women, births to mothers with low educational attainment, late or no pregnancy…

This report presents national birth rates for teenagers for 1991-1998 and the percent change from 1991 to 1998. State-specific teenage birth rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin for 1991 and 1998, and the percent change, 1991 to 1998, are also presented. Tabular and graphical descriptions of the trends in teenage birth rates for the United…

Based on the current definition for farm population (all persons living in rural territory on places which in the reporting year had, or normally would have had, sales of agricultural products of $1,000 or more), an average of 6,241,000 persons lived on farms in the United States in 1979, a drop of 2.8% from the 1978 figures. Whites constituted…

This set of factsheets presents information and statistics about adolescent mothers in the United States in the areas of: (1) births and marriage; (2) aid to families of dependent children (AFDC); (3) education and training; (4) living arrangements; and (5) subsequent pregnancy. Even though the adolescent birth rate in the United States is…

This KIDS COUNT report presents statistics highlighting challenges faced by newborns and their parents in major urban areas. Data came from birth certificates. Overall, children living in central cities are far more likely to experience six risks associated with negative child outcomes, and when those six factors are used collectively to determine…