This report, the third annual publication of Iowa Kids Count, proposes that, by building upon effective system of support, and moving decision-making to the family and community level, solutions to the problems confronting today's youth can be found. The first section of this report summarizes the framework paper developed for the Kids Count Summit. It serves as the framework for the development of a strategic plan for Iowa's youth that will be achieved through an inclusive, statewide planning process involving five separate work groups. The second section of the report offers brief descriptions of current Iowa initiatives that are succeeding with very young children and their families. The programs share a common approach to helping families, yet represent a diversity of specific programmatic approaches upon which a prevention agenda can be built within communities. The final section provides current data on the eight indicators of child well-being used in previous reports: (1) infant mortality; (2) low birthweight; (3) child deaths; (4) teen violent deaths; (5) births to 16- and 17-year-olds; (6) teen unmarried births; (7) foster care; and (8) high school graduation. An additional indicator, child abuse, has been added. This section also includes comparisons among rural, small urban, and metropolitan statistics. (TJQ)