Evidence update: How are America’s children faring?

As a society, we put a tremendous value on the health, well-being and education of our children. But how do we know how they are doing?

Each year, the U.S. government publishes a report – America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being – that combines the data from 22 federal agencies to provide a reader-friendly, evidence-based account of the status of children in the U.S.

This year’s report unveils some interesting trends:

• Preterm births declined for the fourth straight year. And fewer children died in the first year of life.
• Average mathematics scores increased for 4th and 8th grade students,
• The percentage of children living in poverty increased, and the percentage of children with at least one parent employed full time, year-round decreased,.
• Fewer you were victims of violent crimes last year
• Fewer young children lived in a home where someone smoked.

You can get the full story at http://www.childstats.gov.