2008 Montana Kids Count Data Book

Montana Kids Count is pleased to release the 2008 State Data Book http://www.montanakidscount.org.

Montana Kids Count is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation http://www.aecf.org/ and is a statewide effort to identify and track the status and well-being of Montana children by collecting and analyzing data about them. This year’s data book includes the following sections:

County Level Data

Each county has its own page with 33 indicators of child well-being showing the 2000 base year for comparison to the current year.

State Level Data

This year’s book includes over 100 state-level indicators on demographics, socio-economic characteristics, health and health insurance, education, births and deaths, and early childhood. New to this year’s book is the inclusion of information from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national, school-based survey that monitors priority health-risk behaviors, including the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among youth in the state.

Juvenile Justice in Montana

This year’s data book features an essay on Montana’s juvenile justice system and highlights the state’s efforts to reform the juvenile justice system and improve outcomes for Montana youth entering the system.

Reclaiming American Indian Maternal and Infant Health

The book explores American Indian child and maternal health in Montana, with a focus on examining the data needed to address public health problems for all of Montana’s populations. The article showcases that without adequate data to assess the maternal health issues, existing disparities cannot be addressed through individualized programs.

You can also review the data book and learn more about Montana Kids Count on our Web site at http://www.montanakidscount.org. PDF or hard copies of the book are available upon request.

Sincerely,

Julie Ehlers

Marketing and Communications Director

Bureau of Business & Economic Research

Montana KIDS COUNT

The University of Montana

(406)-243-2714