An Immense Influence
When it comes to children, the role that state governments play is a powerful one. In fact, states are responsible for allocating two out of every three dollars spent on America’s youngest citizens.
When it comes to making decisions aimed at enhancing the lives of children, policy makers are missing a vital resource: strong state-level data. One answer? The National Survey of Children’s Health, which offers quick, clear state-level statistics on a wide range of child wellness factors. Readers will learn about this survey, why it’s so great and how it must to grow to realize its full potential as a tool for helping child welfare programs and policies succeed.
States can use child wellness data to pinpoint which programs aren’t working, which ones need fixing and which strategies are straight out-of-the gate successes. Such data-driven work means enhanced outcomes for children at a cost savings to taxpayers — and a rare win-win for policy makers.
