Indicators of Child WellBeing and What Works in Child, Adolescent, and Youth Programs

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Indicators of Child Well-Being and What Works in
Child, Adolescent, and Youth Programs

• Susan Jekielek and Kevin Cleveland
• Strategic Collaborative County Planning Moving
  Forward
• March 30-31, 2005
• Syracuse, NY

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Overview of Presentation

• Child Trends
• Uses and Misuses of Indicators
• Examples of State Indicators Sources
• What Works in Youth Development
• Viewing Programs over the Lifecourse

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What is Child Trends?

• A nonpartisan, nonprofit research center
  dedicated to providing science-based information
  for the purpose of improving decisions, programs,
  and policies that affect children
• Is NOT an advocacy organization
• Disseminates research through a variety of
  vehicles
• Monitors and develops new indicators of child,
  youth, and family well-being

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Child Trends Areas of Research

• Welfare and poverty
• Fertility and family structure
• Indicators
• Data and measurement
• Early childhood development
• Emerging issues

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What are Indicators?

• Markers that track changes over time in
• Conditions,
• Behaviors, and
• Outcomes
• Are measured
• Do not show causality

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How Can Indicators be Used to Affect Youth
Outcomes?

• Description
• Monitoring
• Setting goals
• Increasing accountability
• Informing practice

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How Can Indicators be Used to Affect Child
Outcomes?

• Description
• Monitoring
• Setting goals
• Increasing accountability
• Informing practice

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Indicators Cannot be Used to

• Determine causality
• Claim credit for program success
• Assign blame for program failure
• Evaluate the performance of individuals or
  programs, without considering the larger context

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Types of Indicators

• Population indicators
• Program indicators
• Performance indicators
• Structural indicators

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Sources of State-Level Indicators

• National Assessment of Educational Progress
  (NAEP)
• (http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/)
• State Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)
• (www.schoolmatters.com)

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Sources of State-Level Indicators (cont.)

• Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
  http//www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs
• National Survey of Americas Families (NSAF)
  http//www.urban.org/Content/Research/NewFederalis
  m/NSAF/Overview/NSAFOverview.htm
• State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey
  (SLAITS) http//www.cdc.gov/nchs/slaits.htm

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Sources of State-Level Indicators (cont.)

• Current Population Survey (CPS)
  http//www.bls.census.gov/cps
• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
• http//www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
• American Community Survey
• http//www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html
• http//factfinder.census.gov/

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• Content
• More than 90 Key Indicators
• National Trends and Subgroup Comparisons
• Continuous Updating
• Design
• Plain Text Reporting
• Attractive Figures
• Online and PDF
• Connection
• State, Local, and International Estimates
• Current Research and Government Reports
• Original Source Documents
• National Goals

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Who Uses the DataBank?

• Over 40,000 visitors monthly
• Journalists
• Policymakers and government staff
• Service providers
• Foundations
• Advocates
• Researchers

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Example of Indicators on the Child Trends
DataBank

• Educational Attainment
• Vigorous Physical Activity By Youth
• Volunteering
• Religious Services Attendance
• www.childtrendsdatabank.org

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Building A Better Teenager

• 1 Parent-child relationships are vital to
  adolescent well-being.
• 2 Peer influences are important and can be
  positive.
• 3 Siblings, teachers, and other adults can
  provide additional support.
• 4 Adolescent behaviors often cluster.

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Building A Better Teenager

• 5 Teens should be viewed as whole people, more
  than just students, patients, or delinquents.
• 6 Engage young people.
• 7 It helps to start early and sustain the
  effort.
• 8 Think positively about teens.

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Domains of Child Development

• Educational Achievement and Cognitive Attainment
• Health and Safety
• Social and Emotional Development
• Self-Sufficiency

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General Model of Child Development
Inputs Resources (including programs)
Childrens Needs
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General Model of Child Development
Inputs Resources (including programs)
Childrens Needs
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General Model of Child Development
Inputs Resources (including programs)
Childrens Needs
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Impact of Programs

• Effective programs have the potential to buffer
  children and youth from negative risks/stresses
• Programs provide children with the skills and
  tools needed to promote healthy developmental
  outcomes

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Making the Gold Standard Useful
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What Works

• What Works is a Child Trends database of
  programs that have been experimentally evaluated
  and found to work (or not work)
• American Teens School Readiness
• Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight
  Foundation
• Programs for Teens
• Funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
• Lifecourse Model
• Funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation,
  the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and
  the Stewart Trust

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What Works The Lifecourse Model
Healthy Social Relationships
Activities, Clubs, Teams
No Smoking
No Drinking
Rites of Passage
Access to Computer
Morals
Mentors
Prayer
Space and Resources for School Work
No Bullying
Safe Neighborhood
Family Rituals
Reading
Religious Activities
Exercise
Play Games
Exercise and Sports
Language Stimulation
TV Rules
Educational Toys
Talking and Singing
Read to as Child
Avoid Abuse Neglect
Preventive Health Care
Set Bedtime
Attachment
Good Diet
Routines
Supportive Parents
Outings
Breast Feeding
Safe Home
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Education Cognitive Development
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Education Cognitive Development
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Program Descriptions

• Overview of the program
• Description of the program and target
  audience
• Summaries of experimental evaluations for the
  program
• References to Child Trends publications and
  evaluations that discuss the program

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Research in the Service of Americas Children.
www.childtrends.org www.childtrendsdatabank.org