Components of Child Well-Being

North Dakota KIDS COUNT is committed to helping inform local and state discussions about how to secure better futures for all of North Dakota’s children. Our data focus on main components of children’s well-being, in order to provide a broad portrait of North Dakota children’s experiences, including:

Demographics, which are important because patterns in population, including changes in the number of children, changes in racial distribution, and rural to urban shifts, have ripple effects on many areas of children’s well-being, from family success to community success.

Economic well-being data are important because children thrive in stable, unstressful environments. Children living in families with employed parents have access to resources that help provide this stability and security. Low-income families can benefit from economic resources, such as TANF, Child Care Assistance, and Food Stamps, which help them provide for their children's needs and attain self-sufficiency.

Education & Early Care. Every child deserves opportunities for intellectual growth, skill-building, socialization, and extracurricular activities that enhance their self-esteem and prepare them to transition to adulthood successfully after completing high school. Our data provide insight into children’s school enrollment, school costs per pupil, and test scores of students. Our data give added attention to families with infants and young children, who often need access to quality care for their children. Our data help the public better understand the costs and availability of early care in the state.

Family & Community data focus on various types of families in North Dakota, such as married-couple families, single-parent families, foster families, and immigrant families. Family type is an important indicator of child well-being because family type is often associated with children’s access to resources, such as income. Children in married-couple families tend to live in households with higher incomes than do children who live in single-parent homes, for example.

Health is vital to children’s well-being. Our data provide insight into prenatal experiences of mothers and birth outcomes, as well as information on children’s health, insurance access, and immunization rates. We also report on health assistance from the Medicaid program, Healthy Steps (SCHIP), and WIC.

Safety & Risky Behaviors indicators give insights into situations children may face, such as child abuse, child neglect, and domestic violence. In addition, our data examine children’s experiences with the juvenile justice system and their tendency to engage in risky behaviors, such as binge drinking and drug use.

You can locate information on each of these components of child well-being though our DATA, PUBLICATIONS, and PRESENTATIONS pages.