Missouri Kids Count to launch well-being data app

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Missouri’s annual snapshot detailing how children are doing in health, economic stability, education and several other key indicators, shows that where a child lives can impact their well-being. 

Missouri Kids Count is moving forward with a digital facelift that makes all of that data available in an app. The Missouri Kids Count app includes the latest figures spotlighting some gains for Missouri’s children. The report shows that from 2012-2016, improvements were made in nine of 10 statewide indicators. 

William Dent, executive director of the Family and Community Trust, said there is always a need for continued improvement. And he hopes the transition from a printed databook to a digital app will help all Missourians see what they can do to make things better for the state’s children.

“That will be, for all intents and purposes, a replacement for that printed document,” Dent said. “That way, it will keep it ever fresh, ever present, ever new, for those who need the data at their fingertips.”

Children in Missouri’s most rural and most urban communities continue to face the greatest challenges, according to the latest figures – which are currently available online at mokidscount.org and will be available for download for both iOS and Android later this week.

The Kids Count data shows Missouri’s non-white children continue to face challenges because of persistent income inequality and lack of resources. However, there is a consistent downward trend throughout Missouri in the number of teen mothers giving birth. 

Tracy Greever-Rice, the new program director at Missouri Kids Count, said she sees other positive trends among the health indicators.

“There was a very small downtick in looking at low-birthweight infants,” Greever-Rice said. “And we look at low-birthweight infants because the condition of being low birthweight is a good predictor for different types of developmental delays and potential health and ultimately developmental issues.”

Missouri’s study was conducted by researchers at the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis at the University of Missouri for Missouri Kids Count. The study is funded in part by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Additional information is available at MOfact.org.


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