The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The report focuses on key trends in child well-being in the post-recession years and offers recommendations for how policymakers can ensure all children are prepared for the future, based on the country’s shared values of opportunity, responsibility and security.

A recent blog co-authored by Gap Inc. CEO Art Peck and Secretary of Education, John King discusses the business value of hiring opportunity youth and how youth in the Gap Inc. internship program, This Way Ahead, make a significant contribution to the company’s bottom line: their retention rate is double that of their peers, andRead More

Earlier this week Flint resident and Skillman Foundation Program Officer David McGhee asked the Democratic Presidential hopefuls about the Flint water crisis and their ability to understand cultures other than their own. “What experiences have you had that have helped you understand the mindset and values of another culture?” McGhee joined Skillman in 2014 asRead More

Black and American Indian kids are more likely — and in some instances much more likely — to be suspended and expelled from public school compared to their white, Latino and Asian classmates, reports the KIDS COUNT Data Center. Students who are removed from school can quickly fall behind and struggle academically when and ifRead More

Users of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center can now Search by Characteristic when sifting through data and hunting for trends on child and family well-being. This change means the data center instantly and seamlessly connects visitors to state- and national-level statistics in three areas: age, family nativity, and race and ethnicity.Read More

This publication explores the important role and responsibility of each youth-serving system in supporting well-being for youth and young adults and presents a new framework for well-being for young people, highlighting the various domains of well-being and the role of families, communities, and public systems in supporting well-being. It also includes a series of concrete and actionableRead More

In America, 1.3 million youth ages 16 to 19 were disconnected from both work and school in 2014, show new data from KIDS COUNT. This figure represents a disconnection rate of 7% — and marks the statistic’s return to pre-recession levels. Teens who leave school and do not enter the workforce are more likely toRead More

Annie E. Casey Foundation’s LEAP Initiative: Improving Education and Employment Outcomes for Vulnerable Young People The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently announced a new Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) Initiative (funded in part by a recent $7.5 million grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund).  The LEAP Initiative is intended to increase employment and educationRead More

Millions of America’s young people are struggling to find jobs — and to get the education and training necessary to keep them. Recognizing this, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has launched two initiatives focused on ensuring youth and young adults have access to educational and employment opportunities that will enable them to become successful adults. TheseRead More

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has been awarded a $7.5 million Social Innovation Fund grant for a new five-year initiative to increase employment and educational opportunities for young people ages 14–25,  particularly those who have been involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The total initiative budget is estimated at $24 million, whichRead More