KIDS COUNT NEWS

KIDS COUNT report includes data on how kids are faring during the pandemic

The 2020 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book will be the subject of a virtual press conference on its release date, Wednesday, Feb. 3. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will speak about her initiatives to improve outcomes for New Mexico’s children.

This annual accounting of child well-being in the state tracks several indicators across four domains: economic security, education, health, and family and community. Indicators include issues such as child poverty and food insecurity rates, parental employment and education levels, teen birth rates, and the like. The report is released at the start of the legislative session each year to give lawmakers an idea of the barriers to success facing our children and families.

New this year are data specific to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s ongoing surveys. These data track issues such as the inability to purchase enough food, pay the rent or mortgage, the loss of health insurance, and how COVID-19 infection rates are related to income levels. 

While all of the data are available at the state level, several of the indicators (excluding the COVID-19-related data) include data on the county, tribal, and school district levels, and some is disaggregated by race and ethnicity.