Youth Count

A Common Core

All KIDS COUNT grantees collect data and generate yearly indicator reports. Beyond this work, their agencies and advocacy efforts vary widely.

A Common Challenge

Many grantees identified fragmented state-level programs and services as a significant barrier to their work supporting older youth.

Adverse Event Overload

KIDS COUNT grantees serving older youth are typically long on negative indicators — like violent death and dropout measures — and short on positive ones.

Missing Strategy

Researchers found that grantees fell short in using one strategy in particular: youth involvement in decision making.