The Well-Being of America's Children - Developing and Improving the Child and Youth Well-Being Index

In 1998, the Foundation for Child Development (FCD)�provided Kenneth Land a grant to explore the feasibility of producing the first national composite index of the status of American children that would chart changes in their well-being over time. Important questions needed to be answered: was it possible to trace trends in child and youth well-being over several decades?� Could such an index provide a way of determining whether the United States was making progress in improving its children's lives? The Index of Child and Youth Well-Being (CWI) was born from these questions.
� Viewing the CWI trends from 1975 to present, there is evidence that the well-being of American children lags behind other Western nations.�As conditions change,�it is clear that�the�index is an evolving and rich enterprise. This�volume attests to that evolution, and what the CWI promises for understanding the progress - or lack of progress - in enhancing the life prospects of all American children.� �