KIDS COUNT

Predicated on the idea that advocacy is more powerful when it is backed by data and evidence, the KIDS COUNT program allows us to advocate for the unmet needs of our state's children by giving us a clear picture of what those needs are. This is done by identifying and tracking indicators of child well-being. By calling attention to indicators like the percentages of children living in poverty and single-parent families, teen birth rates, and more we hope to create public accountability and the political will to drive policies that address these issues.

Featured Reports

2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book
New Mexico is at a crossroads. At the federal level we're seeing unpredictability in how child-serving programs are funded and at the state level we're poised to elect a new governor. This annual publication reports the latest data on child well-being in New Mexico to help us choose the path forward. (An annual KIDS COUNT report; Jan. 2018) Read more

Race for Results: New Mexico’s children of color face disparities
While the U.S. will have a minority-majority child population within a few years, New Mexico is way ahead of the curve, with 76 percent of our kids being children of color. Unfortunately, disparities exist for our kids along racial and ethnic lines. This fact sheet shows how New Mexico scores on the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Race for Results Index. (Oct. 24, 2017) Read more

New Mexico’s 2017 KIDS COUNT Profile
The Annie E. Casey Foundation compares the 50 states on 16 indicators of child well-being and ranks them accordingly. This fact sheet shows how New Mexico does in the 2017 national KIDS COUNT Data Book, which has the state ranked 49th in the nation. (Fact sheet; June 2017) Read more

Recent Publications

2018 KIDS COUNT County-Level Fact Sheets

KIDS COUNT fact sheets with data for the 16 indicators of child well-being — such as child poverty, teen birth rate, etc. — as well as demographic data — such as population by race and ethnicity, median household income, etc. — for seven counties in northern New Mexico. (2018) Read more

2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book

New Mexico is at a crossroads. At the federal level we're seeing unpredictability in how child-serving programs are funded and at the state level we're poised to elect a new governor. This annual publication reports the latest data on child well-being in New Mexico to help us choose the path forward. (An annual KIDS COUNT report; Jan. 2018) Read more

Race for Results: New Mexico’s children of color face disparities

While the U.S. will have a minority-majority child population within a few years, New Mexico is way ahead of the curve, with 76 percent of our kids being children of color. Unfortunately, disparities exist for our kids along racial and ethnic lines. This fact sheet shows how New Mexico scores on the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Race for Results Index. (Oct. 24, 2017) Read more

View all KIDS COUNT publications

Recent Blog Posts

Democracy and lots of money are at stake for New Mexico in the upcoming census

October 10, 2017

When it comes to the census, it pays to be counted. The next big census is less than three years away, and a lot is at stake for New Mexico. Besides being used to determine voting districts, data from the 2020 census will translate to almost $3,000 coming into the state per person, per year for the next decade.

That women have options is not the problem (stupid)

July 12, 2017

Diana was nervous as she spoke to the nearly 400 people gathered at our 5^th annual KIDS COUNT Conference. As part of the panel discussion on women’s economic security and child well-being, Diana shared her frustration when, after a decade of working in the early education field and rising to the level of assistant director, she was still earning minimum wage. Her only raises, she said, came from changes in minimum wage laws. But this wasn’t the part of her story that I found most powerful. What really stuck with me was when she told us about having to become a single parent after surviving a domestic violence attack.

Budget cuts put our KIDS COUNT gains in child health at risk

July 7, 2016

It's always gratifying when we can link a good outcome directly to a specific public policy--as we can in this case. We can also often predict a poor outcome when a bad decision is made. If we're smart, we'll use that knowledge to make better decisions. In this case, however, some lawmakers insisted on making a bad decision anyway.

Initiatives to help young kids have provided major benefits

July 4, 2016

At our recent Kids Count Conference, I asked the room of nearly 400 attendees to raise their hands if they had ever spent money on activities such as music lessons, team sports, preschool or a tutor for a child or grandchild. Then I asked if any of them would characterize that spending as “throwing money at the problem.”

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KIDS COUNT Data

KIDS COUNT Data Center The Annie E. Casey Foundation houses extensive data on child well-being. The database can be searched and sorted by state, county, legislative districts, and other geographic areas. You may also search by topic, compare states or cities, create profiles, maps, rankings, line graphs, or download raw data.

Visit the AECF’s KIDS COUNT Data Center

NM KIDS COUNT Map Gallery The NM Community Data Collaborative, with support from the New Mexico Early Learning Advisory Council, has created a special map gallery with NM KIDS COUNT data.

Visit the NMCDC’s NM KIDS COUNT Map Gallery

National KIDS COUNT Data Book

2017KCDB_badge1_400px 2017 National KIDS COUNT Data Book For the fourth year in a row New Mexico is stuck at 49^th in the nation for child well-being. This annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at 16 indicators of child well-being and ranks the 50 states accordingly.

Link to the 2017 national data book
Link to the New Mexico profile

Browse all of the Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT publications here

KIDS COUNT Conferences

2018 Northern New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference Improving Child Well-Being with Data, Policy & Advocacy Held on March 22, 2018, in Española, this conference featured speakers Alvin Warren, Nick Johnson, and Amber Walllin, two community panels, and a call-to-action session.

2018 Northern NM conference materials are available for download here

2017 Southern New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference Opportunity Matters: Shaping Early Childhood Access to Care & Education in Southern New Mexico Held on Nov. 19, 2017, in Las Cruces, this conference featured speakers Nick Johnson, Amber Walllin, Erica Surova, and Frank Lopez, a screening of the documentary The Raising of America, and a panel of local city, county and state policymakers.

2017 Southern NM conference materials are available for download here

2017 KIDS COUNT Conference Opportunity Matters: Advancing the Well-Being of New Mexico’s Children, Women, and Families in a New Political Era Held on June 26, 2017, this conference featured speakers Nick Johnson, Dennis Campa, Ray Rivera, Sarah Ghiorse, and Lisa Cacari Stone, and panelists Alicia Edwards, Pamelya Herndon, Jessica Riggs, Diana Maze, Sen. Mimi Stewart, Rep. Christine Trujillo, and Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton.

2017 conference materials are available for download here

2016 KIDS COUNT Conference Equity Matters: Impacts on Child Well-Being Held on June 27, 2016, this conference featured speakers Patrick McCarthy, Barbara Ferrer, and Jimmy Santiago Baca, and panelists Jozi DeLeon, Conroy Chino and Pamelya Herndon.

2016 conference materials are available for download here

2015 KIDS COUNT Conference Child Well-Being: A 2-Generation Approach to Success Held on June 29, 2015, this conference featured Lisa Hamilton, Marjorie Sims, Richard Noriega, the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, and Dr. Cathleen Willging as speakers, as well as a panel on preventing child abuse.

2015 conference materials are available for download here

2014 KIDS COUNT Conference A Call to Action! Held on June 30, 2014, this conference featured Dr. Art Rolnick, Dennis Campa, and Dolores Huerta as speakers, as well as a candidate forum.

2014 conference materials are available for download here

2013 KIDS COUNT Conference Third Grade Counts! The 2013 inaugural NM KIDS COUNT conference featured presentations by data and policy experts, as well as leaders in business and child advocacy.

2013 conference materials are available for download here