The 22nd annual national KIDS COUNT Data Book, a state-by-state report on children's well-being issued by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, finds that Rhode Island ranks 17th in the nation for overall child well-being.

The national Data Book provides information and statistical trends on the status of children in the U.S. as a whole and in each of the 50 states, and features data on 10 indicators of child well-being. This year's Data Book also includes new state-level information on the impact of unemployment and foreclosure on children. 

You can access all of this important data on a new user-friendly mobile site, http://mobile.kidscount.org, as well as at the KIDS COUNT Data Center, www.datacenter.kidscount.org.
 

Click to view Rhode Island's state profile or the related Providence Business News article. 

More Eligible Kids in the U.S. Enrolling in Public Health Insurance Programs 

The number of children eligible for and

enrolled in public health insurance

programs increased in recent years, according to a report recently released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and prepared by researchers at the Urban Institute. As a consequence, the number of eligible but uninsured kids fell by about 340,000 between 2008 and 2009. About 4.3 million children who were eligible for public programs remained uninsured. 

According to the report, Rhode Island was one of 16 states in which 90% or more of children eligible for Medicaid/CHIP were enrolled. Approximately 30% of Rhode Island's children have health coverage through RIte Care, the state's Medicaid/CHIP managed care health insurance program.

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