Why is this report important?

Our report should inspire families, individuals, activists, and officials to work together to create better communities. It is not a relocation guide. We amass this huge amount of data to alert people to problems and successes in their communities. The report is a user-friendly tool to help those who want to improve children's lives.

Why wasn't my city included? Where can I find information on it?

The report only includes cities that have at least 100,000 people, except in the case of states lacking a 100,000+ city. We included the largest city in those states so that every state was represented in the study.

If you are looking for specific information on your area, you might try some of the sources listed in the Resources section of this site. The US Census Bureau is an especially rich source of information. Your local government offices should also be able to help you.

Why does the Education category contain state-level data?

Our knowledge of what is happening in the education sector at the city-level is very limited. Important city-level indicators, such as the drop-out rate and the preprimary enrollment rate, are only collected every ten years through the Census. Census 2000 data is being released almost daily, but most city-level data will not be available until 2002 - just in time for our next Report Card!

Our options this year were to use city-level data from a decade ago or state-level data from recent years. Think about how different your life was ten years ago, and you will understand why we chose to report state-level data.

I've been to some of your "A+" cities and didn't find them particularly friendly.

While this report aims to be as comprehensive as possible, keep in mind that certain "intangible" qualities of a city are difficult to capture in a study such as this. We are not reporting on things such as the sense of community in a city, the friendliness of its people, or its cultural offerings.

Cities that received high grades did so because they successfully meet children's needs. Our index of "kid-friendliness" refers to the quality of life and services in a city. An important finding of the study is that cities that did very well still have room for improvement. Likewise, cities that did poorly have their own success stories.

How can numbers alone describe a city?

There are many efforts underway in every city that aim to improve the quality of life for children, and not all these efforts can be quantified. On every city's spot-light page, we highlight a program or project which is helping to make a city a better place for children. We like to think of these projects as "extra-credit" in our Report Card!

What does the Health Improvement Grade mean?

The Health Improvement Grade is a new category in this year's Report Card. It reflects the effort cities have made in reducing the percent of births to teens, infant mortality rate, and the percent of low birthweight births between 1990 and 1998. Although we did not include this category in the cities' final grades, it is an important indication of the both positive and negative changes taking place. Consider this an "effort" grade, much like the "effort" grade given to students in their report cards.

Like the other grades in this report, the Health Improvement Grade is a relative grade and was derived using a normal distribution curve. Thus, a C grade does not necessarily mean that a city got worse; it could mean that the city improved very little compared to the other cities in its group. You can look at the 1990 and 1998 numbers on each city's spot-light page.

How come you haven't reported any statistics on child abuse?

Child abuse and neglect are, without a doubt, key issues in understanding the state of children's well-being. However, we have no reliable estimates of the incidence of child abuse and neglect. The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has identified this as a primary area in which proper research and documentation is needed. Challenges include how to effectively extract this sensitive information, how to administer sample surveys, and whether there is a legal obligation to report abuse or neglect.

Aren't you encouraging flight from cities that did poorly to the cities you ranked favorably?

The motivating factor behind this study is to help communities identify and solve their problems, rather than run away from them. The Report Card is very different from the ratings guides provided by other entities. In addition to the data and rankings, we provide numerous ways to improve children's lives, such as the extra-credit projects listed for each city. We also feature articles on volunteerism, civic engagement, regional collaboration, and sound policy decisions. This report is a perfect place to start if you care about children and want to make a difference.

How old is the data?

We used the most current available data for all of the 239 cities. With the exception of data on class size (which is from 1993-94), all of the data is from 1998, 1999, or 2000.

Where can I find your sources?

Just click on Glossary of Terms in the toolbar above and you will find a list of all the indicators in the study. Sources appear through a hypertext link on each indicator.

Can I compare a Major city's grade to that of its suburbs?

No. In order to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges, we graded cities in "peer-groups." For example, Phoenix was compared to other Major cities, while Chandler (a suburb of Phoenix) was compared to other Component cities. For this reason, comparing cities from different categories is misleading.

Your bias is revealed by negatively ranking population growth.

Both extreme growth and extreme decline in population were seen as negative in our report. Population instability is associated with a number of kid-unfriendly phenomena. In the case of rapid growth, services and facilities have difficulty keeping up, resulting in overcrowded schools, etc. In the case of rapid decline, the tax base erodes. Neither extreme is desirable.

What does the statistical analysis really mean?

The pie charts show you how much of a city's final score or rank was explained by a particular indicator or category of indicators. An interesting finding was that the unemployment rate explained almost 50% of a Component city's final score. This means that as long as a Component city can keep its unemployment rate low, it will be in fairly good shape. But, even small changes in the economy (which, in turn, affects employment) can have adverse effects on overall well-being. Perhaps we should consider this a warning signal that the existence of our suburbs is too dependent on personal income. It may also suggest that cities, with established services and infrastructure, are better able to absorb economic shocks than are the economically-volatile suburbs.

How can I get a wall chart with all of the data and the examples of kid-friendly projects?

There is a magazine version of this report, which includes a wall chart. You can order it for $7 plus $2 shipping and handling. Call 1-800-767-1956 or email orders@populationconnection.org.