1 How does Texas KIDS COUNT choose indicators?
We know that the quality of our data is central to the value of Texas KIDS COUNT. For this reason, we carefully select data according to five key criteria.
- We rely on non-commercial, non-proprietary source agencies that employ trained researchers and document their methodology.
- We select indicators and data sources that are updated regularly and predictably.
- The Texas KIDS COUNT database contains only indicators available for all 254 counties, measured consistently for every county in the state.
- In choosing Texas KIDS COUNT indicators, we attempt to represent as comprehensively as possible the most important aspects of child and family well-being.
- Texas KIDS COUNT indicators must tell us something substantial and important about the status of our children.
2 Where can I learn how Texas KIDS COUNT defines indicators and where its data comes from?
Click here to visit the data definitions and sources page.
3 How do I use the data?
Users can draw upon the data to understand and describe threats to child well-being, answer questions regarding the status of children in Texas or by county, set legislative or organizational priorities, or monitor changes in children's welfare over time.
The State of Texas Children 2006 Data Book and corresponding website provide data for both the most current year for which we can calculate rates for the population of interest and over time. Examining data over time is important because it reflects improvement, deterioration, or an absence of change in the conditions of children throughout the state.
Several comparisons can aid in understanding the meaning of indicator data, as well as identifying relative areas of strength and weakness for a county and similar or dissimilar trajectories of change. Comparing county data with state data and making comparisons among individual counties helps identify meaningful patterns in the KIDS COUNT data. It can also be useful to examine data from counties with similar characteristics (e.g., geography or percentage of child poverty).
4 How do I interpret counts, percentages, and rates that appear in the State and County Snapshots?
The State of Texas Children 2007 and its online county-level companion break down the data in a variety of ways. First, they provide the count for each indicator, such as the number of children receiving subsidized child care. For most data, we provide the ratio of the count versus the population of interest. These data are presented in either percentages or rates. In addition, at the county level we provide a rank based upon where that county falls in comparison to the other counties in the state. Each of these data provides slightly different information that, when used together, form a powerful tool to monitor child well-being in Texas.
Ratios
Calculating a ratio makes it possible to compare the relative size of two numbers. Finding a ratio is easy-simply divide one number by the other. The result will represent a ratio expressed in decimal terms. For example:
A reporter wants to find out how much the child enrollment in Medicaid has increased since 2000. To answer this inquiry, consider that in August 2000, the Medicaid program enrolled 994,339 children. By August 2005, the program enrolled 1,820,102 children. Divide the August 2005 enrollment of 1,820,102 by the August 2000 enrollment data of 994,339. This yields a result of 1.83, meaning that Medicaid program participation was nearly two times larger in 2005 than in 2000.
Percentages
To convert a ratio into a percentage, multiply it by 100. For example:
A grant writer needs to know the state's percentage of children on Medicaid in 2005. To answer this inquiry, first divide the number of childrenreceiving Medicaid in 2005—1,820,102-- -by the total child population ages 0-18--6,588,305. This calculation produces a ratio of .276. Multiplying the ratio by 100 yields a percentage of 27.6 .
Rates
For infrequent events, the number of observations may be relatively small. In these cases, a multiplier of 1,000 or 100,000 results in a rate that may be easier to understand than the same ratio transformed into a percentage. For example:
A caseworker needs to identify Texas' infant mortality rate. To answer this inquiry, begin by dividing the number of infant deaths, 2.515, by the total number of live 381,441. The ratio of infant deaths to live births is .00660, a number difficult to interpret either alone or as a percentage. But if you multiply the ratio by 1,000, you produce a more easily understood rate of 6.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
Turning raw frequency counts into the standardized form of percentages and rates helps users make comparisons among populations that may vary by size, time period, and location. Comparisons of this type are especially useful when examining differences between groups during the same year or for different years within the same group.
5 How do I calculate percentage change over time?
To determine the degree of improvement or decline in a KIDS COUNT indicator over time, calculate the percentage change between two years under comparison. To do this, subtract the earlier year figure from the more recent year figure, and divide this difference by the earlier year amount. Then multiply this quotient by 100 to turn it into a percentage. If the later year value is less than the amount of the earlier year, the percentage change will be negative. If the later year figure exceeds the earlier year's amount, the percentage change will be positive.
For example:
A teacher wants to determine how much Texas' child population changed between the 1990 Census and the 2000 Census. In 1990, a total of 4,835,839 children lived in Texas. In 2000, the child population totaled 5,886,759. To calculate the percentage increase in the state's child population, first subtract 4,835,839 from 5,886,759 for a difference of 1,050,920. Divide this result by 4,835,839, for a ratio of .217, then multiply by 100. Based on this calculation, Texas' child population increased by 21.7% between 1990 and 2000.
6 How do I interpret County Ranks?
Along with the annual State of Texas Children Data Book, Texas KIDS COUNT publishes comprehensive individual snapshots for each of the state's 254 counties. These snapshots provide rankings for the counties on each of the KIDS COUNT indicators. County rankings put data in context. They show the relative status of each Texas county in comparison to the rest and, over time, illustrate how these counties have changed not only in absolute terms, but in relationship to the dynamics of other counties in the state. For some indicators, such as population counts, ranks simply correspond to their reported size and have no relative positive or negative implications (e.g., child population). For other indicators in the KIDS COUNT database, ranks signify relatively better and worse performance in terms of the child outcomes they represent. In some instances, such as TAKS scores, higher values on these indicators correspond to smaller-numbered, and therefore better, ranks (closer to 1st). Other indicators, such as confirmed child abuse, represent negative child outcomes. In these cases, higher values directly parallel higher-numbered, and therefore worse, ranks (closer to 254th). If multiple counties have the same prevalence, they are ranked equally. For example, if two counties have a percentage of 10.4, then both may be ranked 50th. The next county in line would be ranked 52nd, not 51st.
7 How do I interpret the columns on the County Snapshot pages?
Because the availability of data from source agencies varies, current and comparison years are not identical across the entire set of Texas KIDS COUNT indicators.
Numbers located in the "Current Rank" column rank Texas counties on each indicator for the current year of data. The columns "County with 1st Rank" and "County with Last Rank" provide anchors for the rankings and help the user to better understand how their county fares in comparison to the rest of the state on that indicator. For more information regarding ranking procedures, see question #6.
The column "Change Since 2000" provides graphical information regarding whether that indicator has changed by 5% or more from 2000 to the most current year of data. These graphics provide a quick assessment as to whether this indicator has changed over time. It does not indicate whether the change is statistically significant.
8 What if I'm interested in just a few indictors, rather than the whole set? What if I want to see value and rank data for every year in the Texas KIDS COUNT database?
Anyone who wishes to obtain immediate, customized data reports that specify particular indicators, counties, or years (complete with charts and graphs) should consult the interactive County-Level Information on Kids (CLIKS) database, hosted by the national KIDS COUNT initiative. To begin using CLIKS, click here.
9 Is there more information about the national KIDS COUNT project and KIDS COUNT activities in other states?
Texas KIDS COUNT strongly recommends that users interested in more information on child and family well-being explore the national KIDS COUNT website hosted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The national website provides contact information for KIDS COUNT projects projects in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, articles on specific child-well being indicators, and the CLIKS (Community-Level Information on Kids) database.
