Rhode Island Kids Count Publications | Child & Family Reports

Our publications provide an in-depth analysis of current issues affecting Rhode Island children and families, incorporating the best available data, research, and best practices.

FACTBOOK

RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES

EARLY LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Supporting the Mental Health of Babies and Young Children in Rhode Island, 2026
Family Home Visiting in RI: Financing, Staffing, and Access, 2025
- This publication was authored by Greg Fox with support from Rhode Island KIDS COUNT and Children’s Friend.
Early Intervention Financing, Staffing, and Access in Rhode Island, 2021
Funding Safe, Healthy, Quality Child Care, 2020
Access to High-Quality, Publicly-Funded Preschool, 2020
Building and Sustaining a High-Quality Family Child Care System in Rhode Island, 2020
Construyendo y Manteniendo un Sistema de Cuidado Infantil Familiar de Alta Calidad en Rhode Island, 2020

CHILD WELFARE

ECONOMIC WELL-BEING

Increase the Child Support Pass-Through, June 2025
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Rhode Island Works, 2025
- This Policy Brief — co-authored by Divya Nair, Senior Policy Analyst for Children & Families at the Economic Progress Institute, and Jessica Vega, Senior Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT — examines the key programs that support Rhode Islanders in poverty. These are the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and RI Works, the state’s cash assistance and work support program. The authors present compelling evidence that Rhode Island isn’t doing nearly all it could be doing to strengthen these programs, which are a lifeline for some of our most impoverished and vulnerable neighbors.
Racial and Ethnic Di s parities in Children’s Economic Well-Being in Rhode Island, 2021
Housing Instability and Homelessness Among Rhode Island Children, 2021
Child Hunger in Rhode Island, 2020
Child Poverty in Rhode Island, June 2020

EDUCATION

HEALTH

Supporting the Mental Health of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Youth in Rhode Island, October 2024
Keeping Kids Covered: Med i caid Renewals in Rhode Island, September 2024
School-Based Mental Health Services in Newport: Perspectives from Newport Youth, Parents, and the Community, 2023
Root Causes of Overweight and Obesity: Community-Driven Solutions to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in RI, 2023
- Action steps for parents and commuity advocates, June 2023
- Pasos de accion para los padres y los defensores do la comunidad, June 2023
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal, Infant, and Young Children’s Health in Rhode Island, 2023
Children’s Mental Health in Rhode Island, 2022
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Updated Data for Rhode Island and Trends in Rhode Island, 2022
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Updated Data for Rhode Island and Trends in Rhode Island, 2021
Trends in Tobacco Use Among Rhode Island Youth: E-Cigarettes and Vaping; Factors Influencing Youth Use; State and School Tobacco Policies, 2020

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

YOUTH JUSTICE

Centering Youth Voice in Juvenile Justice Reform, 2023

BUDGET ANALYSIS

BUDGETARY AND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

LEGISLATIVE FACT SHEETS

LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

2026 Legislative Wrap-Up

OTHER PUBLICATIONS (2017 – 2025)

2025

2024

Supporting the Mental Health of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Youth in Rhode Island, October 2024
Keeping Kids Covered: Medicaid Renewals in Rhode Island, September 2024
Opportunity Youth in Rhode Island: Recommendations and Resources for Reconnection, January 2024

2023

School-Based Mental Health Services: Perspectives from Newport Youth, Parents, and the Community, November 2023
(Presentation): Newport Data in Your Backyard, October 2023
Centering Youth Voice in Juvenile Justice Reform: A Brief Summary Report of Youth Experiences, June 2023
Root Causes of Overweight and Obesity: Community-Driven Solutions to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in RI, June 2023
- Action steps for parents and commuity advocates, June 2023
- Pasos de accion para los padres y los defensores do la comunidad, June 2023
Action Steps for Parents and Community Advocates, June 2023
Multilingual Learners in Rhode Island, February 2023
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal, Infant, and Young Children’s Health in Rhode Island, January 2023
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in K-16 Education in Rhode Island, January 2023
2023 Legislative Wrap-Up

2022

Children’s Mental Health in Rhode Island, October 2022
Child Neglect and Abuse in Rhode Island: Prevention and Support for Children and Families, March 2022
Equity Analysis: Rhode Island School Districts, Fall 2022 also in Spanish
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Updated Data for Rhode Island, August 2022
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Trends in Rhode Island, August 2022

2021

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Children’s Economic Well-Being in Rhode Island, December 2021
Housing Instability and Homelessness Among Rhode Island Children, November 2021
Early Intervention in Rhode Island, 2021
ESSER Community Fact Sheets, Fall 2021
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Updated Data for Rhode Island, June 2021
Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Trends in Rhode Island, June 2021

2020

2019

2018

Working Parents, Child Care, and Paid Family Leave in Rhode Island, June 2018
Maternal Depression in Rhode Island: Two Generations at Risk, January 2018
Focus on Reducing Chronic Early Absence, 2018
Focus on BrightStars, 2018
Focus on Integrated Early Care and Education Data, 2018
Focus on Head Start & State Pre-K, 2018
Trends in Youth Tobacco Use: E-Cigarettes and Vaping, 2018
Trends in Youth Tobacco Use: Factors Influencing Youth Use, 2018
Trends in Youth Tobacco Use: State and School Tobacco Policies, 2018

2017

OTHER PUBLICATIONS (2007 – 2016)

2016

Preventing Bullying in Rhode Island Schools, December 2016
Focus on Congregate Care, December 2016
Focus on Kinship Care, December 2016 update
Investing in the Future: Financing Early Education & Care in Rhode Island, September 2016

2015

Young Children in the Child Welfare System, December 2015
Next Steps for Infants, Toddlers, and their Families in Rhode Island, June 2015
Infants, Toddlers, and their Families in Rhode Island, June 2015
Child Poverty in Rhode Island, January 2015
Setting a Minimum Age for Youth Incarceration in Rhode Island, 2015
Focus on Evidence-Based Family Home Visiting, 2015
Focus on Kindergarten, 2015
Focus on Summer Learning, 2015

2014

Child and Adolescent Obesity in Rhode Island, November 2014
RIte Care Results, November 2014
Focus on Young Children in the Child Welfare System, October 2014
Focus on Adoption, September 2014
Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island, June 2014
Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, May 2014
Focus on Restoring Foster Care to Age 21, May 2014
Reducing Chronic Early Absence, 2014
Focus on the State Pre-K Program, 2014
Focus on The Child Care Assistance Program, 2014
TRI–Lab Policy Brief: Promoting Early Language and Literacy Development in Young Dual/English Language Learners
TRI-Lab Policy Brief: Supporting the Development of Executive Functions in Young Children

2013

Focus on New Medicaid Coverage for Former Foster Youth, December 2013
Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, November 2013
RIte Care Results, November 2013
Young Children with Developmental Delays & Disabilities, November 2013
Improving College Access and Completion in Rhode Island, June 2013
Improving Access to High-Quality Early Learning Programs in Rhode Island, April 2013
Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, April 2013

2012

Child Poverty in Rhode Island, Updated November 2012
RIte Care Results, November 2012
Focus on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in Rhode Island, October 2012
Rhode Island Children in Immigrant Families, Updated August 2012
Disparities in Children’s Health, February 2012

2011

Safety, Permanency and Well-Being for Children in the Care of DCYF, November 2011
RIte Care Results, November 2011
Access to Oral Health Care for Children in Rhode Island, September 2011
Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, Updated August 2011
Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, Updated June 2011

2010

Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, December 2010
Rhode Island Children Living in Immigrant Families, Updated May 2010
Children’s Behavioral Health: Psychiatric Hospitalizations and the Continuum of Care, January 2010

2009

Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, Updated October 2009
Access to Early Learning Programs in Rhode Island, October 2009
Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island, July 2009
Effective Public Education Policies: Lessons from Massachusetts and New Jersey, July 2009

2008

Child Poverty in Rhode Island: A Statistical Profile, September 2008
Rhode Island Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, August 2008
Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island – 2008 Supplement with New High School Graduation Rates, June 2008
Achieving Permanency for Children and Youth in Foster Care, May 2008
Health Insurance for Children and Families in Rhode Island, May 2008
Rhode Island Children in Immigrant Families, January 2008

2007

Quality Child Care and Early Learning in Rhode Island, December 2007
Child Poverty in Rhode Island, September 2007
Preterm Births in Rhode Island, June 2007
Rhode Island School Readiness Indicators, 2007
Benchmarks for Progress, 2007

OTHER PUBLICATIONS (1996 – 2006)

2006

Teen Pregnancy and Parenting in Rhode Island, December 2006
Child Care Snapshot 4: Understanding the Duration of Child Care Subsidy Use in Rhode Island, November 2006
Improving Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, November 2006
Preventing Childhood Obesity in Rhode Island, May 2006
Building Better Lives for Youth Leaving Foster Care, May 2006
Child Poverty in Rhode Island: A Statistical Profile, January 2006

2005

Food Stamps: A Comprehensive Food Assistance Program, November 2005
Child Care Snapshot 3: The 2004 Market Rate Survey: Assessing the Price of Child Care in Rhode Island, October 2005
Successful Start: RI’s Early Childhood Systems Plan, November 2005
Parenting and Family Support, July 2005
Grandparents and Other Relative Caregivers in Rhode Island, May 2005
Child Care Snapshot 2: Child Care Choices of Low-Income Families in Rhode Island, April 2005
Getting Ready, February 2005

2004

Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being for Children in State Care, December 2004
Caring for Rhode Island’s Infants and Toddlers, November 2004
Access to Dental Care For Children in Rhode Island, October 2004
Child Care Snapshot 1: Impact of Policy Changes on the Use of Child Care Subsidies and Employment, September 2004
Rhode Island School Readiness Indicators, 2004

2003

Children with Autism in Rhode Island, December 2003
Improving Outcomes for Children with Special Needs, November 2003
Health Insurance for Children and Families, March 2003
Childhood Lead Poisoning, February 2003

2002

Children’s Mental Health Services in Rhode Island, October 2002
Child Poverty in Rhode Island, September 2002
Safe and Affordable Housing for Rhode Island’s Children, June 2001 (updated June 2002)
School-Based Health Centers In Rhode Island, May 2001 (updated May 2002)
Access to Dental Care for Children in Rhode Island, January 2001 (updated May 2002)
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Infants: Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities, April 2002

2001

Safe and Affordable Housing for Rhode Island’s Children , June 2001

2000

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, October 2000

1998

Issues Affecting the Well-Being of Rhode Island’s Youngest Children, December 1998
Cost-Benefit of Early Childhood Programs, December 1998
School-Linked Services: Child Opportunity Zone Family Centers, 1998

1997

Child Care in Rhode Island: Caring for Infants and Pre-school Children, October 1997
Childhood Lead Poisoning, February 1997

1996

Food For Thought: Childhood Nutrition, August 1996
Welfare Reform: How Will We Know If It’s Good For Children, April 1996

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