In 1998, the Foundation for Child Development (FCD)provided Kenneth Land a grant to explore the feasibility of producing the first national composite index of the status of American children that would chart changes in their well-being over time. Important questions needed to be answered: was it possible to trace trends in child and youth well-being over several decades? Could such an index provide a way of determining whether the United States was making progress in improving its children s lives? The Index of Child and Youth Well-Being (CWI) was born from these questions. Viewing the CWI...

In 1998, the Foundation for Child Development (FCD)provided Kenneth Land a grant to explore the feasibility of producing the first national composite index of the status of American children that would chart changes in their well-being over time. Important questions needed to be answered: was it possible to trace trends in child and youth well-being over several decades? Could such an index provide a way of determining whether the United States was making progress in improving its children s lives? The Index of Child and Youth Well-Being (CWI) was born from these questions. Viewing the CWI...