Clearly, the issues in this year's KIDS COUNT Data Book essay represent some of the most formidable barriers facing parents who are trying to connect to the workforce. Substance abuse, domestic violence, prior incarceration, and depression can potentially paralyze even the most eager and enterprising parents and jeopardize the economic security…

Married couples with children, on average, have a higher standard of living and greater economic security than one-parent families (Thomas & Sawhill, 2005). Parents raising children together tend to have more money, more flexibility and more time to supervise their children, offer emotional support, take an active part in their education, and…

In 2007, nearly one in five or 18 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty (KIDS COUNT Data Center, 2009). Many of these children come from minority backgrounds. African American (35 percent), American Indian (33 percent) and Latino (27 percent) children are more likely to live in poverty than their white (11 percent) and Asian (12…