Child Trends is a organization with the overarching mission of improving the lives of children and families by providing research-based information to inform policy and programs that affect children's lives and their future prospects. This annual report details the organization's accomplishments for the year 2001. The report begins with a letter from the president and the board chair highlighting the establishment of two new areas of research: early childhood development and child abuse, neglect, and family violence. The letter also accentuates the organization's research productivity, the expansion of the public information agenda, strengthening of the organization's infrastructure, the increased role of the board of directors in shaping organizational policy and direction, and the commitment to aggressively seek unrestricted funds. Following introductory remarks, the report highlights recent work to develop, analyze, synthesize, and disseminate research-based information on children and families, offering examples of work for: (1) the federal government, focusing on the impact of welfare reform on children and the development of fatherhood indicators; (2) states, stressing the impact of policy changes and monitoring state program outcomes; (3) cities and communities, including the documentation of progress and setbacks and applying research to reduce teen births in the District of Columbia; (4) foundations, featuring research on school readiness to inform funding decisions and research to inform youth development programs; and (5) the media, spotlighting the impact of welfare reform on teens, and providing information on the structure of the American family. The report concludes with lists of recent Child Trends publications, publications with Child Trends authors, the board of directors, executive staff, national advisory board, major funders, and Child Trends staff. (Contains 29 endnotes.) (KB)