Information Is Power! A Child Advocate's Guide to Fear-Free Fact Finding. Revised

Noting that obtaining facts and figures on important policy issues related to children is the critical first step toward identifying what is working and what needs improvement, this Kids Count guide is designed to help local community members find and use data on the condition of children and families in Minnesota. The guide describes how to select the right information, locate the source of the information, and perform basic mathematical calculations. Following the introductory chapter, Chapter 2 details a step-by-step process for requesting data. Chapter 3 describes key data sources, including the U.S. Census, and national and Minnesota sources for information on education and child care, maternal and child health, family economics, and child welfare; and discusses the use of race and ethnicity data. Chapter 4 provides information on calculating basic statistics on obtained data, including calculating percentages, rates, and ratios, calculating change over time, accounting for inflation, and presenting data effectively. Chapter 5 presents suggestions for using data responsibly. The guide concludes with a list of Internet data sources, relevant acronyms and abbreviations, and a worksheet for creating a fact sheet for a particular community. (KB)