Major Initiatives > KIDS COUNT > Data Center

Data Book

Home> Data Book / Reports> Data Book 2011

Family Stories from the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book

To help tell the story of the human impact of the recent economic downturn, five families from across the nation are profiled in the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book and message. These families – from Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles County, California; Rochester, New Hampshire; and San Antonio, Texas – have faced different struggles but share a common bond: the help they received and the hope they have for the future.

Manuel Luna
San Antonio, Texas

He and his family were able to regain their emotional and financial stability following a job loss through various supports and services.

Practical solution: Helping families to weather tough employment setbacks with temporary benefits, combined with financial literacy and other counseling services, can lessen the economic and emotional toll and put them on a more solid path to success.

Read full Manuel Luna profile >>

Rosa Huestis
Rochester, New Hampshire

As a former foster care youth, Rosa relied on benefits like Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program,(SNAP) and others to help her and her infant son through tough times.

Practical solution: Extending services to foster care youth beyond age 18 helps fill the gaps in basic needs. And, retaining benefits like SNAP puts food on the table and money back into the economy.

Read full Rosa Huestis profile >>

Charles Leach III
Atlanta, Georgia

This young father’s struggles to find employment and support his son have been aided by subsidized child care and training programs offered by the Center for Working Families.

Practical solution: Restricting the child care tax credit to low- and moderate-income families and redirecting the savings to child care subsidies for families struggling to achieve stability help both generations get ahead.

Read full Charles Leach III profile >>

Jenny Chiu
Los Angeles, California

A single mother of two boys who struggles to cover routine household expenses along with mounting health care bills incurred by one son’s autism and related health complications.

Practical solution: Ensuring access to affordable health care benefits by streamlining enrollment and eligibility procedures will allow more children to receive the care they need and help more families avoid financial crisis.

Read full Jenny Chui profile >>

Mary Kelley
Baltimore, Maryland

Divorce and job loss derailed the dreams of a college degree for this mother of two teens, but the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other benefits have helped her provide the possibility of a better future for her kids.

Practical solution: Preserving and expanding the EITC will continue to lift millions of families above the poverty line and help them not only to make ends meet, but also to build savings and stabilize assets for a more secure future.

Read full Mary Kelley profile >>