Editorial

From the Desk of Gaye Morris Smith
Executive Director

Welcome to this issue of Connected. We are pleased to announce the recent national data release of the 2003 KIDS COUNT, a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States.

The 2003 KIDS COUNT Data Book gives Georgia an overall rank of 41st among 50 states, based on a state-by-state study of 10 measures of child well-being. Over the past decade Georgia has improved in nine out of 10 areas; however, Georgia still ranks very low on many indicators. We must stay diligent in our efforts to see that we don't lose ground in the areas of improvements during the difficult budget years ahead.

As the state grantee of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, we work closely with Georgia agencies and other organizations to improve conditions for children and families by tracking, measuring and analyzing data, and identifying best practices that make a difference in communities.

In this issue of Connected, our Best Practices and Results section features a report that links poverty to many of the negative outcomes faced by children and families. In Georgia we know that persistent poverty plagues 91 counties, and many of our families struggle to be self-sufficient. We also feature some of the work in rural communities, as well as targeted efforts to engage parents in communities.

This fall Family Connection Partnership will release a report on the state of family self-sufficiency in Georgia in collaboration with the Women's Policy Group. Our goal is to look at the impact of poverty and state policies on poor families and provide some recommendations on how to address and support family economic success in Georgia.