Children & Families

We can learn a lot about any country based on how it treats its children. Research is also clear that childhood shapes our life trajectories in profound ways. Moreover, those trajectories are shaped by children’s families. For example, parents’ income and wealth shape the physical resources available in the household. The time that parents and other family members spend with their children shape children’s values, knowledge, skills, habits, beliefs, and emotional well-being. We are also products of our neighborhoods, friendships, national culture, policies, environments, and the decisions we make in adulthood. In the long run, no country can be more successful than its children.

Summary of Results. Alabama's progress with children and families has been mixed. On the positive side, child mortality has declined. On the other hand, the percentage of children born at low birthweights has been rising.