Child Well-Being

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The health and well-being of children is associated with numerous outcomes on their physical, mental, social, and economic development. RAND research covers issues related to physical and mental health and development; child abuse and neglect; bullying, violence, and trauma; child poverty and homelessness; coping with military deployment in families; socioeconomic disparities; access to social services, and more.

Explore Child Well-Being

  • Kids playing soccer, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    Commentary

    California Could Develop Guidance to Reopen Youth Sports

    There is growing evidence that long-term isolation from school closures has negative impacts on kids' physical and mental health and social development, with impacts potentially lasting for years. Youth sports can help to offset many of these negative impacts. California public health officials could prioritize the development of guidelines that would allow youth sports to reopen safely.

    Jul 22, 2020

  • Preschool children and teacher playing with xylophone, photo by Bernard Bodo/Adobe Stock

    Journal Article

    Strengthening the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care Through Inclusion

    Ensuring effective access to quality early childhood education and care for all remains a challenge in Europe, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This policy memo helps decision makers better understand this challenge and suggests some possible solutions.

    Jun 16, 2020

  • A girl doing schoolwork on a laptop computer, photo by ijeab/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Online Doesn't Have to Mean Impersonal

    Children's needs extend beyond the purely academic. It is important that their social and emotional well-being is supported as instruction moves online during the COVID-19 pandemic. A whole-child view of what students need could benefit them now more than ever.

    Apr 2, 2020

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Estimating the Costs and Benefits of LifeSet

    RAND researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of the costs and benefits of LifeSet, Youth Village's program for transition-age youth, as implemented and evaluated in Tennessee.

    Feb 10, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Assessing the Costs and Benefits of LifeSet, the Youth Villages Program Model for Transition-Age Youth

    The report presents a rigorous retrospective analysis of the costs and benefits of LifeSet, a program that provides case management and other services for young adults aging out of the foster care system, based on a prior impact evaluation.

    Feb 10, 2020

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    TALIS Starting Strong 2018 Technical Report

    This technical report details the steps, procedures, methodologies, standards and rules that the OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 used to collect high-quality data.

    Dec 12, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Draft TALIS Starting Strong Survey 2018 Analysis Principles

    This document provides high-level steers for content- and context-related issues that need to be taken into consideration in the analysis and reporting of the TALIS Starting Strong Survey 2018.

    Dec 12, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 Conceptual Framework

    The Conceptual Framework provides an integrated theoretical and analytical underpinning to the OECD Starting Strong Survey, articulating its research focus and links to existing knowledge and evidence and policy questions.

    Dec 12, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Promoting Youth Well-Being Through Health and Education: Insights and Opportunities

    Although well-being frameworks that integrate education and health exist, few of them have been examined rigorously to reveal how both educational and health outcomes can be achieved together.

    Nov 26, 2019

  • happy family running on a country road

    Report

    Availability of Family Violence Services for Military Service Members and Their Families

    The authors examine resources available to military-affiliated victims and perpetrators of child abuse/neglect and domestic abuse, barriers to utilization, and challenges faced in addressing these issues, and recommend ways to improve services.

    Nov 25, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Distinctions Without a Difference? Preschool Curricula and Children's Development

    This study is an examination of preschool curricula and their associations with preschool classroom environments and children's academic and social-emotional development using five samples of low-income children attending public preschool programs.

    Sep 19, 2019

  • Illustration of traditional and nontraditional families, photo by ONYXprj/Adobe Stock

    Journal Article

    Leave Policies and Practice for Non-Traditional Families

    This policy memo provides an overview of the extent to which non-traditional families are taken into account by Member States in developing family leave policies.

    Aug 16, 2019

  • Rearview shot of a young woman and her daughter having a conversation on the porch, photo by shapecharge/Getty Images

    Journal Article

    Mechanisms Supporting Single Parents Across the European Union

    A policy memo presenting trends and risks for single parents across the European Union, which provides an overview of existing support mechanisms and examples of practices supporting single parents in some Member States.

    Jul 31, 2019

  • A guest looks at the Temple of Time, a structure built to serve as a healing place for those affected by the shooting which claimed 17 lives at nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Coral Springs, Florida, February 14, 2019, photo by Joe Skipper/Reuters

    Commentary

    After School Shootings, Children and Communities Struggle to Heal

    School shootings leave wounds that affect students, school staff, families, and communities for years. Building community resilience, implementing evidence-based mental health support early, and providing access for survivors and the community immediately and in the long term could help promote healing and prevent more tragedy.

    Jul 19, 2019

  • Newborn hand holding the finger of an adult hand, photo by deng qiufeng/Getty Images

    Journal Article

    Improving the Child Welfare System to Respond to the Needs of Substance-Exposed Infants

    To realize the gains envisioned by recent legislation, the Administration and Congress should prioritize additional funding to modernize our child welfare system to meet the unique needs of families affected by substance misuse.

    Jul 17, 2019

  • People play Pokémon Go at El Olivar park in the San Isidro district of Lima, Peru, September 2, 2016, photo by Mariana Bazo/Reuters

    Commentary

    Augmented Reality on the Playground

    As children's screen time increases, their time spent outdoors decreases. How might new technologies merge with nature to help kids get outside and be more active?

    Jul 10, 2019

  • Mixed-race family at a park, photo by monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Empowering Parents Through Positive Parenting Interventions

    For parents, knowing whether they are raising their children the “right” way can feel like an impossible task. Parenting programs can make a unique and indispensable contribution to child well-being, and ultimately give children the resilience to thrive, even in challenging circumstances.

    May 30, 2019

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Mueller Report, ISIS Leader, Brexit: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on how the Mueller report might affect Russia, the emergence of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, uncertainty over Brexit, and more.

    May 3, 2019

  • Dionne Barnes-Proby in Tongva Park in Santa Monica, California, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation

    Q&A

    A Champion for Children and Practitioners: Q&A with Dionne Barnes-Proby

    Dionne Barnes-Proby started her career as a child welfare social worker and is now a social policy researcher at RAND. She brings the voices of clients and practitioners to the conversation, so that policies will reflect an understanding of the needs of the populations they're intended to improve.

    Apr 29, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Workfare and Infant Health: Evidence From India's Public Works Program

    India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which prioritizes female participation, increased newborn mortality among women eligible to participate. Work-related stresses adversely affect fetal health; however maternal work participation may have positive income effects for older children.

    Jan 29, 2019