The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 2009 Kids Count Data Book, which gives a state-by-state overview of child well-being. This year’s edition focuses on the importance of collecting and using good data to drive advocacy efforts. As usual, Wisconsin looks pretty good compared to other states, ranking 10th overall. However, there are several areas of concern. Child poverty increased between 2000 and 2007, and that does not even reflect a probable worsening since the brunt of the recession hit. This and other data underscores the need to continue investing in the kinds of things we know are effective in combating poverty, such as high-quality early care and education, access to health care services, and access to job skills training for low-income parents.

The 2009 Kids Count Data Book is available online at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/databook/2009/Default.aspx. Here’s a cool widget you can use to look up key indicators for WI and other states: