What Are Results & Indicators

We all want what is best for our children and each of us, including parents, frontline professionals (teachers, clinicians, social workers, nurses, probation, policeman, to name a few), child advocates, service associations, legislators and state and local program administrators and policy-makers, represents a thread in the safety net for our children. As family and community members, we must decide what is necessary for our children to grow and thrive, and how we can measure our success.

Being accountable for every Maryland child requires indicators that can adequately describe the status of children statewide and in each of Maryland's jurisdictions (twenty-three counties and Baltimore City). Maryland, similar to many states realizing how crucial it is to county and gauge the progress of children in several areas, has chosen three overarching themes and eight areas to describe child well-being:

Maryland's Three Overarching Themes

  1. Health
  2. Education
  3. Community Life

Maryland's Eight Results for Child well-Being

  • Babies Born Healthy
  • Healthy Children
  • School Readiness
  • School Success
  • School Completion
  • School Transition
  • Safety
  • Stability

It is through these measures that the State and each jurisdiction can measure well-being for its children, develop a strategic plan for children and family services, and communicate the successes and challenges of its efforts to reach the overall vision.

All Maryland's Children will be Successful in Life

Each of us must also look at the programs and services available to our children to be certain that they are making a real impact in the lives of the children. In addition to statewide measures of well-being for the child population as a whole, we must also look for results from programs and services that show us that the children and families receiving services are healthy, well-educated, and safe.

Taken together, these results, including both population-based measures (known as population accountability) and client-based measures (known as program accountability), form the foundation on which we build our strategy to improve Maryland's schools, neighborhoods and cities. To learn more about Results Accountability, please visit http://www.raguide.org or http://www.fiscalpolicystudies.com.

This web page is dedicated to the health and well-being of our children, the families who raise them, and the communities that support their growth. If we focus our attention on indicators of health and well-being, and wisely use information that shows us whether we are improving the status of our children, then we are taking positive steps to ensure a bright future for all children.

What is a result?    A goal that Maryland has established for its children, families, and/or communities.

What is an indicator?   Information that demonstrates Maryland's progress toward meeting a result.

Using Maryland's Results and Indicators

The Maryland's Children's Cabinet, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, strives to meet the needs of Maryland's children, families and communities. Through this collaborative approach, each jurisdiction identifies and focuses on results and indicators that are priorities in their community. The information on this website assists in tracking and evaluating the well-being of children across the State and in each local area.

What you'll find in this web site

To the right are links to spreadsheets for each of Maryland's Indicators containing detailed breakdowns of the data by jurisdiction (where available) and demographic variables such as race, age, or gender (varies by Indicator).

Click here to view Maryland's Results for Child Well-Being 2011, the latest publication.

Presentation for 2009 Results and Indicators

Please click here to send feedback —Suggestions and Comments are Welcome!!!

Presented by the Children’s Cabinet
Administered by the Governor’s Office for Children
Last Updated: June 2012