Kids Count Alaska 1998-1999

Abstract

How are Alaska’s children doing at the end of the twentieth century? Many are doing just fine—growing up healthy and safe. But others are not so fortunate. They live in poverty; they grow up without their fathers; they drop out of school; they have babies when they are children themselves. Too many—and even one is too many—die accidentally or intentionally. To help Alaska’s children, policymakers and others need reliable information about conditions affecting children. In the past decade or so, scientists have discovered that babies are born with the raw materials for brain development—about 100 million brain cells—but that most brain development happens after birth. What babies see, hear, touch, smell, and taste causes connections to form between brain cells. These connections are the wiring of the brain, allowing children to learn. Overall, scientists point out that we still have much to learn about the brain. But there is strong evidence about both the potential and the vulnerability of young children’s minds. To give children the best chance at life, adults must try to create safe, loving, interesting worlds for them.