"There's a temptation for reporters and policy-makers to say, 'We're doing better than the nation so we don't have any problems,"' said Terry Haven, Kids Count Director at Voices for Utah Children. "We have more children as a percentage (of the total population) than anywhere else in the country. There's a danger of looking at the statistics and forgetting the faces."

She used child poverty to illustrate her example, saying that although Utah's poverty rate is one of the lowest in the nation, there still are 90,000 Utah children in that category. Nationally, 18 percent of children live in poverty, while 11.8 percent of children in Utah are in this category.

Crompton said lawmakers could make changes that would help thousands of Utah tots.

"We could fully fund the children's health insurance program and enroll all eligible children for the CHIP program. That would help 30,000 children," Crompton said. "We could (also) pass a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for families. Reagan declared it to be the most effective weapon against poverty."

Crompton referenced the 90,000 children that could benefit from more funding to the CHIP program. The EITC would benefit families with low income, giving them credit against the federal income tax credit designed to offset some of their taxes. A number of states have already adopted a state refundable EITC that is based on a percentage of the federal EITC.

Statistics and laws aside, the work and play done with children in the home will make the most significant difference in their lives.

"Parents are the most important influence in a child's life," said Crompton. "Just knowing there's someone that cares about you and you can count on is so critical for kids."

A different report regarding children, The National Kids Count data book, will be released July 25, ranking Utah compared to the other U.S. states in child well-being.

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E-mail: amarshall@desnews.com