DOCUMENT RESUME ED 463 076 PS 030 216 AUTHOR Shobo, Yetunde A. TITLE Arts, Recreation & Children in Arkansas, 2001. INSTITUTION Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Little Rock. SPONS AGENCY Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD. PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 393p. AVAILABLE FROM Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, 523 S. Louisiana, Suite 700, Little Rock, AR 72201. Tel: 501-371-9678; Web site: http://www.aradvocates.org. PUB TYPE Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC16 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Art; Art Education; Art Teachers; Child Rearing; *Children; *Counties; Demography; Early Experience; Elementary Education; Enrichment; Enrollment; *Extracurricular Activities; Music; Music Education; Music Teachers; Parent Child Relationship; Physical Activities; Physical Education; Physical Education Teachers; *Public Policy; *Reading Achievement; *Recreation; Well Being IDENTIFIERS *Arkansas; Boy Scouts of America; Girl Scouts of the USA; 4 H Clubs ABSTRACT This special Kids Count report examines the well-being of Arkansas' children, focusing on opportunities for children for arts education, physical education, and recreation; the report also links statistics on education and aesthetics with students' reading scores. The statistical portrait is based on 23 indicators of child well-being in six categories:(1) demography (number and percent of population under age 18); (2) technology (public-access computers in libraries);(3) commitment to aesthetics (arts education, physical education, extra curricular activities); (4) resources for public education (enrollment and per pupil expenditure); and (5) outcomes for children (children scoring at grade reading level). The report's introduction highlights the importance of a childhood enriched with opportunities in the arts and physical activities, describes the benefits of such enrichment for child well-being, and discusses the school's role and the public's role in providing access to aesthetic-enrichment programs and physical education. Following introductory remarks, the indicators are defined. The bulk of the report then presents information for each indicator for the state and for each county. The report notes that the unavailability of information on aesthetic programs was a major obstacle in compiling the report. Findings suggest the commitment of resources by local governments to aesthetic opportunities, while showing the possible academic outcomes for children based on their exposure to extracurricular activities. The report does not assert that the indicators are solely responsible for the outcomes but rather follows the posture of current research linking aesthetics to academic outcomes. Appended are tables delineating the indicators for each county. 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