Honoring Our Past, Building Kids' Futures
For more than 25 years, KIDS COUNT in Delaware has worked to improve the lives of children, youth and their families through data-driven advocacy, policy change and program improvement. Today, our work is more important than ever.
KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort by the听听to track the well-being of children in the United States. KIDS COUNT in Delaware, a project of the Center for Community Research听& Service, is a collaborative effort of over forty organizations to enrich local and state discussion concerning ways to secure better lives for all children by providing policy makers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being.听
Making a difference for Delaware's children THROUGH:
Tracking data听that reflect how children, their families and communities are faring.
Collaborating with decision-makers and other partners听to forward policies and programs that improve the lives of all children and families.
Publishing research听that sheds light on how policy and programs impact children and their families.
Serving as a resource听by sharing annual statewide data on hundreds of indicators of child well-being and offering data expertise services to our communities and the organizations that serve them.
KIDS COUNT in Delaware 30th Anniversary Video FINAL: https://capture.udel.edu/media/1_fupq7ore/
All data collected by KIDS COUNT in Delaware are available in the online, interactive听.
Did You Know: KIDS COUNT in Delaware's Fact Book Has a New Name!
Facts on Children Underlying Success (FOCUS) refers to the idea that we are using indicators to tell a story of Delaware kids around a specific theme. This year, that theme "The Power of Data to Transform" has three storylines running through it. These include navigating change with data, the changing landscape of data, and the power of being counted.
The reflects听on trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping child well-being across Delaware. It explores the link between data and informed decision-making, examines why protecting accessible, high-quality, public data matters for children, and reminds readers that data alone do not create change, but they help communities act with clarity, urgency, and accountability.
All FOCUS book issues are available on the .
As always, for a more comprehensive listing of data on child and family well-being in Delaware, check out the .
All FOCUS book issues are available on the听听Institutional Repository.
KIDS COUNT Data Center
The online听听tool offers data on education, employment and income, poverty, health and youth at-risk factors. We invite you to discover ways to customize the visualizations and join us in using the data to make informed decisions by investing in Delaware's biggest asset, our kids.
Making Sense of the Numbers
- KIDS COUNT in Delaware uploads the most current and reliable data available to the online听
- Data that are inadequate or unavailable are denoted by "S" or "NA"
- Accepted names for various racial and ethnic groups are constantly in flux and indicators differ in their terminology. Therefore, KIDS COUNT in Delaware has used the terminology reported by the data collection sources
- Most data presented are for calendar years. Where data collected are by school year or fiscal year, the periods are September 1 to August 31 or July 1 to June 30 respectively
- The data are presented in primarily three ways:
- Annual data
- Three-year and five-year averages to minimize fluctuations of single-year data and provide a more realistic picture of children's outcomes
- Annual, three-year, or five-year average data for decade or longer to illustrate trends and permit long-term comparisons
- Where possible, data are delineated at a sub-state level
- Whether a number, rate, or percentage, each statistic tells us something different about children
- Caution should be exercised when attempting to draw conclusions from percentages or rates which are based on small numbers. Delaware and its counties can show very large or very small percentages as a result of only a few events. Therefore, KIDS COUNT in Delaware encourages you to look at overall trends. The key to evaluation of statistics is to examine everything in context.
Additional links and resources:
Listed below are a selection of additional resources that may complement your data and research queries related to the well-being of Delaware's children and their families. If you have an additional resource to be considered, please听email听our project staff with details.
State Resources
听
National Resources
What is KIDS COUNT in Delaware?
KIDS COUNT in Delaware is part of a nationwide network funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation which raise public awareness and accountability for the condition of kids and families by: 1.听measuring and reporting on the status of children, and 2. using that information creatively to inform public debate and strengthen public action on behalf of children and families within the state. To that end, KIDS COUNT in Delaware engages in a wide variety of public awareness activities including publication of data-driven products that examine the status of children and families in the state. Put simply: KIDS COUNT exists to measure child outcomes and contribute to public accountability for those outcomes, resulting in a model for data-driven advocacy for children, their families, and their communities.
How can I get a KIDS COUNT in Delaware Fact Book?
KIDS COUNT in Delaware's Fact Book has a new name: Facts on Children Underlying Success (FOCUS). Similar to previous editions of our annual Fact Book, the KIDS COUNT in Delaware FOCUS provides an annual overview of child well-being in Delaware and reports out on select indicators across the four traditionally reported categories of health, education, economic security, and family/community in relation to the year's data and policy focus.
The most recent edition of the state FOCUS book can be found on our听publications page. All previous state FOCUS books (and Fact Books) are housed in the University's Institutional Repository:听. Additionally, all data collected by KIDS COUNT in Delaware are accessible in the online, interactive听.
How do I make a data request?
KIDS COUNT in Delaware offers assistance with finding and understanding data about Delaware's children. If you have data questions, please听email us at kids-count@udel.edu.
How do I cite KIDS COUNT in Delaware data?
Permission to copy, reprint, or otherwise distribute KIDS COUNT data is granted as long as appropriate acknowledgement is given. When citing data from the Data Center website, please use: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, KIDS COUNT Data Center, datacenter.kidscount.org.
Where can I get services for my child in Delaware?
KIDS COUNT in Delaware is a policy focused, capacity building program and does not provide direct services. For information and referral services, contact the Delaware Information Helpline at 2-1-1.
Can I get someone from KIDS COUNT to speak to my group?
KIDS COUNT in Delaware regularly presents data to our groups across the state. If you are interested in having a KIDS COUNT Conversation,听please听email us at听kids-count@udel.edu.
KIDS COUNT in Delaware Board
Kiera McGillivray Board President, Children & Families First
Erica Boyle
Gregory Earle Youth Representative, Middletown High School
Joyce D. Hawkins Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
Terri Hodges Wilmington University
Melissa Hopkins Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement
Corsica Jones The Wilmington Early Care and Education Council
Rebecca King Retired Nursing Director, Division of Public Health
Stephen Metraux Center for Community Research and Service, 91原创
Mary Mitsdarffer Rowan University
Brian Moore Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence Charter School
Rosie Morales Department of Education
Abby Nerlinger Nemours Children鈥檚 Health
Kyle Phillips Department of Health and Social Services
Betsy Renzo Delaware Law Related Education Center
Stacy Shamburger West End Neighborhood House
KIDS COUNT in Delaware Data Committee
Kelli O. Thompson听Committee Chair
Erica Boyle听Population Health, Freelance
Rochelle Brittingham听Center for Drug and Health Studies, 91原创
Annie Dasmanolyl听Division of Management Support Services, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families
Maridelle A. Dizon听Delaware Health Statistics Center, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
Steven A. Dowshen听Pediatrician
Jen Fromme Delaware 2-1-1, United Way
Katie Gifford听Medicaid Project, Center for Community Research and Service, 91原创
Tammy Hyland听Delaware State Police
Theodore W. Jarrell听FIBP Analytics
Lynn Kelley Children & Families First
Jennifer Koester听Enterprise Data Management, Delaware Department of Technology and Information
Rebecca McColl听Center for Community Research and Service, 91原创
Mary Joan McDuffie听Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, 91原创
Sharon Merriman-Nai听Center for Drug and Health Studies, 91原创
Stephen Metraux听Center for Community Research and Service, 91原创
Mary Mitsdarffer听Rowan University
Rosie Morales听Delaware Department of Education
Annie Norman听Delaware Libraries
Angela Palmer听Division of Management Support Services, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
Adrian Peoples听Delaware Department of Education
Jim Salt State of Delaware Stastical Analysis Center
Kim Turner Food Bank of Delaware
Subscribe to the KIDS COUNT in Delaware monthly听听for monthly updates on news, research and policy information.
Be social with KIDS COUNT in Delaware on听.
Join the research conversation with KIDS COUNT in Delaware on听.
Consider a Gift
Please help us honor our past while building for the future with your gift. 听
You can also听send a check (payable to the 91原创) to:听KIDS COUNT in Delaware, 298K Graham Hall Newark DE, 19716-7350
KIDS COUNT in DELAWARE Team
