New: Kids Count Shines Light on RI Communities Each Tuesday

New: Kids Count Shines Light on RI Communities Each Tuesday

Rhode Island Kids Count, the child policy and advocacy organization based in Providence that monitors the well-being of children across Rhode Island, has launched a weekly online initiative that will share data and information about the well-being of children in one city or town in Rhode Island each week.  

City/Town Tuesdays provide a statistical profile of the featured city/town across five subject areas: Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety, and Education. Community-level data will be shared, along with state-level data.  The new initiative is a way for Rhode Island KIDS COUNT to connect with individuals on the local level, and to share data with the community for informed decision making.

This Week -- Pawtucket

Kids Count today released the following data on Pawtucket.  

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- 16,575 children live in Pawtucket
- 8.5% of Pawtucket infants are born with low birthweight
- 13% of Pawtucket children are English Language Learners
- 67% of Pawtucket high school students graduate from high school
- For more information, see Kids Count's profile of Pawtucket

More information can be found on Kids Count's website (www.rikidscount.org), Twitter (@RIKidsCount - #CityTownTuesRI) and Facebook (Rhode Island KIDS COUNT). 

Local Focus, Big Data

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is well-known for its annual Factbook publication, which provides data about the well-being of Rhode Island children and families across 68 indicators in the areas of children’s health, economic well-being, safety, and education. Data within the Factbook is presented in a variety of ways: for the state as a whole, for each of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns, and combined data for the four core cities vs. the remainder of the state. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT defines the four core cities as Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket, in which more than 25% of the children live in poverty.

Data and trends from the annual Factbook are used in many ways across the state, such as:

 

• State policy makers track trends on the condition of children in Rhode Island cities and towns
• Nonprofits, community organizations, and state agencies use the information for grant applications to bring resources to Rhode Island to improve children’s lives
• Local government and school district leaders use the information to plan education and outreach programs and to allocate resources

Locally, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT takes data “on the road” to several communities with Data in Your Backyard presentations, which makes the Factbook more accessible to community leaders and policy makers. Community organizations partner with Rhode Island KIDS COUNT to host the Data in Your Backyard presentation, and audience members participate in discussions about how to improve outcomes for children in their communities.