Denver Office of Children’s Affairs Mayor’s Children’s Cabinet Data Resources

The Status of Denver’s Children Purpose is to provide policy makers, city agencies and staff, community partners, and non-profits with the best available data on Denver child well-being to inform policy, investment, programs and services. Annual Publication Provides information on Denver’s Children in the areas of: Demographics Health Early Childhood Education Family Economics Community The Office of Children’s Affairs uses data to help understand who Denver’s children are and where they live. These data help policy makers, advocates, and community partners form a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by Denver’s children and youth. In order to improve outcomes for all our children, it is necessary to appreciate the environmental contexts that shape how they experience the world.

The City’s Goals for Kids Increasing the number of children who have access to high quality early childhood experiences Increasing the number of Denver third grade students who can read at grade level Decreasing the number of disconnected youth Increasing the number of students who complete a post-secondary pathway and obtain a job Increase the percentage of children who are at a healthy weight. Ensure all children have their basic needs met To mitigate the impact of disadvantage on children, the City of Denver has established goals to ensure all Denver’s children are prepared to succeed. These include: Increasing the number of children who have access to high quality early childhood experiences; Increasing the number of Denver third grade students who can read at grade level; Decreasing the number of disconnected youth; Increasing the number of students who have access to and complete a post-secondary pathway and obtain a job; and Increase the percentage of children who are at a healthy weight. Together, these goals address important childhood issues throughout all stages of a child’s development.

2018 Child Well-Being Index Births to Women without a High School Diploma Teen Births Overweight or Obese Children Kindergarteners not proficient in the cognitive domain Third Graders Not Reading at Grade Level Ninth Graders Chronically Absent Adults without a High School Diploma Children in Single-Parent Families Children in Poverty Unemployment Violent Crime Many factors influence a child’s chances for success. Differences in school quality, the presence of positive adult role models, neighborhood safety, access to healthy foods, health insurance, a medical home, and quality early care and education experiences all have varying impacts on child outcomes. It is easier for some children to overcome obstacles throughout their development when those obstacles are not cumulative and persistent. Children who live in low-income or chronically disadvantaged neighborhoods often experience significantly lower outcomes in health, early childhood education, K-12 education, and post-secondary success than their more affluent peers. Using the poverty measure alone to determine advantage and disadvantage by place is inadequate. Rather, it is the culmination of factors together that present significant challenges to children and families. The child with fewer obstacles to overcome in everyday experiences is likely to have more opportunities for both academic and life success. Consistent patterns of advantage and disadvantage are apparent in the maps provided throughout the 2017 Status of Denver’s Children: A Community Resource document. It is possible to statistically aggregate key indicators to highlight areas of cumulative disadvantage. These areas can then be used to identify and focus on societal and systemic problems that limit opportunity for children in Denver. Unpacking the complex barriers that our children face will ultimately lead to solutions for meaningful change to improve outcomes for all Denver’s children. Eleven indicators that measure differences in education, health, and community opportunities were statistically aggregated to provide a snapshot of opportunity for Denver children by neighborhood. Each of these indicators and maps are discussed fully and cited in the 2017 Status of Denver’s Children: A Community Resource document. I describe each of these indicators and explain why they are important to child outcomes in the following presentation.

Births to Women without a High School Diploma Teen Births Overweight or Obese Children Kindergartener: Cognitive Assessment Third Graders Not Reading at Grade Level Ninth Graders Chronically Absent Adults without a High School Diploma Children in Single-Parent Families Children in Poverty Unemployment Violent Crime This is the summary of all eleven indicators combined into the 2018 version of Child Well-Being index. The darker shaded neighborhoods illustrate where children face significant challenges to success. Aggregation of all eleven indicators results in the 2018 Child Well-Being Index

2018 Child Well-Being Index It is important to understand that this is a relative index, ranking neighborhoods based on the aggregation of these 11 factors. We’ve used this map in the Office of Children’s Affairs, the Children’s Cabinet, and across the city to target programs and services to where they are needed most to support children. We use it each year, for example, to incentivize out-of-school time programs to locate in high-need areas as well as to locate Head Start child care centers to better serve eligible families. Overall, it’s a great tool to quickly communicate disparities by place in Denver. From here, we can work with our partners to help coordinate investment where they are needed most. After several years of preparing this index and using it to drive investment, what has changed in child well-being as measured by this index?

Web Application Children's Cabinet Story Map

Contact Information The 2018 Status of Denver’s Children report will be available online: childrensaffairs@denvergov.org Contact Information: Lisa Piscopo, PhD Deputy Director Office of Children’s Affairs, City and County of Denver Lisa.piscopo@denvergov.org It’s my hope that this document is referenced throughout the year to guide programming, services, and investments across the city. Challenges and assets alike vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and understanding the quality of need is critical to adequately and effectively delivering the most appropriate interventions and opportunities where they are needed most. The success of Denver depends on the success of it’s children.