Post Author
Emily Blevins
Communications Director
RALEIGH— Statewide child advocacy nonprofit NC Child launched a new online data center that compiles data on more than 35 measures assessing children’s health, education, and well-being. Those measures include child welfare, demographics, early childhood, elementary and secondary education, health, and family economic security.
For more than 40 years NC Child has served as a trusted source of data and research on the issues facing children and families in the State of North Carolina. NC Child is known for its annual state and county level data card and for a biannual Child Health Report Card released in partnership with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.
The new Data Center will serve as an online hub that compiles all of NC Child’s research and the latest updates on how children are faring in the state.
“We’ve heard from people across the state that it can be hard to find information about our children because it’s spread out across different agencies and platforms,” said NC Child Executive Director Erica Palmer Smith. “We’re proud to offer a new Data Center that will be the go-to place for learning about how North Carolina’s children are doing and how we can improve.” The NC Child Data Center allows users to see statewide measures, as well as measures filtered by county and by legislative districts.
“The Data Center puts the pieces together so not only can someone find the data they were looking for, but they can see how that data has changed over time, as well as how it fits into a larger picture of child well-being,” said NC Child Research Director Neil Harrington.
Additionally, the Data Center includes quotes, stories, and other highlights from NC Child’s qualitative studies, including the organization’s most recent work on oral health access and outcomes for children and families served by Medicaid. “Quantitative data is important,” said Harrington. “But the stories and experiences matter too and paired with qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and listening sessions, we’re able to provide more nuanced insight into the needs of North Carolina’s children and families.”
The information in the new Data Center is primarily pulled from publicly available sources provided by agencies and entities such as NC DHHS, the U.S. Census Bureau, NC DPI, the North Carolina Healthcare Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the UNC Jordan Institute for Families.
However, there are additional measures included in the Center that are not otherwise easily and publicly accessible, such as the number of pediatric behavioral health visits by county, percentage of subsidy eligible children served by county, and the number of child care facilities over time by county, among others.
In addition to the Data Center, NC Child publishes annual County Data Cards and subject-specific reports, as well as partners with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine to co-publish the NC Child Health Report Card.
“No matter where someone lives in our state, they should be able to find out how the children in their community are faring,” said Smith. “Our data products help shine a light on where our collective efforts are succeeding and where we can do better by our babies.”
You can access the data center online at ncchild.org/data-center.
About NC Child
NC Child is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for public policies that improve the lives of all North Carolina children. As the state’s only multi-issue child advocacy organization, NC Child’s work addresses policies that affect the whole child, including health and well-being, early childhood education, and family economic security. NC Child is also a leading source of state-level research and data on the issues affecting children and families, and the organization serves as a trusted and reliable source for policymakers and other child advocates across the state. For more information, visit ncchild.org.
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