For more than three decades, through the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® project, decisionmakers and communities have had access to reliable national, state, and local data to improve outcomes for all children, young people, and families in this country. KIDS COUNT comprises the foundation’s national KIDS COUNT publications—the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book and periodic reports such as Race for Results; the KIDS COUNT Data Center, a resource for year-round national, state, and local data; and the KIDS COUNT Network of state-based partner organizations that help policymakers, advocates, journalists, and community leaders understand and use data to make informed decisions.

I’ve spent most of my career working on KIDS COUNT and have come to appreciate the effectiveness of how these resources work together. I’ve learned that data are most valuable not simply because they exist, but because they are accessible, trusted, and useful to spark informed conversations and better decisions that improve the lives of people and communities.

None of this work would be possible without the nation’s public data infrastructure. Every KIDS COUNT child well-being indicator comes from federal statistical agencies. These data make it possible to understand how children and families are faring, identify emerging challenges, measure progress over time, and evaluate whether policies and investments are making a difference.

We often take public data for granted, but they are the foundation on which evidence-based policymaking rests. KIDS COUNT has taught me important lessons about building trust, strengthening partnerships, and helping people use data to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families.

Improving Data Infrastructure: Lesson No. 1

Local expertise is essential to turn data into action.

One of the greatest strengths of KIDS COUNT is that it brings together trusted information, accessible tools, and local expertise to elevate the issues affecting children, spark informed conversations, and support better decisions that improve child outcomes.

Read the full article about the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT® project by Florencia Gutiérrez at Grantmakers In Health.