Leveraging Data to Examine Child Well-Being in Delaware

• Kelly Oberheim, Human Services, University of Delaware

• Janice Barlow, Biden School's Center for Community Research & Service, University of Delaware
• Erin Nescott, Biden School's Center for Community Research & Service, University of Delaware

Annually, the Annie E. Casey Foundation publishes a national data report on how the country’s children are faring across 16 indicators of child well-being spanning four domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. From this report, KIDS COUNT in Delaware publishes a companion piece calculating the number of children whose outcomes would need to be changed in order for Delaware to rank first in the nation in each indicator. This presentation details the data synthesis and calculations that went into producing the 2024 What Would It Take report for KIDS COUNT in Delaware, as well as tangential projects creating legislative resources and an article submitted to the Delaware Journal of Public Health’s edition on child development and education. Major findings from this research reveal that Delaware ranks 8th in the nation in economic well-being, 25th in child health, 32nd in family and community, 45th in education, and 31st in overall child well-being. Delaware has the lowest percentage of teenagers aged 16 to 19 not in school and unemployed in the country, leading the nation at a rate of just 3%. The state’s greatest calculated disparity is children in single-parent families, with Delaware home to 38,000 more children in single-parent families than the number one ranked state. Further advocacy based on this work should center data-driven decision-making, collaboration among stakeholders, and sustained investment in Delaware’s youth to promote optimal conditions for Delaware’s children to thrive.