New Data Dashboard Sheds Light on Children’s Well-Being

Advocates and researchers hope a new online tool will inspire solutions to issues faced by keiki throughout the state.

“More than 11,000 children under age 5 live in Hawaiʻi County. One in 10 Big Island students are English language learners. And over 40% of all renters in the county have a housing cost burden,” a press release from Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network said. “These are just a few of the insights from the new Hawaiʻi KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard, an interactive website that publishes statewide and county level data on the well-being of Hawaiʻi’s children.”

The new dashboard is the result of a partnership between Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, a nonprofit committed to advocating for children, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center on the Family.

“This project gives the public and decision-makers a clearer picture of how keiki are faring across the state,” Deborah Zysman, executive director of Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, said in the press release. “We hope this data dashboard will spark conversations and inspire solutions to ensure all children and families in Hawaiʻi can thrive.”

The Hawaiʻi KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard provides high-quality data on 19 metrics. Each indicator also includes a chart showing how it has changed with time.

“The dashboard allows users to see how counties are doing on various aspects of child well-being compared to the state, which may be helpful in assessing areas that are doing well and where improvements are needed,” Ivette Rodriguez Stern, junior specialist at the UH-Mānoa Center on the Family, said in the press release.

The dashboard compiles data from various state and national sources, and it will be updated to reflect the latest information. Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network and the UH-Mānoa Center on the Family also invite suggestions from the public for additional data to track.

Hawaiʻi KIDS COUNT is part of the national KIDS COUNT network, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. More state and county level data is available at the national KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard.

For more information about Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, click here.