{"id":100775,"date":"2023-06-27T09:32:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T14:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=100775"},"modified":"2023-06-27T09:32:32","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T14:32:32","slug":"kidsights-data-releases-tool-report-on-childhood-development-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/06\/27\/kidsights-data-releases-tool-report-on-childhood-development-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Kidsights Data releases tool, report on childhood development"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kidsights Data<\/a>, an initiative to generate population-level data on the development of children from birth to 5, has completed a pilot in Nebraska. The initiative, located in the UNMC College of Public Health, is releasing a report titled \u201cNebraska Spotlight:\u200b Key Findings that Highlight Connections Among Early Childhood Development, Families and Communities,\u201d<\/a> with groundbreaking data for understanding how infants and children are developing in a defined geographic area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early childhood development is critical for lifelong health, learning and well-being, yet there has been no measurement that offers a population view into how children ages birth to 5 are developing until now. The goal of Kidsights Data is to validate and build demand for adoption and use of a population-based early childhood measurement tool that tracks development in young children in the United States, establishing new insights into the early years that encourages data-driven decision making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Kidsights Data initiative is unique in several critical ways, including the ability to learn how infants and children are developing from birth to 5,\u201d said Abbie Raikes, PhD, lead author and UNMC associate professor of health promotion. \u201cUntil now, we had no way to determine how our youngest children, at the population level, are developing. The data generated from the Kidsights Measurement Tool, along with the publication of the data, is an incredibly important moment for the field of early childhood and our partnerships with parents, schools, cities and policymakers \u2013 locally and nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through use of the Kidsights Measurement Tool, data is collected and analyzed, offering meaningful applications for early childhood and governmental leaders and providing new data on young children that can help inform policy and programmatic decisions at the state- and community-level. Insight into how infants, toddlers and children are developing will advance understanding of how communities, cities and states track the developmental trends and how strategic investments can address areas where data shows further supports are needed. Kidsights Data brings insights into blind spots facing families, early childhood professionals and community and government leaders.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat happens in the early years lays the foundation for long term health, education and well-being,\u201d said Joan Lombardi, PhD, director of the Early Opportunities Initiative<\/a> and a senior scholar in child development. \u201cWhat Dr. Raikes and her UNMC team have accomplished in Nebraska is an exciting step forward in our understanding of the needs of young children, how to support families and how policymakers can respond accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kidsights Measurement Tool was developed and tested for the first time in Nebraska, with partnership from the World Health Organization, the Health Services and Resources Administration of the federal Department of Health and Human Services and funding from early childhood foundations in the United States. The new report offers evidence on child development that generalizes to the population of Nebraska children, aged birth to 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See frequently asked questions about Kidsights Data and the report.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a representative sample of more than 2,500 Nebraska families, Kidsights documents the many successes, and some challenges, of raising young children in Nebraska. Highlights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n