2019 Price Social Innovation Summit
Last week, the CDN had the privilege of being represented by Drs. Regan Foust and Jacquelyn McCroskey at the Price Social Innovation Summit: Pathways to Opportunity. The conference was built around the premise that the zip code in which one grows up should not be a primary determinant of life outcomes. The Price Center held the conference to explore new approaches to increasing opportunity for low-income residents through education, policies to support strong and stable families, and access to jobs for justice-involved individuals.
Jacquelyn and Regan were joined by panelists Linda Aragon, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Division of Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health; Armando Jimenez, Director of Measurement, Learning, & Evaluation for First 5 LA; and Carrie Miller, Assistant Executive Director of the Office of Child Protection. The panel discussed how data partnerships are working to strengthen families. Carrie focused on LA County’s recent plan — Paving the Road to Safety for Our Children: A Prevention Plan for Los Angeles County — that engages the community in prevention efforts to strengthen families and reduce the need for intervention from child protective services. Linda detailed the work the County Department of Public Health has done to expand home visiting programs and Jacquelyn described the efforts the Policy Roundtable for Child Care and Development has done to expand access to ECE.
Regan presented the California Strong Start Index, a new tool developed by the CDN and the First 5 Association to help communities more efficiently and equitably allocate resources. By organizing information available on the birth record, the California Strong Start Index summarizes the conditions into which children are born in California. Mapping that information facilitates the identification of communities where additional services and supports could promote equity. The Index also has potential to better steward pubic funds and standardize community needs assessments.
The CDN was grateful for the opportunity to share how we are using data to strengthen families and to learn from our colleagues as they pursue to same goal. Please refer to this Policy Brief for more information.