State of Flint Kids is focused on providing data you can trust, and data you can track over time.
We use data from many sources, including:
- The US Census American Community Survey
- Michigan’s Department of Community Health
- The Michigan school data reporting tool MISchoolData.org
- The Michigan Care Improvement Registry
- The Flint Registry’s Lead Free Reports
- Greater Flint Health Coalition programs
- The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- The Michigan State Police
- and many others
We screen data sources carefully, so that you can trust the information we provide. In general, to be included in State of Flint Kids, data must matter in the following ways:
- Say something about children’s health or factors related to health
- Measure something that can be improved or dealt with
- Provide information over time so change can be measured
- Be valid (measure what it says it does)
- Be reliable (measure it consistently)
- Provide data down to the Genesee County or Flint city level
On the dashboard’s Indicator Info page, you can find information about the dashboard’s data sources, often to the level of a web link or the specific census tables and columns used. Our hope is that the information can help you assess the data, and perhaps make suggestions as you review it.
We are very interested to hear your thoughts and suggestions about data sources, new indicators, and other reactions to State of Flint Kids! Please feel free to contact us.