KIDS COUNT, USVI

KIDS COUNT USVI

In January 2020, St. Croix Foundation was invited to lead KIDS COUNT in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A national initiative launched by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1990, through KIDS COUNT, SCF is building upon over 15 years of strategic investments in Youth and Education. Our overarching KIDS COUNT strategy is to identify ‘Hot Spots’ as well as ‘Bright Spots’ of child well-being through the collection and reporting of current, comprehensive, and contextual data that captures the lived experiences of our youngest residents.

The Foundation’s first publication was the 2020 KIDS COUNT USVI Snapshot entitled Building Level Pathways for Our Children, which outlined SCF’s strategy as the new stewards of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ KIDS COUNT Initiative. In 2021, we published our first official Data Book, highlighting a particularly overlooked subpopulation of our children: adolescents who are commonly referred to as Opportunity Youth (aged 16 to 24). And, seeking to tell a holistic and complete story, we are incorporating data from nonprofits and youth-centered organizations that provide critical services to children and families.

Recognizing that data by itself is insufficient to improve the welfare of our children, the Foundation is committed to leveraging the information gained through KIDS COUNT USVI to inform sound public policy, to encourage community advocacy, and to cultivate ‘systems thinking.’ Leaning on our civic, public, and private sector partnerships, SCF’s long-term goal is to use the data we collect to identify opportunities to reduce vulnerabilities, build reinforced safety nets, and improve overall outcomes for all children in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

KIDS COUNT USVI Publications

To access our KIDS COUNT USVI publications, please click on the links below. To request a hard copy, contact the Foundation at staff@stxfoundation.org 340.773.9898.

About KIDS COUNT and the Annie E. Casey Foundation

KIDS COUNT is a network of nonprofits, foundations, and consortiums from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Launched in 1990 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national philanthropy focused on child well-being, KIDS COUNT provides data about child well-being at the federal, state, and local levels to catalyze informed policies and decision-making. KIDS COUNT grantees are tasked with disseminating their findings publicly through a local data book annually.