St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) is pleased to announce that our 2022 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book, entitled “From Silos to Systems: Pathways to Child Well-being in the USVI,” was released on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at 11:00 AM AST during a Virtual Community Stakeholder Presentation open to the public.
A national initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), KIDS COUNT has evolved into one of the largest, long-standing data repositories in the United States focused on the status of children and families. A national network of nonprofits, foundations, and consortia from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, KIDS COUNT is seen as a vital means of providing critical data about child well-being for many federal, state, and local government agencies.
During its virtual data presentation on Dec. 14, 2022, SCF’s KIDS COUNT Team provided an overview of the 2022 USVI Data Book to Government and Nonprofit Partners and Community Stakeholders. The Data Book comprehensively reports on the status of U.S. Virgin Islands youth in four primary domains: Family and Community, Education, Health, and Economic Well-being. Additionally, KIDS COUNT USVI includes spotlights on Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24) and Community Bright Spots, which incorporates the territory’s nonprofit sector as a vital component of the USVI’s system of supports for children. An electronic copy of the Data Book is available at https://bit.ly/2022KidsCountUSVI. Interested parties may watch a recording of the presentation by visiting St. Croix Foundation’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/RXJcWEdxn-E.
The KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book includes data collected from the most current available data sources from the public and private sector throughout the territory. This year’s data book reports on conditions across all ages of childhood, with a special focus on adolescent “opportunity” youth in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some of the data is stark: 33% of children in the USVI are living in poverty. Among children five years of age and younger, poverty rates are higher across the territory: on the island of St. Croix, the poverty rate for children in this age group is 42%. But there are also incredible Bright Spots throughout the territory. Civic organizations such as My Brothers Workshop, Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls of the VI, Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, and many more are transforming the lives of youth in our community each day.
This year’s KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book frames the data around “Systems-thinking” to encourage collaboration across sectors and connect seemingly disparate data domains to better inform policy, programs, and services. St. Croix Foundation President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated, ”While there is much to be done in order for our children and families to truly thrive, our team has spent the better part of two years connecting the dots – first to understand each system as it exists, and then to identify potential opportunities to build newer more intersected systems.”
St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and to its many local partners from the public, private and civic sectors for their collaboration and commitment to children and families in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Foundation also thanks Global Giving for its generous, unwavering support of our work as well as the Office of the Governor. Questions about the initiative should be directed to President Deanna James of St. Croix Foundation at 340.773.9898 or djames@stxfoundation.org.