The Skillman Foundation, in partnership with Data Driven Detroit (D3), has launched the State of the Detroit Child, a new data tool to provide comprehensive, easy to access information about the well-being of Detroit’s children.

“Across our city and throughout our neighborhoods parents, community leaders, and city officials alike are working hard to create a Detroit where every child thrives,” Tonya Allen, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation said in a foundation blog. “But information that shows how a community is stacking up or falling behind can be complex, and access is often limited for those closest to issues and best able to develop solutions.”

That’s why the foundation launched the new platform which Allen says will provide data on Detroit children from birth to age 18 to help inform policymakers, foundations, nonprofits and community organizations, leading to targeted solutions.

“From third-grade literacy proficiency, to vital statistics on prenatal care and low birth weight, census data, and everything in between: when it comes to a holistic view of how Detroit is serving its children, the State of the Detroit Child platform represents a major step forward in providing the information necessary to build an equitable turnaround in Detroit’s neighborhoods,” Allen said.

This tool can provide useful data statewide, allowing you to use your current location, add a street address, a Michigan city, etc. to browse datasets for any community. It provides data from the ground level (census tract and zip code) to the bigger picture (city and congressional district) for any area in the state.

Here’s a snapshot of what we learned from browsing the tool:

• In Alpena, about 44 percent of third graders are proficient in Language Arts.

• In Cadillac, about 34 percent of children are living in poverty.

• In Lansing, nearly 22 percent of households receive food assistance, which is more than 1.5 times the rate statewide which is 14.1 percent.

• In St. Clair County, the educational attainment rate (high school degree or higher) is 89.5 percent.

While it lets you curate the data you want to view it also provides pre-populated topics you can view which includes veterans and the military; seniors; poverty; migration; health insurance and public assistance, to name a few.

“We are motivated by the learning and action the State of the Detroit Child platform has the power to create, and believe that opening access to the right information at the right time can play an important role in advancing informed decision making at every level,” Allen said.

The foundation said the tool is currently available in Beta form as they will be testing the tool and asking for feedback throughout the year.

Want more?

 Check out the State of the Detroit Child data tool.

Read more from Tonya Allen’s blog about the tool.