We congratulated our BSK data team last week on winning a national award for how equity framed the design and conduct of the BSK Health Survey. We also recently shared instructions on how to use the data visualizations that reflect our BSK data indicators. We are now excited to start sharing some of the data! Learn more below about what data is currently available and what to expect in the next few months.
This time last year, we were striving towards our vision of a Best Starts for Kids Health Survey as the first ever survey about the well-being, strengths, and needs of young children and their families in King County. Between September 2016 and January 2017, almost 6,000 families participated in the survey. Thanks to these families, we now have new and unique data that we will use to assess existing strengths and needs, plan interventions, and evaluate the BSK impact in the community.
First results are up!
We are excited to start sharing data! One of the long-term goals of BSK is to ensure that all children are flourishing and resilient. Until now, we have never had any data to directly measure this. What do we mean by flourishing? It refers to positive things we want BSK to promote —the multiple dimensions of physical health, mental and emotional health, caring, empathy and resilience. The first look at results from the BSK Health Survey shows that the majority of children 0 to 5 years are flourishing (92% met three or more criteria), compared to two out of every three children kindergarten to 5th grade that are flourishing (64% two or more criteria). BSK wants to ensure that every King County child is flourishing and resilient so it is important to understand where we are starting, as demonstrated in the graphics below:
View the full 0-5 year flourishing and resilient chart here. 
View the full K-5th grade year flourishing and resilient chart here.
Our BSK data team is thoughtfully analyzing this data and will soon share a brief summary with highlights and takeaways. You can play with the above data and more on the BSK interactive data website. If Tableau visual data charts are new to you, you will find helpful tips here.
How else will we be sharing data?
We want to share this data with you, our community, in a transparent way. Here’s what you can expect from us over the next 6 months:
BSK interactive data website: We want to publicly share all collected data. On the website, you can explore, identify, and pull relevant data. You can also download tables and images containing data.
Data briefs: We have heard that it’s important to not just share data but also to summarize important results and interpret what results mean. So, we will be developing short reports that focus on specific topics and will provide key takeaways. You can expect a report on flourishing and resilient children in late summer! Additional topics will include adverse childhood experiences, breastfeeding, and more. These will be in pdf form and can be a helpful resource when applying for BSK funding, designing and thinking about programming, or discussing community needs.
Blog posts: For every new data topic, you can expect a blog post that will share key findings.
Community data events: We will host a number of in person community gatherings later this summer. We have heard a strong desire for the community to be involved in data interpretation and community narratives. Come interact with the data in person, ask questions, and help us understand what the results mean to you. Look for more detail about these data events on the BSK blog in July.
How can I get involved and stay up to date?
- The best way to stay updated is to follow the BSK blog. Not a subscriber yet? Enter your email address into the box on the right hand side of this website and click the big button that says “Subscribe.”
- If you have questions, please email data@kingcounty.gov.
We did our best to integrate community feedback in the way we conducted the data survey, and we want to continue to listen to the community in how we distribute the data we collected. Do you have an opinion on how we can best share the data in a meaningful way for you and your community? Please share in the comment section below.