Examples from the Field: Creating a New Role within the City

Pasadena, CA: The City of Pasadena is nestled at the base of the San Gabriel mountains, not far from downtown Los Angeles, and is known for its annual Rose Parade. It has a historical reputation as a tourist center and winter resort for the wealthy, though there are wide geographic disparities in wealth across the community.

As part of its commitment to the well-being of its youngest residents, Pasadena invested in assessing the developmental health of children entering PUSD Kindergarten using the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in the 2012-13 and 2016-17 school years. The 2013 EDI results were foundational to planning efforts to improve the well-being of Pasadena’s 0-5 population.

Early findings of the EDI helped fuel the city to adopt a resolution to become an “Early Learning City” with a goal of improving outcomes for children born into “Generation Alpha” – kids born between 2010 and 2025.

Within Pasadena, this resolution led to the establishment of a new and independent Office for the Young Child  within the City. This Office coordinated a cross-sector effort to use the EDI and other key indicators to develop the City’s multi-year Early Childhood Development Master Plan and carry out a city-level cross- department engagement for early childhood. More recently, the City of Pasadena has used the EDI to engage parents in process of informing the formation of an early childhood hub network called Growing Together PASadena.

About Examples from the Field

Examples from the Field is a series of stories and case studies from communities that partner with the Data Informed Futures team that explores how communities use population-level measures on children’s well-being throughout the life course. This series of case studies is featured in our brief, Equity from the Start.

Explore the full Equity from the Start Brief

About Data Informed Futures

An initiative of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities, Data Informed Futures (previously TECCS) offers unique, neighborhood-level data and mapping – throughout the course of a child’s life – that reveal geographic patterns of disparity and resilience. Since 2012, Data Informed Futures has helped over 90 different local communities in more than 18 states.

Our new, integrated suite of linked data tools provides a comprehensive picture and understanding of children’s development and well-being from pre-K through middle school. This data, along with our support and coaching, enable community leaders and partners to conceive, “sell” and implement meaningful changes that improve children’s health and well-being. To learn more about our work and impact, please visit healthychild.ucla.edu/datainformedfutures.

Learn more about Data Informed Futures