Data Informed Futures

Knowledge and insights to transform children's lives.

Photograph of 9 kids sitting on the grass in front of a few trees outdoors at golden hour with Data Informed Futures logo applied as overlay on photo.

Our data empowers the advocates, allies and visionaries striving to transform children’s lives.

Data Informed Futures is a national initiative of UCLA’s Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities. We offer unique, neighborhood-level data and mapping about children’s well-being– throughout the course of their lives – that reveal geographic patterns of disparity and resilience. 

We believe the search for equity is driven by data.

Data Informed Futures offers an advanced suite of four holistic measures that assess well-being and community context over the course of children’s lives. Our holistic data about distinct communities, along with our team’s expert coaching and facilitation of a national learning network, enables community leaders and partners to advocate for meaningful changes that improve children’s health and well-being. Our measurement systems enable community partners to monitor children’s development across their life-span and to develop policies and practices that help children reach their full potential.

Learn About Our Measures

Photograph of mother holding her child in the foreground with a children's picture book in focus in the background.

CHEQ

Childhood Experiences Questionnaire

0-5 Years: Early Life Experiences

Using the Child Health Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ), parents provide important contextual information about children’s early experiences prior to kindergarten.

About the CHEQ

Photograph of a group of 7 smiling kids running down the hallway of their school with backpacks towards the camera.

EDI

Early Development Instrument

4-6 Years: Children’s Developmental Well-being

Using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), kindergarten teachers assess kindergarten readiness and children’s overall developmental well-being. The EDI reports on five domains of development: communication skills, language & cognitive skills, physical health & well-being, and emotional maturity, and is highly predictive of later academic success.

About the EDI

Photograph of four young kids sitting on a wall, all reading books or using electronic devices. Heads of children are omitted from the photo.

MDI

Middle-years Development Instrument

9-13 Years: Children’s Thoughts and Experiences

Using the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI), students share their thoughts and experiences inside and outside of school, providing important information about their psychological and social well-being.

About the MDI

Sky view of neighborhood with streets, houses, and cars in street.

NNEI

National Neighborhood Equity Index

Community Factors Contributing to Well-being

Using the National Neighborhood Equity Index (NNEI) in combination with the EDI and MDI helps identify geographic areas of resilience despite challenges in neighborhood equity. The NNEI is a composite measurement of 11 equity challenges associated with health development in children. These indicators (from Census information) include social, educational and economic factors.

About the NNEI

 

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View our Data

Community Data & Maps
90
Communities
18
States
500,000+
EDI Records

 

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Data that drives new opportunities for change.

As revealing as our findings are, what’s critical is how our partners use them to create new and powerful narratives that facilitate change.

Knowledge to Action

News

Data Informed Futures Staff

Tyler Cole

Tyler Cole

National Training and Data Collection Coordinator, Data Informed Futures