The Strong Start Index

Using Vital Birth Records to Promote Equity

The Strong Start Index uses information from birth records to summarize the conditions into which children are born in California.
Recorded for every birth in the state
vs. sampled or estimated
Collected on an ongoing basis
vs. project-specific
Specific to families with newborns
vs. inferred information from adults
Multidimensional
vs. focused on one indicator
Centered on a family unit
vs. about or collected from adults
Hyper-local
vs. only available at a state or county level

Holistic, consistently updated, and related to real life outcomes, the Strong Start Index furthers our understanding of the distribution of resources, highlights disparities, and facilitates more equitable investment.

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