State of the Detroit Child
Kids and Families DataThe State of the Detroit Child is designed to give you quick answers to questions you have about the well-being of Detroit’s kids, and kids across Michigan. From our Data University project, learn how to use the tool below.

State of the Detroit Child
Geographic Area Tool
High Level Overview
Who
Decision makers and advocates at every level, from policymakers and nonprofit organizations to individuals and families
Where
Michigan communities, cities, neighborhoods, and school systems
How
Using data from the American Community Survey and other state and local sources to provide information about families and children in specific geographies
What
Detailed data and general trends displayed through interactive visualizations that make them easy to understand
Why
To provide reliable, timely data and resources about the welfare and education of children in Detroit and across Michigan
How to Use This Tool
First, visit sdc.datadrivendetroit.org
State of the Detroit Child 2.0 provides three tabs at the top of the page to help you start your search for information:



1. How Are The Children?
- Each of these 11 points is a links to a graphic that allows you to navigate key data points of a Detroit child’s life through a chronological timeline.
- This is a good way to learn more about the types of questions that SDC can answer.
2. Explore by Geography
This tab lets you explore data available by geography in three ways:
- Use search bar to search by Michigan city or ZIP code
- Click “Search on a map or create your own profile” to access the locate and draw tools
- Click “See what other people have created” to see profiles created by other users

3. Explore by Topics
This tab provides a table of data topics, with each topic linking to a detailed page about available data and its source(s)
After clicking on “Search on a Map,” you can access data about a particular geography by searching on the map in one of two ways:
1. Explore an area around a specific location
Find information for the area surrounding an address:
- Click “Use your current location,” double-click a point on the map, or type the address you want to know more about
- Click your desired geography (e.g.: census tract, block group, zip code, etc.) from the list to see the data profile for that area


2. Draw a Custom Geographic Area:
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Create a geography!
- Click the “Draw” tab from the over-map menu.
- Select your desired geographic building block (e.g.: census tract, zip code) from the dropdown menu.
- Find and click the first point of your custom area to begin your shape. You can drag and zoom in or out on the map as needed.
- Click on additional points to “draw” a custom polygon line by line to cover your area!
Click the first point again when you’re done to “close” the shape. - Is your area too big or too small? You can add or remove geographies by clicking on them after making your shape.
- Click “Create Profile” to name and save your geographic area for you and others to quickly access for future use!
From here, you’ll be able to scroll down to see the Profile Page!
This page gives you a highly visual data summary under the map of your area.
You can jump to specific sections on the page by using the dropdown menu below the map.
Each section has permalink (chainlink) and back to top (up arrow) icons immediately underneath the title for easy navigation and bookmarking.
Want to learn more or explore a new geography? Click on the State of the Detroit Child logo in the top-left corner to return to the home page.
Now you have the basics, it’s time to exlore!
D3's Co.Lab
Co.act Detroit has partnered with nonprofits and business professionals from Southeast Michigan to offer free virtual consultation appointments with subject matter experts in a variety of fields. Each of our Tuesday Co.Lab sessions is dedicated to a different category of data topics. This allows our attendees to plan and register for the best session for answering their data questions!
Current Schedule
1st Tuesday: Data strategy and Management
2nd Tuesday: Housing and Neighborhoods
3rd Tuesday: Education and Early Childhood
4th Tuesday: Other Data Requests

Just AskD3!
