| Penn-Philly Partnership: Kids Integrated Data System (KIDS) |
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April 10, 2007, Volume 53, No. 29
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The William Penn Foundation has awarded a three-year, $600,000 grant to the University of Pennsylvania in support of the Kids Integrated Data System (KIDS).
Drawing on individual databases maintained by separate municipal agencies, KIDS links the records of individual children from birth to age 21 to provide researchers with population-based information that enables them to identify critical needs, evaluate current programs, and develop improved services. The product of an unprecedented collaboration among the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and Penn, KIDS is one of the only fully-integrated archival data systems in the U.S.
KIDS was initiated by three Penn faculty members: Dr. John Fantuzzo, Dr. Dennis Culhane, and Dr. Trevor Hadley. These researchers represent a multidisciplinary effort among the Graduate School of Education, the School of Social Policy and Practice, and the School of Medicine, respectively.
“From the very beginning of this project, it has been our goal to incorporate KIDS within the City of Philadelphia and the University. With this grant from the William Penn Foundation, we’ll be able to work with our partners to establish KIDS as a sustainable resource within the city,” Dr. Fantuzzo, said.
Designed to enable KIDS to be self-supporting, the grant will help the University develop the KIDS Research Service Center. The Center will provide data and consulting resources for University and Philadelphia agency researchers. Among the anticipated outcomes locally are an increase in KIDS researchers, the development of research projects from city agencies, and community-wide dissemination of research findings. Another important outcome is to see KIDS replicated in other municipalities around the country.
The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that foster rich cultural expression, strengthen children’s futures, and deepen connections to nature and community. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance a vital, just and caring community. |
