Between January 2019 and October 2020, PolicyLab collaborated with the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning to complete the 2020 Family Support Needs Assessment, which describes a wide range of social, environmental, and health factors impacting the well-being of children, families and communities in Pennsylvania.   

For this robust report, the team utilized numerous data collection methods, such as community surveys and stakeholder interviews, to categorize the state’s 67 counties as having low, moderate or elevated need across six domains: maternal and child health, socioeconomic status, substance use, child safety and maltreatment, community environment and child care. Additionally, the report spotlights local service providers who are making a difference in addressing the elevated needs of their communities.

Read the needs assessment and summary document, which outlines the report’s main findings as well as how local leaders can utilize the assessment to better support their communities, on Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services' website, and visit our partner toolkit that includes key messages, social media posts and graphics to share with your networks.