Panel preview: new county‑level ‘well‑being pathway’ tool to highlight local strengths and bright spots

Researchers and partners working with the Kansas Children's Cabinet previewed a new online Well‑Being Pathway that uses publicly available data to produce county‑level snapshots across six strengths‑based dimensions and offers community actions and examples to inform local planning.
Megan Chiesick of the KU Center for Public Partnerships and Research and Kayla Byers, affiliated with Florida State University and KU CPPR, demonstrated the tool and described its orientation toward strengths, family and community input, and locally actionable resources. Chiesick said the pathway aggregates multiple indicators into an index and intentionally avoids deficit language, noting the tool shows "how many children are not [in negative circumstances] and how many children are faring well." The six dimensions are family and household, community environment, health, education and financial (as presented during the demo).
Why it matters: Panel members said a strengths‑based, county‑level view could help communities pinpoint local needs and copy proven approaches. The pathway will include "take action" suggestions, links to resources and a place to submit local bright spots for statewide visibility.
Timing and usage: Presenters said the pathway was intended as a living tool; the team planned a public rollout in September and a webinar walkthrough for the All In for Kansas Kids audience. Bright spots and the data behind indicators will be updated over time; the presenters asked panelists to submit local bright spots via a short survey the team circulated.
Discussion vs. decisions: The session was informational; there was no formal vote. Panelists asked how the site would be promoted and were told the team will distribute shareable material and post the resource on the Children's Cabinet site and the All In for Kansas Kids listserv.
Next steps: The presenters requested help from panel members to collect and submit bright spots and to circulate the tool when it goes live. The team plans to publish county pages, update indicators as new data become available, and highlight Kansas and national examples.