City demonstrates prototype map linking library programs, kindergarten readiness and opportunity‑youth data

City staff presented a prototype educational‑outcomes data visualization to the Educational Opportunities Committee on April 21 that overlays program participation (San Antonio Public Library story‑time and Let’s Play) with measures such as kindergarten readiness, third‑grade reading proficiency and opportunity‑youth concentrations.

Presenter Alex (city staff) described three prototype milestones and demonstrated successive map layers: a base map of kindergarten‑readiness percentages by district, a layer showing library event locations and attendance, and a combined view aggregating participation by school district. For third‑grade reading and opportunity‑youth measures, staff used available datasets (some single‑year) and noted geographic boundaries differ by dataset (school districts vs. PUMAs). Alex described technical capabilities—hover/click drilldowns and address‑level overlays where available—and cautioned about data limitations when attendance is recorded only at event location rather than participants’ home address.

Council members offered feedback on utility and possible next steps: add county and program layers, use PUMA boundaries to avoid smoothing over intra‑district variation, and include interactive hover details showing event names and attendance. One council member said the Southwest and South sides of the city appeared highlighted on the prototype and urged layering school district investments to inform targeted outreach. Library staff (Dale) noted that library event data collection intentionally avoids barriers to participation and so lacks participant addresses for privacy and access reasons.

Next steps: staff will refine prototypes, explore additional datasets and clarify which layers can responsibly be shown publicly while preserving privacy. The committee encouraged continuing to develop an interactive tool to support targeted program investments.