CTData 2023 Annual Report

We are thrilled to share the exciting work we did last year! Discover the inspiring accomplishments of the Hartford Youth Fellows, our partnership with the Connecticut Department of Public Health on population estimates, our events for data users, and so much more. Join us in celebrating the remarkable growth and progress we achieved together!

A message from Michelle Riordan-Nold

2023 was another banner year for CTData! In 2023, we developed our first strategic plan. Moving forward, CTData will be building and growing in two areas where we have expertise and feel we can best support the social sector – data capacity building and research and analysis. Check out our updated mission and read the full letter here!

CTData Becomes an NNIP Partner!

Driven by the track record and commitment to improve data literacy, the use of data, and the involvement of residents – including youth – in the development of data to improve lives in Hartford, CTData has been accepted as a partner in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, one of the nation’s premier organizations in the field.   

Empowering an Ecosystem of Data Users

As a result of our strategic planning process, we recognized that the work of The Hartford Data Collaborative, CTData Academy, and Data Strategic Planning are all working toward a cohesive goal: to support an ecosystem of data users that can ethically and responsibly use data to improve decision-making. Whether through providing data training to novice and advanced data users, advising organizations in how to improve their data collection, or providing coaching for improved data systems, we continue to support data professionals in Hartford and across the state.

Hartford Data Collaborative

In 2023 we celebrated our 75th signatory on our enterprisewide memorandum of understanding! We published our first report analyzing the City’s UNITY program to address the needs of Hartford children and youth after the pandemic. We also supported data analysis looking at the impact of support systems on returning citizens by Hartford’s Re-Entry Welcome Center. HDC also continues its work with the North Hartford Ascend Pipeline. Explore more here. 

Hartford Youth Data Fellows

We held our 2nd annual cohort of Hartford Youth Data Fellows with 10 youth from the city of Hartford. The youth presented their findings at an interactive data walk and were given a citation from State Representative Maryam Khan "…for engaging with community and city leaders to better understand city issues and resident needs…." The Fellows explored questions about 3-1-1 calls in Hartford, college preparedness, and more. Read more here.

CTData Strategic Planning

Since the launch of our social enterprise, CTData Strategic Planning, we have worked with 34 nonprofits through the support of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and The Connecticut Project. Participants increased their data knowledge, improved their organizational data culture and systems, and had important internal discussions about strategically collecting data (often for the first time). Access our Year in Review here.

CTData Academy

We held 20 workshops in 2023, with our partners including the Wallingford Public Library, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, and more. In our survey results, 97% of participants reported increased data literacy skills, 95% rated the workshops as good or excellent, and 92% said they would recommend the workshops to others. Read more here.

Equity in Data Community of Practice

Each month, data users from across the state gather to hear and share ideas about integrating equity into their data work. This year, we heard from over 20 speakers and held two unconference sessions where participants spoke in small groups about community-chosen topics. In our post-session surveys, 93% of participants said the topic was relevant to their work and 88% learned something new. Explore more and watch the sessions here!

Conference: Bridge the Data Gap

In 2023 we had unprecedented response to our conference. We had 175 people attend, with over 30 presenters from across the state. We brought in the then-Executive Director of the Black Wealth Data Center, Natalie Evans Harris, for our keynote. Conference participants learned new things (97%), gained new ideas they could apply (88%), and made new connections (78%). Watch the videos from the conference here.

Making data available for informed decision-making

In 2023, we updated several projects and launched some new ones. As ever, our goal is to ensure that people at with all levels of data literacy skills can access and use public data to inform programs, policies, and decisions. You can explore more on our Data Projects page.

PACE Portal: Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences in Connecticut

The PACE Data Platform is an interactive source for Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences (ACEs and PCEs) data in Connecticut. The goal of the PACE Platform is to provide ongoing, short-term, data that can be used by public health personnel, government leaders, and the public to inform health policies and prevention strategies directed to children and youth. We are grateful for our partnership with UCONN Health, the Center for Evaluation and Statistics, and the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood on this ground-breaking tool.

Voting Data Story and Dashboard: Voting Behavior in the 2019 Election

CTData collaborated with the Hartford Votes Coalition and the BSL Education Foundation to create data tools for Hartford organizations as part of the Hartford Public Giving’s Get out the Vote grant program. The group's questions and input formed the basis for a new neighborhood voter story and dashboard that explores both the voter participation and demographics at the neighborhood-level in Hartford.

 

Census State Data Center: Population Estimates and Analysis

As the Census State Data Center, we have partnered with the CT Department of Public Health to increase understanding about the Population Estimates and coordinated with consultants to update the estimate methodology for the state. We also have continued providing analysis and data on important topics.

Women & Girls: Elusive Equity Report

Two years after the first report, our newest Elusive Equity report, created in partnership with the Aurora Foundation, looks back and forward to ask how women and particularly women of color are navigating the post-pandemic economic landscape. We found that many of the gaps and inequities that existed pre-Covid still persist. Full report here.

Supporting communities through consulting projects

CTData partnered with over 20 organizations in a consulting capacity during 2023. We developed maps in Tableau, designed, implemented, and analyzed surveys, developed reports and infographics, provided customized data capacity building, and more. CTData works with organizations on projects that are mission-aligned, learning about their goals and challenges and developing solutions to help them make informed decisions. Read more below, and learn more on our Data Services page.

Providing Comprehensive Data Support to Community Action Agencies

In 2021, we began working with the nine Connecticut Community Action Agencies (CAAs) through the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) team of the CT Department of Social Services. We assessed their needs, provided customized workshops, and developed a needs assessment template and handbook. Read more.

Creating Infographics for Accessible Communication

Infographics are a common way to make the findings for a data exploration more accessible. CTData has created infographics for our nonprofit and state agency clients, as well as for our own work. Explore some of the infographics we created in 2023!

Conducting a Head Start Needs Assessment for the CT Office of Early Childhood

In the summer of 2023, the Connecticut Head Start Collaboration Office contracted with CTData to conduct their five-year needs assessment, including creating a survey, analyzing the responses, and compiling a report of the results. This information will be used to inform the Connecticut Head Start Collaboration Office strategic plan. Read more here.

Building a Data Platform to Explore Childhood Experiences in Connecticut

Understanding childhood experiences, both positive and negative, is important to inform public health policies and prevention strategies directed to children and youth. While data related to childhood experiences exists in various data sources, our goal was to create the first data platform in Connecticut to synthesize these data sources in a user friendly way, through the use of effective visualizations and interactive dashboards. Explore more here.

Thank You 2023 Partners!

In 2023, we worked with over 74 organizations in a variety of capacities. Take a look at our full list of 2023 partners here.

Thank You to Our Board!