By Kaitlin Washburn
The Child Opportunity Index, or COI, is a measurement of the quality of resources and conditions in a neighborhood that impacts a child’s healthy development. For example, COI factors in whether a neighborhood has good schools, safe housing, access to healthy food, green spaces, clean air and economic opportunities.
Researchers and childhood development experts have identified certain conditions as key components to whether a child grows up into a healthy and productive adult.
The COI uses U.S. census tract data from 2012 to 2023. It comprises 44 indicators in three main domains: education; health and environment; and social and economic.
The child opportunity map can be accessed here. Users are able to plug in addresses to determine if the location has a high or low child opportunity index. They can also break down the data by census tract, ZIP code, county or state.
The measurement was developed in 2014 at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University.
The child opportunity index can be used by health reporters looking into how a child’s surroundings impact their development, health and overall wellbeing. A recent study used the COI to show how kids in disadvantaged ZIP codes have a heightened risk for being shot. We covered that study here.