Tool 1-1. Community Needs Assessment
Rate of selected measures
in my community
Outcome
Measures chosen
(pick several from list
in each category)
Demographic
measures (not
an outcome)
 Number of children under 5
years of age
 Number and % of people in
poverty
 Number of children under
age 5 in poverty
 % of children in single-parent
families
Child
development
and school
readiness
 Child scores on measures of
cognitive development, such
as the Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test or the
Woodcock-Johnson
assessments
 % of homes with a positive
home learning environment
 Preschool participation rate
 Measures of elementary
school academic
achievement; for example,
test scores
 Rate of grade retention
 Rate of high school
graduation
Child health
 Rate of low birth weight
 Rate of preterm birth
 Rate of infant mortality
 Child scores on mental
health and physical health
survey scales
 Infant sleep environment
Data sources
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Rate of
selected
measures
in my
comparison:
How did the
community do
relative to the
comparison?
Priority
(enter high,
medium, or
low)
Rate of selected measures
in my community
Outcome
Measures chosen
(pick several from list
in each category)
Family
economic
selfsufficiency
 % of parents in education or
training
 % of parents with high school
diploma/GED
 % of parents employed
 Hours per week of parent
employment
 % of parents receiving food
stamps
 % of parents with income
above poverty line
Linkages and
referrals
 % of families referred to
services (housing
assistance, Medicaid, job
skills training)
 % of desired services that
were received
Maternal
health
 Maternal scores on mental
health survey scales and
physical health survey scales
 % of mothers with access
to/use of prenatal health care
 Rate of low birth weight
 Rate of preterm birth
 % of mothers who smoke
 % of mothers who use illegal
substances
 % of mothers with access
to/use of contraceptives
 % of mothers with adequate
social support
Data sources
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Rate of
selected
measures
in my
comparison:
How did the
community do
relative to the
comparison?
Priority
(enter high,
medium, or
low)
Rate of selected measures
in my community
Outcome
Measures chosen
(pick several from list
in each category)
Positive
parenting
practices
 % of parents who read to
child daily
 Reading frequency
 Scores on environmental
ratings scales, such as the
Home Observation for
Measurement of the
Environment (HOME) scale
 Percentage of parents using
harsh parenting strategies
Child
maltreatment
 Family involvement with
Child Protective Services
(CPS)
 Number confirmed cases of
child maltreatment per 1,000
children
 % of children who have ever
had injury needing medical
care
 % of parents using harsh
parenting strategies
 % of children hospitalized for
trauma
 % of children hospitalized for
ambulatory care
Data sources
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Rate of
selected
measures
in my
comparison:
How did the
community do
relative to the
comparison?
Priority
(enter high,
medium, or
low)
Rate of selected measures
in my community
Outcome
Juvenile
delinquency,
family
violence, and
crime
Measures chosen
(pick several from list
in each category)
Data sources
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Rate of
selected
measures
in my
comparison:
 % of families with restraining
orders
 % of families referred to
family court
 Number of arrests,
convictions, and days in jail
for family members
 Rates of children or
adolescents sent to youth
corrections
 % of families with any
domestic violence
NOTE: Not all measures listed in this table will be available at the community level for all communities.
How did the
community do
relative to the
comparison?
Priority
(enter high,
medium, or
low)