Supportive Neighborhoods

King County (2017)

Photo Courtesy of COO/BSK

Whether young King County children live in safe and supportive neighborhoods was one subject of the Best Starts for Kids Health Survey in 2016-2017. Parents and guardians of children aged six months to 5th grade were asked if, in their neighborhood, people watch out for each other’s children, help each other, know where to go for help, and whether the child is safe in their neighborhood and school. The survey found that over 8 in 10 (84%) King County children lived in a supportive neighborhood.

• Race and ethnicity: The Best Starts for Kids survey was constructed to capture the rich tapestry of racial and ethnic diversity of King County’s communities; respondents could choose from 17 categories to describe their child’s race. The survey found that Black or African-American children were less likely than the King County average to live in supportive neighborhoods, at 70% (see the results for “Child’s detailed race/ethnicity” above).

• Region and school district: Children in East (94%) and North (92%) Regions were more likely to live in supportive neighborhoods than children in Seattle (82%) and South (77%) regions. Almost all children in some school districts lived in supportive neighborhoods: children living in the Bellevue (94%) (in East Region) and Northshore (95%) (in North Region) school districts were more likely to live in supportive neighborhoods than the King County average. Information by school district is currently limited; we will have more complete data by school district after our survey is repeated in coming years.

• Parent’s age: Children whose parents or caregivers were 24 years old or younger were less likely than the King County average to live in supportive neighborhoods, at 61%.

• Parent’s health: The children of parents whose own health was fair or poor were less likely to live in supportive neighborhoods than those whose parent’s health was excellent or very good (76% and 89%, respectively).

• Income: Children living in higher-income households are more likely to live in supportive neighborhoods. Almost 9 of 10 (89%) children in households earning $50,000 a year or more live in supportive neighborhoods, while just over 7 of 10 (72%) children in households earning less than $50,000 live in such neighborhoods (data not shown).

For more information on King County’s voter-approved initiative to put every child and youth on a path toward lifelong success, visit Best Starts for Kids. We will update this page when new results are available after surveys are repeated in 2019.

To further explore data about supportive neighborhoods, click on the links below to view information about each of the following neighborhood qualities:

• Child is safe at school

• Child is safe in the neighborhood

• People help each other

• People know where help is available

• People watch out for each other’s children