Data Powers Programs to Help Girls Succeed
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Girls growing up in the United States face many barriers to their well-being, success, and safety. That’s why the mission of Girls Inc.’s after-school and summer programs is to develop the whole girl — physically, emotionally, and academically — so that every girl can receive the education she needs to be successful. Serving nearly 4,500 girls in the past 12 months, the Birmingham-based organization realized that its leadership needed more tools — specifically, technology tools — to make wise data-driven decisions.
Having reliable dashboards of our program goals and outcomes is important for the senior staff and board of directors. This project will help the agency’s leadership see the needs of the girls we serve in real time.
— Connie Hill, President & CEO of Girls Inc. of Central Alabama
Girls Inc. girls live healthy and active lifestyles and are less likely to engage in risky behavior; they are eager to learn, successful in school, and more likely to graduate from post-secondary education; and they display diligence, perseverance, and resilience.
With the TechBridge Dream Big Technology grant, Girls Inc. of Central Alabama will have a defined data strategy including the critical elements necessary to define the impact on the girls they serve. The Dream Big Technology Grant will allow Girls Inc. of Central Alabama to look at their data in new ways to improve mission delivery. Connie shared that Girls, Inc. of Central Alabama got its first exposure to data dashboards from its sister organization, Girls Inc. of the Valley. Valley’s use of a simple one-page dashboard for board members and staff resonated, and the National Girls Inc. organization also offers resources for data dashboards. Having done some preliminary work on data presentation, even just a few staff members could see the potential benefits
One of the anticipated outcomes of the TechBridge project is that it will help staff to see patterns and trends in enrollment so that they can target specific parts of the community for new services. Real-time data will make a huge impact on Girls Inc. Currently, each program facilitator is expected to input attendance and statistics for each girl’s specific programs, yet the largest part of facilitators’ days should be spent in the field teaching and inspiring girls. As Girls Inc. continues to expand its programs, simplifying the data collection will enable facilitators to focus on spending even more time with girls.
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