Do we have a vital or a vulnerable community? In partnership with our colleagues at Orange Sparkle Ball, we have been taking deep dives into the multi-disciplinary world of ecosystems, networks and community. Through exploratory research, data science, and field-based practice across sectors, we are focused on developing novel insights and actionable strategies for ecosystem leaders and innovators. In this feature, we propose a taxonomy of network resilience.

Through analysis of social care networks, we furthered our understanding of how network structures underpin the strength and resilience of systems. We found that networks combining a scale-free distribution with small-world clustering and distinct roles for hubs and spreaders were most common. This consistently enables communication and resource-sharing among partners but leaves the network vulnerable if a critical node or hub is lost. Read more about the work we presented at the 2024 Sunbelt Conference with our partners at Orange Sparkle Ball and KU Social Innovation Lab.

Building ecosystems involves aligning all elements of such an undertaking, including diverse people, organizations, perspectives, and values, in the service of large-scale equitable change. The investment of time, resources, and social capital needed to bring together a network of people and organizations in the service of something bigger is extensive. Validating that it was worth it requires outcomes and impact.

Recent research suggests that community resilience is a dynamic process capable of protective properties. We present a study on social care networks showed that network cohesion as a key predictor of community-wide health and well-being outcomes.

States for the Future is a data to policy network dedicated to empowering states for a resilient future. It’s a dynamic network of state policy professionals and organizations working to inform next generation efforts with data, research, and policy in areas that impact all - civic engagement and democracy, health and well-being, water and energy, education and workforce.

To ensure access to early care and education services and for the services themselves to be equitable and effective in meeting the needs of children and families, the Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust will be working with state agencies and several data systems to identify the distinct number of children being served in programs at the state and local level.

Developing cross-sector referral networks can be an effective way of addressing community-level health and well-being outcomes.

Many technical projects in the public and social sector fail at the adoption and utilization stage because the technology wasn’t designed to solve a problem people have - it was designed to fill a technical specification.

Community resilience requires data to be shared for the greater good.

Building community resilience actively repairs the social fabric that connects people to each other and alters collective health and well-being trajectories for the better.

Technology can play a role in transformative change in communities.

Adaptation and recovery are intrinsically linked to the health and wellness of a community or individual, and measuring the link between community resilience and a community’s health is a point of key importance.

Social network analysis (SNA) is a technique used to analyze social networks, whether it be composed of people, organizations, physical locations, or objects. It is being increasingly applied across a variety of sectors to gain insight into patterns of behavior and connectivity, the flow of information and behaviors, and to track and predict the effectiveness of interventions or programs.

Social sector organizations have long sought to share, integrate, and use their combined data to achieve collective goals and solve common pain points.

Tech-Enabled Community Resilience is a model for harnessing the power of networks in a community ecosystem to influence and change social and health outcomes.

The Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust is conducting a long-term study that will link Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) program data with data from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to identify the most effective systems approach in preventing child maltreatment as well as studying the long-term impact of prevention-focused services and their ability to secure equitable outcomes for children and families in Kansas.

The Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust is designed to turn insight into action for children, families, providers, communities, and agencies in Kansas.

This 3-year case study on inclusive ecosystems explores the role of child care business owners and community supports in the growth of the child care entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Working with communities to provide implementation support, building collaboration across systems, and facilitating conversations among partners regarding accountability is integral to establishing a connected community.