Community Brief 2025
Welcome to KConnect’s Community Brief, your window into the work of systems change across Kent County. Here you’ll find updates on shared strategies, data insights, and stories from partners who are working together to create a future where every child and family can thrive, no matter their starting point. This brief highlights both progress and opportunities, reminding us that lasting change happens when people, organizations, and data move forward together.
Salvador López, President & CEO
A Letter From Our President & CEO
In a time marked by deep uncertainty and increasing polarization, KConnect has remained grounded in our mission: to reimagine systems so they work for everyone. We’re investing in cross-sector partnerships, advancing a shared policy agenda, and continuing to elevate lived experience as essential expertise in designing and delivering systems-level change.
Thank you for walking alongside us. Whether you are a partner, a parent, a policymaker, or a young person advocating for a better future, you are the reason this work matters.
At KConnect, we use the following three words to describe our work. Explore how we embody these ideas.
Curious
Exploring, analyzing, and visualizing data that few organizations can or are willing to explore
Using this data to encourage others to ask questions that have previously been unasked
Gathering knowledge and opinions from cross-sector partners with various perspectives
Fostering conversation between community members, partners, organizations, government, and philanthropy that may not typically find themselves seated at the same table
Creative
Developing innovative solutions to close disparity gaps along the prenatal to career continuum
Fostering a culture of innovation that benefits from creative thinking, experimentation, and risk-taking
Experimenting and creating innovative strategies, frameworks, and tools that are new to the community or focus area
Working to make invisible systems visible, fostering a sense of belonging, and crafting solutions for our shared future
Courageous
Challenging the status quo to change systems and structures that perpetuate disparities by disrupting norms, sharing stories, and highlighting applicable data
Being open and willing to address the root causes of these systemic inequities, which tackles the deep-rooted issues that can upset some system leaders and organizations
Addressing inequities by confronting those who uphold an unjust system
Embracing uncertainty and taking risks when developing solutions to complex problems
Acknowledging or owning that failure is a part of a courageous process
What to Expect in the 2025 Brief
2025 Data Scorecard
Our data scorecard tracks key indicators from prenatal to career, giving the community a clear picture of where progress is being made and where disparities remain. By making this information accessible, we equip partners and residents with the knowledge needed to drive informed action and accountability.
Collective Impact in Action
Dive into examples of Collective Impact in action, where KConnect and its partners are reshaping systems across Kent County. From strengthening the educator pipeline and advancing workforce opportunities to supporting business ownership and youth justice reform, this work centers community voice and drives strategies that create lasting, equitable change.
Team, Board, & Fellow Highlights
Our people make KConnect’s vision come alive. This section celebrates the milestones, leadership, and fresh energy our board members, staff, and fellows bring to the work. Their stories remind us that systems change is powered by passionate individuals working together.
