For immediate release
New Stepping Stones report highlights opportunities and challenges facing children and families in Charlottesville and Albemarle County
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The 2026 Stepping Stones Report, regional data report examining the well-being of children and families across Charlottesville and Albemarle County, provides trend data for more than 30 indicators across four interconnected areas: Education; Economic and Family Stability; Health; and School and Community Disciplinary Actions, offering a comprehensive, data-informed picture of the experiences and conditions shaping young people in the region.
Produced through a collaboration between the Center for Community Partnerships at UVA and the departments of human services for both the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, the latest Stepping Stones report aims to support a shared understanding of where our community is headed, encourage conversation, and inform actions that improve the lives of local children and families.
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Findings from the 2026 report reflect both areas of progress and ongoing disparities:
- Education: Local school divisions continue to exceed state averages in postsecondary enrollment, with approximately 66% of Charlottesville City Schools graduates and 72% of Albemarle County Public Schools graduates enrolling in two- or four-year institutions.
- Economic and Family Stability: Child poverty rates have declined in recent years, with Charlottesville reaching 15%, its lowest level in a decade, and Albemarle remaining near 7%, though the lower percentage reflects a larger number of children due to the county’s higher population.
- Health: Access to early prenatal care has improved, with more than 80% of pregnant individuals in both the city and county receiving care in the first trimester — a rate higher than the overall rate in Virginia.
- School and Community Disciplinary Actions: In both Charlottesville and Albemarle, youth arrest rates for violent crimes have trended downward since 2010, remaining below statewide averages, and reaching around one arrest per 1,000 youth in recent years.
“Together, these findings highlight the importance of sustained, cross-sector collaboration to maximize our impact,” says Kaki Dimock, chief human services officer for Albemarle County. “We do better by our community when we work in collaboration across jurisdictions, boundaries, lanes, types of organizations, and styles. These findings also show that good things happen when we have a shared, long-term vision of what it means to thrive.”
“The Stepping Stones report reflects a shared commitment to using accessible, community-centered data to guide policy, programs, and partnerships,” says Misty Graves, director of the Charlottesville Department of Human Services. “By bringing together local and state data sources, we can celebrate progress, galvanize support, and direct resources to emerging challenges as a region. Transparency, reflected in this report, allows local governments and agencies to continue to build trust with our community.”
The full 2026 Stepping Stones report is available online and as a PDF at: https://communitypartnerships.virginia.edu/research/stepping-stones-2026-report
Additional information about the Stepping Stones initiative is available at: https://communitypartnerships.virginia.edu/stepping-stones
About the Charlottesville Department of Human Services
The City of Charlottesville's Department of Human Services (DHS) was created in 2010 to serve as a human services policy advisor to the City Manager in order to implement the social policy initiatives of the Charlottesville City Council. The vision of the Charlottesville City DHS is to serve as the community’s premier provider in meeting the therapeutic needs of youth and families, supporting the community’s efforts to improve equity, and address poverty and its impacts.
Charlottesville DHS provides a variety of services and programs that improve and support the resilience, health, and well-being of youth, families, residents and community organizations. They support initiatives that make a positive impact on youth development, juvenile justice involvement, foster care, financial stability, housing stability, re-entry and community well-being.
About Albemarle County Human Services Programs
Albemarle County Human Services Programs include the Department of Social Services, the Office of Housing, which includes an affordable policy division and a housing voucher division, the Human Services Response Team (HART), and programs aimed at improving community access and engagement in county services. These services are unified by an interest in improving Albemarle County’s well-being and resilience.
About the Center for Community Partnerships
In 2019, the community was called upon to explore how the University of Virginia could pursue its goal of being both great and good — and they answered. More than 3,000 survey respondents emphasized that the University should build on the experiences and insights of students, faculty, staff, and community members alike.
As an anchor institution aspiring to be a good neighbor, the University has committed to intentionally applying its place-based economic power and human capital in partnership with the local community to benefit the long-term well-being of both. The Center for Community Partnerships plays an important role in carrying out this mission. Our work continues to evolve as we seek to form new partnerships and engage with our neighbors in response to identified needs and shared opportunities.
