Same Sky · Appalachia · 13 states  ·  423 counties
Same Sky — Appalachia

These communities
have always known
what their children
need. It's time
to listen.

Same Sky Appalachia brings the voices of parents and caregivers across the region into the national conversation on children's health — because those voices belong there.

About the poll Our team

Appalachia is home to millions of children whose parents share the same hopes as parents everywhere.

But the national conversation rarely includes them. Same Sky is changing that.

Through community partnerships, direct listening, and rigorous polling, we are building evidence about what Appalachian families need — and making sure that evidence reaches the people who make decisions for children.

Why Appalachia

A region with a story to tell

Appalachia spans 423 counties across 13 states, as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. It is a region of deep community, long memory, and real resilience. It is also a region that has too often been spoken about rather than listened to.

"I was born in southern West Virginia, and my family has been there for generations. I know what it means to be from a place the country talks past, underestimates, and too often degrades. Same Sky exists, in part, because of that."

Same Sky's founder was born and raised in southern West Virginia. The researchers leading this work are from Appalachia too — shaped by these communities, connected to them in lasting ways. That is not incidental to what we are building. It is the foundation of it.

Appalachian parents want safe, healthy, educated children with a fair shot at a good life. Same Sky is here to make sure the country hears that — clearly, and on their own terms.

Meet the team →
The region at a glance
States in the region
13
From New York to Mississippi, as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission
ARC-designated counties
423
ARC county boundaries are the sampling frame for the Same Sky Appalachia poll
People in the region
25 million+
A large, diverse population whose voices deserve a place in national policy conversations
Poll sampling unit
County
We sample at the county level — not the state — because that is how this region is defined and how it is lived
Community listening

Families first.
Data second.

Before findings are released, Same Sky is holding community listening sessions across Appalachian communities in 2026. These sessions bring us face to face with parents and caregivers — in their communities, on their terms.

Listening sessions are not focus groups. They are an act of respect: a recognition that the people living closest to these challenges understand them most clearly, and that any honest effort to improve children's lives in Appalachia must begin by genuinely hearing what families say.

What we learn in these conversations will shape how we present the poll findings — and how Same Sky engages policymakers on behalf of Appalachian families in the years ahead.

2026 listening sessions

Underway now across the region

Same Sky team members are meeting with parents and caregivers in Appalachian communities this year. Sessions are led by researchers and practitioners with roots in the region, in partnership with local organizations that have existing relationships with families.

These conversations will be woven into the fall 2026 report alongside poll findings — ensuring that numbers are never the only thing we bring to policymakers.

Active — 2026
The Appalachia Child Health Poll

In the field now.
Results this fall.

The Same Sky Appalachia poll surveys parents and caregivers living in ARC-defined Appalachian counties. Results will be released publicly in fall 2026 — freely and without restriction.

Instrument design completeCommunity input integrated; validated items selected, including questions comparable to the National Survey of Children's Health
In the field — nowSurveying parents and caregivers across ARC-defined Appalachian counties
Community listening sessions — underwayDirect conversations with Appalachian families happening in parallel across the region in 2026
Analysis and partner reviewUniversity of Kentucky and West Virginia University teams engage findings
Public release — Fall 2026Full report shared with community partners, policymakers, and the public
More about the poll →
University partners

Built with the region,
not just for it

Same Sky Appalachia is grounded in partnership with universities embedded in these communities — with faculty who understand what it means to do this work with integrity and care.

Research Partner

University of Kentucky

Lead partner — eastern Kentucky

The University of Kentucky brings deep expertise in Appalachian health and community-engaged research. Bethany F. Hodge, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-investigator and leads community engagement for Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky
Research Partner

West Virginia University

Lead partner — West Virginia

West Virginia University's Lisa Marie Costello, MD, MPH, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, is a co-investigator and a lifelong West Virginian — bringing both research expertise and deep community roots to this work.

West Virginia
View all partners →
Part of a national effort

Appalachian voices feeding
a national agenda

Same Sky Appalachia is one of two anchor regional initiatives within the broader Same Sky effort, housed at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Appalachian findings will feed directly into the Same Sky Index — a national accountability framework for children's wellbeing — ensuring communities too often lost in national averages are seen clearly in national data.

Children cannot vote. They have no lobby. Same Sky is building the infrastructure to make sure America is held accountable for them anyway.

Same Sky — National
A national agenda for children, built from the ground up
Same Sky listens to parents, finds common ground across political lines, and builds the evidence that turns what parents want into national policy.
Visit samesky.org
Same Sky — Georgia
Two years of listening to Georgia parents
Surveys in 2024 and 2025. Comprehensive report publishing August 2026.
Visit georgia.samesky.org
Get involved

Have a stake in Appalachian children?
So do we.

Whether you are a parent, researcher, community leader, or policymaker — we want to hear from you.

Or email us at info@samesky.org

Thank you — we will be in touch soon.