The Center for IDEAEarly Childhood Data Systems

Collaboration through Information Sharing: Building Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems (ECIDS)

Head Start National Research Conference

Washington, DCJuly 9, 2014

2

Overall Symposium

Describe the national landscape of federal investments and resources to develop integrated and longitudinal state level data systemsShare results from a national study on the status of state EC data systemsDiscuss challenges and opportunities of ECIDS for researchers

3

Who Is Here Today?

ROLES:Higher education/researchers, Federal representatives, State staff, TA providers, Local program staff, Family members, Other

SECTORS:Head Start/Early Head Start, Early intervention/Special education, State Pre-K and other Early Childhood Education, Child care, Mental health, Health care, Other

The Center for IDEAEarly Childhood Data Systems

Early Childhood Data Systems - National Research Opportunities Jennifer Tschantz, DaSyMissy Cochenour, DaSy/SLDS-EDTAP

Head Start’s 12th National Research Conference on

Early ChildhoodWashington, DC July 2014

5

What We Will Cover:

Federal Investments in Data SystemsBackground to ECIDSCurrent State Activities

6

Momentum and Support for Early Learning

Business community and foundationsState investments Obama Administration's Early Learning Agenda

Focus:Increase access to high quality early learning programs and environmentsBirth – 3rd grade continuum State systems building, including data systems!

7

Why Data Systems?

Improve outcomes for children and

families

Improve the quality of early

learning programs and

services

Policy makers, state agency staff, local program staff, and others use data to improve programs

More powerful and higher quality data

about programs, personnel, services,

and children and families

Improved capacity in states to meet federal reporting requirements and

ask and answer policy and

programmatic questions

Better data systems as a tool to improved programs

8

Building Data Systems & Improving the Use of Data: K-12

State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS)Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)IDEA Investments - building state capacity to collect and report dataData Quality Campaign (DQC)

9

Building Data Systems & Improving the Use of Data: Early Childhood

State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS): EC & P20W Data SystemsRace to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC)IDEA Investments – DaSy CenterHead Start Investments (Center on Program Management)OPRE/Child Care Investments – Project InquireEarly Childhood Data Collaborative (ECDC)

10

The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy)

A 5-year Center funded by ED’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to assist states with improving IDEA Part C early intervention and Part B preschool data by: – Building better data systems– Coordinating data systems across early childhood

programs– Connecting to longitudinal data systems– Building the capacity of states to use data

Reference the DaSy Handout for more information.

11

The Vision

Quality EI/ECSE

Data

K-12 (-20W) Longitudinal

Data System

Other EC Program

Data

Other EC Program

Data

Other EC Program

Data

Other EC Program

Data

EC Integrated Data System

12

Center’s Goals

Provide national leadership and coordination around IDEA EC data systems Generate new knowledge and useful products for IDEA Part C and Part B preschool state agencies regarding building integrated EC data systems with linkages to statewide longitudinal data systemsDesign and implement a continuum of technical assistance strategies to improve state capacity to collect, analyze, report, and use high quality IDEA EC data

13

DaSy Activities

Knowledge Development– Collect information about state IDEA EC data systems – Develop a framework for state IDEA EC data systems

TA and Dissemination– Provide a continuum of TA and dissemination activities– Provide intensive TA to 10 states

Leadership and Coordination– Communicate and collaborate with relevant projects– Support communities of practice

14

DaSy Framework will . . .

Describe key aspects of effective state IDEA EC data systems Include a state self-assessmentIdentify strategies for coordination across systems, connecting data about children across programs and over timeDaSy Framework States: AK, AR, CT, GA, ID, MA, PA

15

Funding Early Childhood Data

RTT-ELC States ECIDS – Round 1 RTT-ELC States ECIDS – Round 2

RTT-ELC States ECIDS – Round 3

States Using SLDS for ECIDS – EC Specific (U.S. Virgin Islands)

States Using SLDS Grant to Include EC in P-20

States Using Internal Resources for ECIDS

ECCS Grant Toward ECIDS (Utah)

States Not Working Toward an ECIDS

16

ED- Funding Early Learning Data Systems - SLDS

SLDS (ARRA, FY12) – Many states began incorporating “P” into SLDS early on– According to SLDS program data, 21 states include a focus

on building an ECIDS connected to K12/P20 systems via SLDS

– In FY12 one state/territory was funded specifically to focus on building an ECIDS- Virgin Islands

17

ED- Funding Early Learning Data Systems – RTT-ELC

RTT-ELC - States could choose to build or enhance a coordinated EC data system (Selection Criteria E2) 16/20 RTT ELC (rounds 1 -3) grantees have data systems included in their scopes of work

18

Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)An Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS):• collects, integrates, maintains, stores, and reports information

from early childhood programs • across multiple agencies within a state that serve children

and families from birth to age eight. • individual child, the child’s family, the classroom, the

program/providers, and other services that provide comprehensive care and education for young children.

(What is an ECIDS, NCES 2014)

19

Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)- Visual Example

20

Examples of states working to include Head Start

DEILMONCUTWI

21

Current State Context

Where are states trying to go?– They are all in very different places:

• Pre- Planning (thinking): Which state are thinking of expanding SLDS to include early childhood? Which states are planning to coordinating and ECIDS?

• Planning (actually developing plans)• Implementers (implement the work plans and begin to build)• Leaders (provide lessons learned from the work and the build)

– Phased development (a certain number of programs included in each phase)

22

Assessing needs within the stateAssessing current capacityCreating the statement of purpose in a way that is clear to all stakeholdersCreating work plans Identifying and engaging all relevant stakeholders (including all programs like Head Start)Identifying the critical questions they hope to answer

Where are they going?Implementing the plan and going back to planning as additional detail is needed

Current State Context - Planning

23

Current State Context - Data Governance

Establish early childhood data governance bodiesCreating policies that outline the decisions and the work of the data governance bodies

Where are they going?Implementing the data governance policies to make decisions in the state around early childhood data.

24

Current State Context - Data Use & Quality

Starting early! Planning for the data to be used and useful Using the ideas for use to create systems that are tailored to meet the needs of users

Where are states going?Using data to make decisions

25

Current State Context - Privacy Considerations

Establishing MOUs and having PTAC reviewReviewing their intended uses to identify privacy concerns and address them early

Where are they going?Ensuring all data is secure and managed through governance in the appropriate ways.

26

So what do these ECIDS plan to look like?

27

So how do these ECIDS plan to link to other sectors?

28

Lessons Learned

Governance matters!– Data contributors need to be included early (may make it slow at

the beginning but benefit long term)

Understand the unique needs of early childhoodLeverage lessons from other sectorsData use improves data quality; data use depends on accessThe devil is in the detail (e.g. UID we all may agree until we have to get the process outlined to make it real)

29

Resources – EC data & data systems

RTT ELC: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge/index.htmlSLDS: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/resources.aspDaSY: http://dasycenter.org/ECDC: http://www.ecedata.org/CEDS: https://ceds.ed.gov/Default.aspxPTAC: http://ptac.ed.gov/Project INQUIRE: http://www.researchconnections.org/content/childcare/federal/inquire.htmlHead Start National Center on Project Management and Fiscal Operations:http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/operations/center