Data Driven Decisions: Separating
Fact from Fiction in Building Early
Care and Education Systems
Children's Defense Fund
Elliot Regenstein
EducationCounsel LLC
August 26, 2010
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
What we'll talk about today
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Why have a coordinated state early childhood education (ECE) data
system?
What is a coordinated state ECE data system?
Who will use a coordinated state ECE data system?
What questions will the coordinated state ECE data system be able
to answer?
How will a coordinated state ECE data system operate?
What are some key challenges in developing a coordinated state
ECE data system?
Where are Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Carolina in developing
a coordinated state ECE data system?
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Why have a coordinated state
ECE data system?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
Why have a coordinated data system?
 The end goal is to improve child outcomes -- in part through better
access to high-quality service -- and data is an essential tool in
achieving that goal.
 A coordinated state ECE data system can provide parents with the
information they need to advocate on behalf of their children;
educators with the information they need to serve those children;
and policymakers with the information they need to manage the
state's resources.
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For parents, connecting data can make it easier for them to access
services. This will be most important for parents and caregivers of the
most vulnerable children, who will have the greatest need for service.
For educators and providers, linked data could help them understand the
needs of the children they serve. Better understanding children’s needs
will allow educators and providers to serve children more effectively – and
potentially connect children to other available resources.
For many others – including state policymakers and researchers – bringing
disparate data sources together can provide information about what is
needed and what is available from a resource or policy level. This
information can be used to manage resources more efficiently, and to
better understand the impact of early childhood education.
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What is a coordinated state ECE
data system?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
What is a coordinated state ECE data system?
A system that brings together data from multiple state agency systems
 A coordinated state ECE data system will link horizontally across
multiple state agencies to bring together data about individual
children.
 The early childhood system should link vertically to the state's longitudinal
data system for K-12, higher ed, and the workforce.
 A coordinated system is different from a unitary system – which would create
a single new database to replace existing agency databases.
 Right now, multiple agencies track information about the same
children.
 Connecting that information will allow each of the agencies to operate more
efficiently.
 In addition, once the information is linked, it can be reported out in ways
that are beneficial to multiple audiences.
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What is a coordinated state ECE data system? (cont'd)
Information from the system can be reported out in "portals"
 In the words of the Georgia State Advisory Council on Early Childhood
Education and Care: "Ultimately, the measure of a state data system
is not what it collects but what it produces."
 Once data is linked targeted portals can be used for reporting.
Different portals could target different end users. The portals could
include a mix of public sites and access-controlled sites.
 The public sites could include aggregated and sortable data targeted at the
general public and policymakers.
 Some controlled-access sites could provide access to individual records
without making them identifiable – that is, the user would not be able to
connect a particular record to a particular child. This level of access could
be useful for state agency staff, researchers, and others.
 Some controlled-access sites would provide access to individual information
about a specific child or specific children. These sites would be used by
parents, and by educators and providers.
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Who will use a coordinated
state ECE data system?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
Who will use a coordinated state ECE data system?
A wide variety of end users might choose to access the system in different ways
 Some categories of end user to consider (even if they do not all
warrant their own portal):
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Parents and other primary caregivers
Pregnant women
Early childhood program administrators
Early childhood teachers/practitioners/home visitors
Policymakers (legislators/elected officials)
Judicial officials (including the juvenile courts)
Vital records personnel
K-12 teachers
Special education/IDEA administrators
Medical staff
Social services staff
State early childhood personnel
Local early childhood personnel
Personnel in the foster care and adoption system
Child protective services
State advisory council members and staff
Municipal officials/planners
Researchers
Advocates/foundations
Non-caregiving family members
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Who will use a coordinated state ECE data system? (cont'd)
Many users will engage with the system – but parents are special
 Parents will need information about what they can do at home, in
addition to what services are available for them.
 Information for parents should be presented in a neutral and non-judgmental
manner.
 A parent portal should provide clear explanations of what data points mean,
with clear and simple language
 Parent portals should provide specific suggestions on recommended
follow-ups, including potential providers.
 For example, if a child received a vision screening that identified issues for
follow-up, the parent portal should suggest to parents some specialists in
their area who might be able to help.
 Parent portals should help parents sort out the information they
receive, and help them find meaning in raw information.
 For example, if the state has a QRIS system, the parent portal should explain
what the star system means, and the benefits of choosing a higher-rated
provider.
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What questions will the
coordinated state ECE data
system be able to answer?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
What questions will the system answer?
A few basic categories – infinite possibilities
 There are three basic kinds of information that will make up the
coordinated system: (1) information about children; (2) information
about personnel; and (3) information about programs.
 If children, personnel, and programs each have an individual identifier, then
states can decide what information to collect about each and then link that
information together.
 The Early Childhood Data Collaborative has identified some key
information to collect about children, personnel, and programs.
 With regard to children, the Collaborative recommends collecting "child-level
demographic and program participation information" and "child-level data on
child development."
 With regard to personnel, the Collaborative recommends collecting
"individual Early Childhood Education workforce demographics, including
education, and professional development information."
 With regard to programs, the Collaborative recommends collecting "program
site data on structure, quality and work environment."
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What questions will the system answer? (cont'd)
Each state should develop its own list
 Within this basic framework, each state should go through the
process of developing its own list of key questions.
 Many key questions will be the same across states, including the most basic
question: "Which children are enrolled in which programs?"
 However, many key questions will be idiosyncratic across states, based on
local conditions and programs.
 The process of developing the question list can be informed from
resources produced in other states, to help facilitate discussion.
However, local stakeholders should be given an opportunity to add to
the list and/or place emphasis on certain questions.
 Earlier this month Georgia held a "Data Roundtable," where multiple
stakeholders reacted to a list of potential key questions and added their own.
 A conversation about what the system not only builds political will through
stakeholder engagement, it makes it more likely that the system will actually
justify the time and expense. Getting the right people involved at this stage
is critical.
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What questions will the system answer? (cont'd)
We suggest a five-step process for identifying which data elements must connect to answer key questions
 Five steps we suggest in the design process for developing a list of
what questions the system will answer:
1. Identify key end users
2. Identify key questions
3. Identify the data elements that answer those questions
4. Identify where (if anywhere) those elements are tracked
5. Identify how to add and link data to answer the key questions needed
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What questions will the system answer? (cont'd)
Make sure the capacity is there to use the data effectively
 For people to be able to act on the information in the coordinated
system, personnel need to be trained in how to use it.
 Many state- and program-level personnel already know how to use data – but
not all of them know how to use it effectively. Moreover, the new system
may provide access to data that could seem overwhelming.
 For the system to succeed, states need to ensure that key personnel have the
training needed to properly use the data made available by the system.
 At the program level, this means building training in data use into
preparation programs and professional development opportunities.
 In some states, advocacy organizations put out reports providing data about
the early childhood system with some explanation and analysis. Making raw
aggregate data available to the public will make these advocacy reports more
important, not less important.
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What questions will the system answer? (cont'd)
Privacy laws will limit the ability to answer some questions … but not many
 The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health
Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be
addressed in developing a coordinated state ECE data system, but
they will not prevent states from developing their system.
 States need to be proactive about protecting data, and consider
FERPA and HIPAA compliance in that context.
 FERPA focuses on protecting individually identifiable information.
 Even when information is protected under FERPA, that does not mean key
questions cannot be asked and answered by the coordinated data system.
 Once the state has identified its key questions, it can determine whether
FERPA is a restriction on the ability to provide answers to certain audiences.
 Many of the activities states may want to use their system for should require
parental consent anyway, which can also address FERPA issues.
 HIPAA does not cover all medical information or health information.
 Even when HIPAA governs information in the coordinated system (which it
won't always), there are numerous provisions that allow information to be
disclosed with the right safeguards.
 The federal government wants coordinated state ECE data systems to
work, and is open to conversations about how to think about FERPA
and HIPAA in that context.
 Individual state privacy laws may also need to be considered when
developing the system.
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How will a coordinated state
ECE data system operate?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
How will the system operate?
For the system to succeed, the nuts and bolts have to work
 Some elements of a successful, fully-developed system:
 Clarity of function
 Modularity (ability to build up to comprehensiveness)
 Strong governance
 Protocols to maintain data quality (collections, input, matching, and
updating)
 Top-notch security
 Adequate support resources
 Research access protocols
 Minimized provider burden
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What are some key challenges in
developing a coordinated
state ECE data system?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
What are some key challenges?
The technical challenges are real, but the human challenges are far more significant.
 Political challenges. Do stakeholders understand why a coordinated
system is important? Do key management agencies have a forum to
discuss high-level policy issues? Does the governance structure work?
 Federal law can provide some cover for this work – the fact that federal law
requires recommendations for a coordinated state ECE data system at least
forces some key questions onto the table.
 Think about how to leverage the possibility of future federal resources.
 Legal challenges. Is the system respectful of child privacy? Do the
public and policymakers understand how the system's operation is
respectful of child privacy?
 Privacy issues are critical, but should not be an impediment to raising the
state's key questions.
 Cultural challenges. Do the end-users – particularly those with the
closest connections to the most vulnerable children – naturally seek
to use data? If they are willing to use data, are they able to do so
effectively? And at the state agency level, do the day-to-day
managers of data work well together?
 Technical challenges. Is the system capable of meeting the multiple
and varied demands placed upon it?
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Where are Mississippi, Oklahoma, and
South Carolina in developing a
coordinated state ECE data system?
Copyright © 2010 EducationCounsel LLC, in affiliation with
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. All Rights Reserved.
Where are Institute states in the process?
Each of the three states is in a very different place
 Mississippi is beginning to create a statewide system of early care and
education.
 Funding for a coordinated data system was part of Mississippi's State Advisory
Council grant application.
 The state's application for participation in this Institute identified some key
questions the team would like to see answered.
 At this time there are no linkages among different agencies to share data.
 The team believes improved data will help lead to better child outcomes in
the state.
 Mississippi would like to develop a linked database with a one-stop portal
providing access to information from that database, with appropriate
infrastructure and training to support the system's use.
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Where are Institute states in the process? (cont'd)
Each of the three states is in a very different place
 Oklahoma has a Data Systems and Coordination Workgroup, which is
poised to support the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (the
state's designated advisory council).
 Oklahoma has leaders willing to engage in the process of developing a
coordinated data system, but does not have the linkages it needs in place.
 Oklahoma is seeking to develop a reliable and accurate count of children and
families, and then compare outcomes across systems.
 Concerns about confidentiality, funding, and governance have been
identified as potential barriers to the work.
 The Workgroup has already developed some of the key questions it wants
answered, and then explored other states' integrated systems.
 Oklahoma has begun inventorying existing data systems and studying the
possibility of linking among them. Each involved agency has strong
infrastructure for its own purposes.
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Where are Institute states in the process? (cont'd)
Each of the three states is in a very different place
 South Carolina has substantial infrastructure for linking data across
agencies through the state's Office of Research and Statistics.
 In South Carolina multiple agencies provide data to the Budget and Control
Board's Office of Research and Statistics, which allows for key data points to
be shared.
 However, not all of the relevant data sets can "speak to each other," and the
state does not have in place all of the protocols necessary to make data
available.
 South Carolina seeks to explore the potential costs of a coordinated system,
the current obstacles to full implementation (including the lack of data from
federal programs), the standardized processes necessary to guide data
sharing across agencies and organizations, and planning for the integration of
non-public institutions.
 South Carolina is focused on using the existing data warehouse as a platform,
but improving linkages and developing new processes to guide data use.
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Where are Institute states in the process? (cont'd)
Summary
 Each of the three states has made some progress on answering the
five initial steps listed earlier:
1. Identify key end users
2. Identify key questions
3. Identify the data elements that answer those questions
4. Identify where (if anywhere) those elements are tracked
5. Identify how to add and link data to answer the key questions needed
 All of the state applications gave indications that some of these
questions are being worked on, but none of them made it sound as if
the state has fully answered all of them.
 Answering these questions will help inform the state's development of
governance and operational protocols.
 The Institute process is meant to help states provide firm answers to
each of these questions, and use the development of answers to drive
the process of designing structures and processes to support a
coordinated data system.
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Questions? Followup?
 If you have any further questions about this presentation
contact:
Elliot Regenstein
elliot.regenstein@educationcounsel.com
(312) 212-4380
Much of the material in this presentation was originally developed for use by the
Georgia State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, and is used
courtesy of that Council and Georgia's Department of Early Care and Learning.
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