ARRA Proposal
Proposed Unified Information Technology
System: Concepts for the Next Stage of Data
Development
Board of Early Education and Care
April 6, 2010
Unified IT System
EEC is currently developing a Unified Information Technology
System that will:
 streamline statewide early education and care business
processes;
 improve child data; and
 manage over $500 million in annual financial assistance.
It will incorporate several EEC initiatives:
(a) the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS);
(b) (b) transformation of the EEC educator registry into a fully
functional and real time professional development data
management system; and
(c) (c) the evolving system for assessing school readiness and child
outcomes.
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Unified IT System

In the spring of 2009, EEC defined the business requirements for its
Unified IT System, a web-based application essential to management
of EEC programs and funds, but accessible as well to a broad
constituency of potential users including parents, practitioners,
providers and policy makers.

EEC determined that the new system will be based on the open
source PELICAN database developed by the Pennsylvania Office for
Early Childhood and Early Learning over the past several years,
although it will be customized to Massachusetts standards.

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This decision enables a cost-effective development and
implementation process and is also well aligned with the goal of
the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, for multi-state use
of compatible longitudinal data systems whenever possible.
Unified IT System: Modules Included
Child/Family Access and Assistance
 Capability to perform intake, manage, and support all Commonwealth
children/families, including those receiving EEC financial assistance
 will support capturing the long-term outcomes of 300,000 children, birth into
elementary education
Licensing, Monitoring, and Support
 Capability to perform intake, manage, and support all programs funded by EEC
including those licensed by EEC and license exempt providers
Professional Development
 Capability to maintain a repository of early education and care educators
(education level, training and professional certifications etc.) and professional
development opportunities
Purchase of Services
 Capability to support a standardized contracting process for the various
services purchased by EEC, including contracts for provider slots, vouchers,
and grants
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Data Partnerships with K-12 Education
Over the past year, EEC has also worked collaboratively with the ESE on
a series of data system development initiatives.

A key initiative includes ESE’s “Massachusetts i-Passport”, its December
2009 application to the US DOE for a federal ARRA Statewide Longitudinal
Data Systems (SLDS) grant award. ESE’s application has six goals; five are
directly related to collaborative work with EEC:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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Continued development of the Integrated P-20 Data System, including the
assignment of SASIDs across EEC, ESE and DHE;
Developing a more robust “early warning and opportunity system” that “starts
at birth and continues through high school” and includes EEC.
Continued upload of LEA student and educator data to the SLDS.
Continued work to identify prospective educators through assignment of unique
“education personnel identifier” and assign these identifiers to those who work
in EEC funded programs, with integration of data into the SLDS; and
Continued improvements in the SLDS data audit system;
EEC and ESE have entered into a MOU to assign unique identifiers to cohorts
of young children. The two departments are also working with the Council of
Chief State School Officers to develop a statewide early childhood
assessment system and to develop and implement a joint PreK-3 initiative.
Concepts and Recommendations for
the Next Stage of Data Development
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Concepts and Recommendations for the
Next Stage of Data Development
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I.
The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information
System”
II.
Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and Real-Time
Presentation of EEC Extant Data
III.
Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8)
Interagency Data Working Group
I. The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information
System”
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
EEC has intentionally focused on how the new data
system can become an “early childhood information
system” (ECIS) as now being described by the national
Early Childhood Data Collaborative.

EEC envisions an ECIS that incorporates the assignment of
unique child IDs, educator/staff IDs, and program IDs,
linked with timely, accessible data to improve the
effectiveness of both teaching and learning and that has
increased access to secondary data from multiple sources
I. The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information
System”

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When fully developed and implemented, the Massachusetts ECIS will
be able to:
 track children across ages and over time, encompassing data on
home and community environments;
 include children’s demographic data
 include child outcomes across developmental domains that can
be linked across sectors, agencies and programs (e.g.,
infants/toddlers, family child care etc.)
 link to program and fiscal data (e.g., program quality, and service
costs);
 support analysis by geography that is useful to communities
engaged in Birth through age 8 strategic planning, resource
management, program improvement, and accountability.
Timeframe and Estimated Cost
 Begin with a contract as soon as possible to develop the informatics
necessary to store the data. $325,000-$400,000.
II. Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and RealTime Presentation of EEC Existing Data
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
EEC has a vast storage of financial and enrollment data on the
preschool and child care services funded.

EEC collects a substantial amount of data on program licensing
and child and family demographics.

In addition, the ESE SLDS grant anticipates more substantial
involvement with EEC and ESE data in relation to the
Commonwealth’s evolving Early Warning Indicator System,
based on the early assignment of unique student identifiers by
EEC that will continue with children through their K-12
educational career.

The internal capability to analyze and report out this data is
limited.
II. Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and RealTime Presentation of EEC Existing Data
It is the Department’s recommend that funding be allocated to provide
data analytic and research capability and to continue the agency’s
partnership/membership in the UMass (Lowell) Open Indicators data
presentation tool development and use.
Timeframe and Estimated Cost
 Begin by July 2010 with one or more contracts for data analysis of
extant EEC data to be provided for a period of at least 12 months.
Cost: $100,000- $150,000.
 Begin by July 2010 to secure a 12 month membership in the Open
Indicators data collaborative. Cost: $75,000.
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III. Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8)
Interagency Data Working Group

With TA from the NGA and the National Early Childhood
Data Collaborative, EEC proposes to secure TA and staff
consultation to design and implement a series of crossagency data sharing memoranda.

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Allowing EEC, through a newly established Early
Childhood Data Working Group (EEC/DCF /DPH/Mass
Health/ESE) to examine client specific data on a
subset of young children determined to be vulnerable
for developmental challenges and lack of school
readiness during the B-5 years.
Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8)
Interagency Data Working Group

The goal of this work is to establish an “early warning indicator
system” as called for in the Governor’s Readiness Cabinet data
report, apply it to children younger than five, and recommend
state and local intervention and coordinated case
management.
Timeframe and Estimated Cost
 Begin by July 2010, with interagency agreements within 120
days, and initial data extraction, analysis and data reporting by
February- March 2011. Cost: $100,000 - $125,000
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Funding Recommendation and Summary of
Recommended Next Steps
Funding Recommendation
EEC proposes the use of up to $750,000 of ARRA funds for the
purposes outlined below.
Initiative
Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information
System”
contract to develop the informatics
necessary to store the data
Timeline
Estimated Cost
as soon as possible
$325,000- $400,000
July 2010 (at least a 12
month contract(s)
$100,000 - $150,000
July 2010
$75,000
July 2010
interagency agreements
within 120 days
data reporting 2/11-3/11
$100,000 - $125,000
Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and RealTime Presentation of EEC Extant Data
one or more contracts for data analysis of
extant EEC data
12 month membership in the Open
Indicators data collaborative
Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8)
Interagency Data Working Group
Begin work to establish an “early warning
indicator system”
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Total Estimated Cost:
$ 750,000