Early Childhood Data
Systems: Establishing A Policy
And Legislative Context
January 11, 2011
1
Background
2

Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet

Cabinet and Public Consulting Group Data
Analysis and Resource Mapping Project

Early fall of 2009: EEC engaged an early
childhood consultant

The National and Federal Context for Early
Childhood Data Systems Development
National and Federal Context: Early
Childhood Data Systems Development
Early Childhood Data Collaborative white paper

The 10 core elements of ECE data system:
1. A unique statewide child identifier for all
children
2. Child-level demographic and program
participation information
3. Child-level data on development
4. The ability to link child-level data with K-12
and other key data systems (e.g., child
welfare, public health, social services, B-3)
3
5. A unique site (i.e., program) identifier with
the ability to link with child data and the ECE
workforce
10 Core Elements (cont.)
6. Program site data on the structure, quality
and work environment
7. A unique ECE workforce identifier with
the ability to link to program site data and
child data
8. Individual ECE workforce demographics,
including education and professional
development information
9. A state governance entity to manage data
collection and use
10.Transparent privacy protection and
security policy and practices.
4
Improving Outcomes through Data
5

In taking action to improve child outcomes,
program effectiveness and public
accountability, states often turn to public
policy and legislation for authority.

EEC requested a sample of other states
legislation used to authorize aspects of their
Early Childhood Information Systems (ECIS),
along with related efforts to improve service
effectiveness from the National Conference of
State Legislatures (NCSL).
National Conference of State
Legislatures (NCSL) Data
6

Review of states where recent legislation
authorizes more effective early childhood
data processes and systems.

Resulted in summaries that were included in
a policy brief from the following states:

Connecticut

Rhode Island

Illinois

Colorado

Minnesota
Connecticut
7

Legislation (2009) specifically authorizes
an Early Childhood Information
System.

Includes specific child, program and
workforce data.

Requires the assignment of unique child
identifier to all children in any early care
and education/school readiness program
that either receives public funding of any
kind and/or is licensed by the Department
of Public Health.
Rhode Island
8

KIDSNET statute designates the
assignment of a unique child
identifier at birth

Used to assure that all Rhode Island
children have access to prevention
and public health services, and care
coordination.
Colorado
9

Legislation requires development of a
report outlining options for assigning a
universal child identifier across state
agencies and developing a universal early
childhood application for services.

The new universal application crosses
many programs across state agencies and
would, de facto, promote the
standardization of child and family data.
Illinois
10

Legislation lodges the development of early
learning data within the state’s emerging P20 Education Data System

Data system is anchored in individual
student records with data to be shared,
according to state and federal privacy
requirements, on any early learning
program
Minnesota

State law creates a State Early
Childhood Council
 responsibility
system
 provides
to develop a data
new requirements for a
school readiness assessment and
a school readiness report card
11
EEC Statutes for Data Systems and Use
12

Legislative charge to EEC provides broad
authority to plan for, fund, develop, deliver,
regulate and evaluate services and programs
serving young children.

Explicit references to the department’s authority
and responsibility to establish and maintain a
comprehensive database of children, providers
and educators (that is, workforce) compatible
with other departments.

EEC is also directed to collect, analyze and
report on data obtained by measuring child and
program/service outcomes
Massachusetts Law: Policies
13

There shall be a comprehensive database that
includes child/family, program and workforce
information

The database shall be “compatible with
relevant databases at the department of
elementary and secondary education and the
executive office of health and human services”

The department shall “collect and disseminate
information to assist parents in nurturing their
children's development and education”

There shall be a five-year strategic plan and a
comprehensive system for “measuring the
performance and effectiveness of
programs…”
Massachusetts Law: Projections
14

Enrollment and expulsion
projections

Utilization of existing facilities,
the need for new or modified
programs, elimination of programs
Massachusetts Law: Outcomes and
Measures
15

Outcomes of kindergarten readiness
assessment

Outcomes of “additional educationally
sound, evaluative tools or developmental
screenings...adopted by the department to
assess developmental status, ageappropriate progress and school readiness of
each child”

Evaluations of overall program
performance
EEC Statutes: Chapter 15D, Sec 2
(q) “…establish and regularly update: (1) a
comprehensive database of early childhood
educators and providers, hereinafter referred
to as the educator database, for the purpose of
enhancing the workforce development system;
and (2) a comprehensive database of
children both waiting for and receiving early
education and care services, in this chapter
called the student database, that is compatible
with relevant databases at the department of
elementary and secondary education and the
executive office of health and human services;”
16
EEC Statutes: Chapter 15D, Sec 2
(r) “…collect and disseminate information
to assist parents in nurturing their
children's development and education. This
information shall be made widely available
in written form and accessible through the
department's website, in English and other
commonly spoken languages in the
commonwealth.”
17
EEC Statutes: Chapter 15D, Sec 4

18
“Following consultation with the board, the
commissioner shall prepare and submit to the
secretary, for the secretary's review and approval,
a 5-year master plan for achieving such a
coordinated system. The master plan along with an
annual progress report shall reflect the goals and
standards established by the board and the
secretary. The master plan shall include, but not be
limited to: enrollment projections; identification of
measures for age appropriate child development
and school readiness; expulsion rate projections;
utilization of existing facilities; promotion of
research; programmatic excellence;
recommendations for construction or acquisition of
new facilities; program distribution; the addition of
new programs; the elimination of existing
programs; and the need for program revisions.”
EEC Statutes: Chapter 15D, Sec 12
19
(a) The department shall establish a
comprehensive system for measuring the
performance and effectiveness of programs
providing early education and care and services.
This system shall include, but not be limited to,
outcomes of the kindergarten readiness
assessment system and additional educationally
sound, evaluative tools or developmental
screenings that are adopted by the department
to assess developmental status, age-appropriate
progress and school readiness of each child;
outcomes of evidence-based intervention and
prevention practices to reduce expulsion rates;
and evaluations of overall program performance
and compliance with applicable laws, standards
and requirements.”
Key Issue: Mismatch
20

The Governor’s intent is for information to be
tracked and mapped on all children and from
birth.

EEC is now authorized to include only children in
those programs that are defined as “early
education and care” in statute and licensed,
funded or regulated in some way by EEC.

Not all children and not all programs are
specifically included in the current statutory
authorization, thus, there is a mismatch between
the intent of data development and use, and the
sources from which data can now be gathered.
Key Issue: Compatibility
21

The Department’s statutorily-mandated data
system must be compatible with “relevant
databases at the department of elementary
and secondary education and the Executive
Office of Health and Human Services.”

This will require development of data
extraction, matching and analysis tools or
structures not now in place across state
agencies.
Key Issue: Identification and Structure

In order to avoid costly and time-inefficient
data matching processes, a comprehensive
system will require the agreement on:
A unique child identifier
 A unique program identifier
 A unique workforce identifier.


22
It will also require a cross-agency data
governance structure to guide the
development of interagency data access
and sharing agreements that are aligned
with state and federal privacy protections.
Key Issue: Real-Time Data
23

Authorization related to real-time crossagency data sharing, particularly with regard
to children and families being served by multiple
agencies at the same time, or over time, must
be addressed.

This issue has implications for establishing an
“early warning system” for the state’s most
vulnerable young children.

It will then be possible to use that information to
more effectively provide cross-agency case
management and intervention services.

It can also serve to advance the delivery of
preventive services in a more cost-effective
manner.
Advisory Council Feedback
Concerns
24

Children are constantly changing, as is the data

Three years old may be late for a second check in
after birth

“Big Brother” – the government collecting data on
individuals

Family/child privacy protections
Advisory Council Feedback
Recommendations

25
Data collection:

Start with the data currently available/what we have
and have most control over

Collect data on all children not just those in EEC
programs

Collect data on key indicators of child growth and
development for parents

Partner with DPH to issue child ID at birth

Collect data again at 18 months using appropriate tool

Use a consistent and objective collection method

Consider the amount of data collected on children
and length of time data follows child or family

Consider what data to purge after certain period
Advisory Council Feedback
Recommendations (Continued)

26
Data Use

Needs to be usable both to parents as well as for
system development

Parents are more likely to use data if you have buy
in from them early on

Use data results to identify capacity needs in
system

State agencies need to share and coordinate
information

Need to balance what information to share and
privacy of families/children

Inform schools about the early education
programs from which the students came
Advisory Council Feedback
Recommendations (Continued)
27

Partnerships
 Involve DHCD; homeless children are all high risk
 Collaborate/share data with Promise neighborhoods
 Entity that holds the data should be neutral and have a
partnership with higher education for research purposes
 National Dropout Prevention Board -- drop out indicators

Other Recommendations
 Don’t get stuck on perfection at the expense of progress
 Make data system doable and not too large to happen
 Consider legislation to collect of child level data
 Test data collection in one community; use pilot to allay fears
• Pilot approach may result in a narrower request of the
legislature and less legislative kick-back
 Take time with this issue that is so important to our long term
goals, to make sure you get it right
Proposed Additional Authority
28

Amend Ch. 15D, §2 (q) [Early education and care
department; duties] to add:
o
In designing and implementing said student database the Department shall
assign a unique child identifier to each child up to the age of eight receiving
any public funding. Said student database shall be used for the purpose of
furthering the Department’s mandates under this Chapter. The Department
may collect and maintain demographic, program participation, and
developmental data pertaining to children participating in the Department’s
licensed or funded programs and/or receiving any public funding, the
purposes of which shall include: (1) tracking the health, safety and school
readiness of all children receiving early education and care from any
program licensed or funded by the Department; (2) tracking the
characteristics of the programs in which such children are served; and (3)
developing, coordinating and supporting public and private partnerships to
aid early childhood initiatives and establishing positive outcomes of well
being, health development, and caregiver and community capacities to
determine program and policy levers. The Department shall promulgate
regulations governing the collection, maintenance and use of said data, and
shall ensure that said data is maintained in accordance with all applicable
state and federal privacy protections; provided further that said regulations
shall allow information to be shared with ESE and EOHHS pursuant to a
cross- agency data governance structure to the exent that such data
sharing is aligned with state and federal privacy protections.