Building Birth-Eight Information Systems:
Strengthening the Focus on Early Childhood
BUILD Initiative Webinar
with
Charles Bruner & Ralph Smith
October 2010
Building 0-8 Information Systems:
Strengthening the Focus on
Early Childhood
Charles Bruner
Child and Family Policy Center &
BUILD Initiative
May 2011
Developing 0-8 Information Systems:
Basic Resources
• Developing Information
Systems
– Comprehensive Efforts (SRII,
NNIP, DQC, ET, Early
Childhood Data Collaborative)
– Best Practices
– Integrated Approaches Spanning
0-8
• Next Steps
• Web Links
• Checklist
Questions You Sent In
• How do you address the challenge of using “education”
data (3rd grade reading scores) without losing the
“health/public health” focus/role?
Penny Hatcher, Supervisor of Child Health Programs, MN Department of
Health
• What do we know about the skills needed in pre-k that
prepare children for reading in kindergarten to third
grade? What should be the focus of early childhood
teachers to build the continuum?
Ana Berdecia, Senior Fellow/Director, Thomas Edison State College, NJ
Why School Readiness and
Third Grade Reading?
1. Half of subsequent school difficulties/failure can be
predicted by what children know and can do at the
time of school entry.
2. Failure to be reading proficiently by the end of third
grade is even more highly predictive of subsequent
school failure; reading becomes fundamental to
learning after that point.
3. The kids of greatest concern are mostly the same
kids, and they need mostly the same things to
succeed across the age span (0-8).
What Matters for School Readiness
Matters for Third Grade Reading Proficiency
(and requires state and community information to address)
• A healthy start matters (birth to two years critically
important)
• Parenting, health, early care environments, and early
learning opportunities matter
• Addressing cognitive and non-cognitive development
(five domains) matters
• Neighborhood/community matters
• Participation and inclusion matter
• Investments and quality matter
What National Information Shows – The
Prevalence of Risk/Adverse Outcomes
• 20-40% of births to families with significant concerns
• 13% of six month-2 year olds with developmental delays
eligible for Part C
• 19% of 2-5 year olds with diagnosable mental disorders
• Profound gaps in language and literacy development
exist at 36 months of age
• 20% of children start school behind on more than one
dimension (cognitive, social/emotional, physical)
• 30% of fourth graders are not at basic reading level
• One-fifth to one-third of all kids are not getting all they
need to succeed at even a basic level.
State Birth to Eight Development System
All children should have comprehensive
health services that address vision,
hearing, nutrition, behavioral, and oral
health as well as medical health needs.
Early
Learning/
Education
Health,
Mental
Health and
Nutrition
All children with special needs
should be identified as early as
possible, assessed, and receive
appropriate services.
All children should have access to
early care and education opportunities
in nurturing environments where they
can learn what they need to succeed in
school and life. All children should be
in high performing community schools
for their elementary school years.
Family
Support
Special
Needs/ Early
Intervention
All families should have economic and
parenting supports to ensure all
children have nurturing and stable
relationships with caring adults.
Source: Early Childhood Systems Working Group. 2006. ADAPTED in underline.
Contributions to Closing the Gap: 0-5
15-25%
comprehensive,
prenatal -early
children’s health
care
Early
Learning
Health,
Mental
Health and
Nutrition
5-10% timely
interventions for
MH, DD, & CW
Services
20-30% high
quality early
childhood
education
Family
Support
Special
Needs/ Early
Intervention
40-60% family
strengthening and
village building
Contributions to Closing the Gap: 6-8
10-15% children’s
health care
Early
Learning
Health,
Mental
Health and
Nutrition
5-10% timely
interventions for
MH, DD, & CW
Services
35-55% high
performing
community schools
Family
Support
Special
Needs/ Early
Intervention
30-40% family
strengthening and
village building
Key Role of Using K-3 Data with
Early Childhood Program Data for
Birth to Five Purposes
• Data at kindergarten entry provides both an
“outcome for earlier actions” and a way to
calculate earlier participation rates by
subpopulations.
• Data in 1st-3rd grade can serve as lagging
indicators of school readiness and suggest
degree of sustainability of gains among different
populations and for specific programs.
One Approach: Visioning and Developing an
Ideal 0-8 Child Information System
• Comprehensive (all systems serving children)
– Health coverage, utilization, and health outcomes
– Participation in early childhood services/activities and developmental
progress
– Attendance and progression in school and educational mastery
– Identification and response to specialized needs (child protection, Part
C and B, child mental health) and correction/ameliorization of conditions
– Family/community social connections, economic stability, and
participation in family support activities and parents as first teachers,
nurses, and safety officers of their kids
• Interoperable (unique identifier, cross-system information sharing)
• Longitudinal/real-time (cradle to career, accessible for case
planning)
• Geographic (neighborhood/census tract level)
One Approach: Visioning and Developing an
Ideal 0-8 Child Information System
• Comprehensive (all systems serving children)
– Health coverage, utilization, and health outcomes
– Participation in early childhood services/activities and developmental
progress
– Attendance and progression in school and educational mastery
– Identification and response to specialized needs (child protection, Part
C and B, child mental health) and correction/ameliorization of conditions
– Family/community social connections, economic stability, and
participation in family support activities and parents as first teachers,
nurses, and safety officers of their kids
• Interoperable (unique identifier, cross-system information sharing
• Longitudinal/real-time (cradle to career, accessible for case
planning)
• Geographic (neighborhood/census tract level)
My Approach/Opportunity to Share:
Selectively Analyzing Existing Available
(or Easily Collectible) Data
• Census, American Community Survey Data
• Getting Ready data identified in School Readiness
Indicators Initiative
• Public funding data
• Other administrative data
• National and state survey data
• School data (from statewide longitudinal data base)
Questions You Sent In
• What are best/relatively simple indicators to use for
identifying progress/problems before the 3rd grade?
Paul Shinn, Public Policy Analyst, Community Action Project of Tulsa
County, Oklahoma
• How do we begin to build a platform for a
“developmental status registry?”
Anne Stone, Executive Director, OR Pediatric Society
…from data to information
• ACS – diversity of child population
• Public funding data – investments by child age
• ACS – vulnerable child raising neighborhood data
• School data – preschool participation at kindergarten
entry & preschool participation and early elementary
development
• ACS – preschool data overall
• School data – early elementary attendance data
Diversity in America:
Young Children Leading the Way
22.3%
0-4
44.9%
Age
18.6%
5-17
40.8%
14.0%
18-64
32.4%
6.4%
65+
18.9%
6.5%
Teachers (1-8)
Hispanic
population
17.9%
Source: United States Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey (age)
Current Populations Services, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006 (teachers)
Per Child Composite Investments in
Education and Development by Child Age
50 States & District of Columbia
Composite Assessment
$12,000
$9,531
$10,000
$8,000
$6,000
For every dollar invested in a schoolaged child, only 6 cents is invested in
an infant and toddler and 25 cents in
a preschool child
$4,000
$2,000
$2,409
$609
$0
Infants and Toddlers (0-2)
Pre-schoolers (3-5)
School-age Children (6-18)
State and Local
Federal
Source: Early Learning Left Out 3rd Edition
See also http://www.financeproject.org/publications/GLR_Guide.pdf
Composition of Census Tracts by
Child-Raising Vulnerability Status
All
Tracts
281,421,906
Total Population
Percent of Population
No
Risk Factors
6-10 Risk Factors
164,392,149
18,859,833
58.41%
6.70%
RiskFactors/Vulnerability Indicators
Percent Single Parent
27.13
20.46
53.10
Percent Poor Families with Children
13.57
7.18
41.43
Percent 25+ no HS
19.60
13.53
48.00
Percent 25+ BA or Higher
24.00
28.67
7.14
Percent 16-19 no School/Work
6.00
3.05
15.00
Percent HoH on Public Assistance
7.81
4.87
25.48
Percent HoH with Wage Income
77.72
80.60
69.10
Percent HoH – Int/Div/Rent/Home
35.87
42.31
11.05
4.62
1.87
17.52
60.24
71.00
29.62
Percent 18+ Limited English
Percent Owner-Occupied Housing
SOURCE: Geolytics Census 2000 Data from Urban Institute, Washington, DC
Calhoun County, Michigan
Moderate Risk Tracts and EDI Scores
Calhoun
County
Moderate
Risk Tracts
EDI Vulnerability Scores
Physical Health
20%
31%
Social Competence
15%
22%
Emotional Maturity
16%
19%
Language/Cognitive Development
14%
21%
9%
16%
Vulnerable at Least 1 Domain
36%
52%
Vulnerable 2 or More Domains
19%
30%
Communications/General Knowledge
Note: The moderate risk census tracts are those with 3 or more risk
factors. EDI = Early Development Index used in the TECCS Initiative.
U.S. 4-Year-Old Preschool
Participation by Ethnicity
100%
90%
80%
70%
61.1%
60%
57.8%
57.0%
46.7%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
White NonHispanic
African
American
Hispanic
Total
Source: US Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey,
Public Use Microdata Sample
U.S. 4-Year-Old Preschool Participation, Less
than 200% and Greater than 400% Poverty
100%
90%
80%
75.9%
73.6%
70%
60%
50%
74.1%
64.5%
48.2%
54.6%
43.3%
47.8%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
White NonAfrican
Hispanic
American
LIGHT BLUE Under 200% of Poverty
Hispanic
Total
DARK BLUE Over 400% of Poverty
Source: US Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey,
Public Use Microdata Sample
Preschool Involvement and Subsequent
Student Achievement: Council Bluffs, Iowa
First Grade Math Scores by SES and District
Preschool Involvement
Council Bluffs School District 2005-06
22
22
21
21
20
20
19
19
18
+1.15
+ .48
+ .73
+ .98
+ .25
Beginning Year
District Preschool Not Low SES
ALL STUDENTS
No Preschool Low SES
End-Year
Gain
No Preschool Not Low SES
District Preschool Low SES
Preschool Participation Rates in Iowa
Statewide Longitudinal Data Base:
Who’s Being Reached
• Data was consistent with Council Bluffs on kindergarten
entry assessments by FRM/preschool participation.
• Participation (particularly of FRM students) in statewide
universal preschool varied widely by school district.
• English language learners were least likely to participate,
relative to their presence in the kindergarten population.
• Most of the participation of low-income children was the
result of enhancing preschool for children already in
Head Start and not expanded outreach and enrollment;
most increased preschool participation rates in 200400% of poverty child population.
Attendance Counts Data
Rate of Chronic Absenteeism
and Average Daily Attendance
y = -4.0283x + 3.9508
Select Metropolitan School District, 2008-2009 R2 = 0.8258
30%
93% ADA = 21%
Chronic Absence
25%
Rate of chronic
absenteeism
20%
15%
97% ADA = 4%
Chronic Absence
10%
5%
0%
91%
-5%
92%
93%
94%
95%
96%
Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
97%
98%
99%
100%
Sharing Experiences in Analyzing Data
as well as Developing New and More
Comprehensive Data Systems
• BUILD Data Related Reports (www.buildinitiative.org)
– Building Public Early Childhood Data Systems for a Multi-Ethnic
Society
– Opportunities to Incorporate Young Child Data into Statewide
Longitudinal Data Systems
– The Early Learning Network in Pennsylvania
– Federal Funding and Young Children Part One: Directions,
Opportunities, and Challenges to States in Building Early
Childhood Systems
– Federal Funding and Young Children Part Two: Securing
Funding Flexibility to Improve Children’s Healthy Development
Questions You Sent In
• Can you address the importance of real engagement of
families to promote emergent literacy in very young
children by providing strategies to intentionally guide
families on how to promote literacy in the home? It is my
belief that the culture of education and literacy in the
home sets the tone for children.
Sherry Linton, Project Director, CT Early Childhood Education Cabinet
Contact Information
Charles Bruner
Director of Research and Evaluation, Build Initiative
Director of Child and Family Policy Center
cbruner@cfpciowa.org
www.buildinitiative.org
www.finebynine.org
www.cfpciowa.org
LEARNING TO READ: Developing 0-8 Information Systems to Improve
Third Grade Reading Proficiency
http://www.cfpciowa.org/uploaded/AEC%20Resource%20Guide%20Learning%
20to%20Read1_1.pdf
Ralph Smith
• Executive Vice-President, Annie E. Casey Foundation