For decades, policy efforts expanded access to and improved the quality of early learning experiences for 3- and 4-year-old children (i.e., preschool). However, due to the fragmented system that oversees publicly funded preschool, the field lacks cohesive data to inform policy efforts to strengthen and expand preschool in an equitable and inclusive way. Comprehensive data are critical to understand the accessibility, quality, and impact of preschool, especially for children and families who experience systemic and historical barriers to accessing high-quality preschool programs. A unifying data framework can bring the field together around common questions about preschool, and around ways to answer these questions with data in a consistent, equity-centered way.
The Early Childhood Data Collaborative at Child Trends, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is leading the development of the System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework, which will provide this kind of unity and consistency in the field.
The STEP Forward with Data Framework will help federal, state, territory, Tribal, and local preschool leaders:
The Framework is being designed for publicly funded preschool educational programs that serve 3- and 4-year-old children. These programs include state-funded, locally funded, Head Start and Tribal preschool programs. We acknowledge that many children attend private preschool programs, or other types of early care settings. While the Framework focuses on publicly funded preschool, it is designed to be applied more broadly to other early childhood systems.
Over two years, the STEP Forward with Data Framework will be developed and informed via:
The STEP Forward with Data Framework is slated for public release in Fall 2023.
If you have questions or would like to learn more, please email the project team at prekdata@childtrends.org and someone will be in touch. For project updates and resources, please sign up to receive the ECDC Newsletter.
Susan Adams, deputy commissioner for Georgia Pre-K and instructional support, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Christine Alvarado, chief innovation officer, East Coast Migrant Head Start Project
Rachel Anderson, director, Policy and Research Strategy, Data Quality Campaign (DQC)
Lea Austin, director, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE), Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE), University of California, Berkeley
Tonia Durden, clinical associate professor, Birth through Five program coordinator, Georgia State University
Caroline Ebanks, early childhood team lead, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), United Stated Department of Education
Karin Garver, early childhood education policy specialist, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
Richard Gonzales, director of interagency and special initiatives, Office of Child Care, Department of Health & Human Services/Administration for Children and Families (HHS/ACF)
Priscilla Hodge, operations and fiscal policy analyst, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Iheoma Iruka, founding director, Equity Research Action Coalition; faculty fellow, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Victoria Jones, senior director of data, National Head Start Association
Misty Moody, assistant commissioner of early learning, Tennessee Department of Education
Tony Ruggiero, education analyst, AEM Corporation
Michele Sarche, associate professor, Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Colorado
Mandy Sorge, executive director, National Association of State Leaders in Early Education
Cindia Velasco, director of constituency services – education, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
Albert Wat, senior policy director, Alliance for Early Success
Christina Weiland, associate professor, School of Education, University of Michigan
Data Is a Key Resource in Developing Equitable Pre-K Systems
A Data-driven Approach to Improve Preschool System Equity
Additional publications will be posted here throughout the project.
This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The development of the Framework does not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Principal investigators: Dale Richards, Carlise King
Project director: Joy Thompson
Consortium and Framework development team: Van-Kim Bui Lin, Silvana Esposito Hackett, Ja’Chelle Ball, Shana Rochester
Data capacity survey team: Sara Amadon, Ja’Chelle Ball, Gabriella Guerra, Emily Maxfield, Katie Richards, Jing Tang, Kara Ulmen
Engagement and dissemination team: Elizabeth Jordan, Meg Bredeson, Kehinde Akande
Race equity lead: Porsche Boddicker-Young
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