Using Systems-level Approaches to Transform Early Childhood Systems

Unlike the K-12 education system, early childhood is a patchwork of federally, state, and locally funded programs and services that are typically housed across different state and local agencies. Often, these programs and services have different eligibility and enrollment requirements, along with program standards that can be challenging for families to navigate. Inadequate funding and a workforce shortage crisis compound these issues, resulting in a lack of available high-quality care to those who would benefit most from the system. Although early childhood programs and services are often siloed, they do not operate in isolation; instead, they interact with one another in the context of a larger early childhood system. To adequately address challenges and improve child outcomes, leaders need to look beyond individual programs and services and instead examine the broader system.

Broadly, the early childhood system may be defined as the comprehensive array of programs, policies, services, and infrastructure supports for young children and their families (see Box). As families move through the system, they may face challenges such as lack of supply and access to programs, enrollment barriers, or differing experiences and opportunities within learning environments. Too often, policymakers and leaders are quick to focus solely on individual areas of the system (e.g., available supply) without stepping back to see how other components (e.g., policies, program requirements) also play a role, yet these system components all influence families’ searches for and access to care, their ability to enroll their children in care that meets their needs, and, ultimately, the quality of their children’s experiences and outcomes. By taking a systems-level approach, system leaders can better understand where there are opportunities to make lasting changes that improve experiences and outcomes for children and families.

This brief describes why it is critical to understand and address challenges at a systems level to improve child outcomes and support children and families. To facilitate systems-level improvements, this resource presents the STEP Forward with Data Framework—a systems-level framework designed to support ECE leaders’ use of data to understand the experiences of children, families, and the workforce as they interact across and within the early childhood system. Throughout the brief, we highlight examples of how the Framework is being implemented for system improvement at state and local levels.

The importance of a systems-level approach

Taking a systems-level approach helps ECE leaders make smarter investments to meet families' needs and improve child outcomes.

Children and families routinely interact with multiple parts of the early childhood system, both simultaneously and sequentially. Further, each family’s search for care is different, shaped by their needs and their knowledge of available options and the types of programs offered in their community. Consider, for example, Maria and James, parents of 4-year-old Olivia. Olivia is an energetic and curious child who needs some extra help with speech development. Maria works early morning shifts at a hospital, while James works an hour away from home. When searching for a preschool, they look for a program that supports Olivia’s developmental needs, opens early enough to accommodate Maria and James’ work hours, is nearby, and fits their budget. Unbeknownst to them, a series of early childhood policies, program requirements, and eligibility criteria are influencing their child care search, access to care, enrollment, and (eventually) the quality of their child’s preschool experience.

In fact, issues that children, families, and the workforce face are connected to larger, system-level challenges. For instance, some families may experience a mismatch between available care and their needs—or worse, no care available at all. Further, even when children are enrolled in preschool, their outcomes may vary depending on the quality of the program and whether it provides positive experiences that help all children thrive. Additionally, ECE leaders need to provide adequate training and compensation for their workforce, who are a critical part of the system. Since families experience the system as a whole—rather than as separate programs or funding streams—leaders must understand how the pieces work together. By looking at what's working well, where families are facing barriers, and how one part of the system impacts another, ECE leaders can make smarter investments that meet families' needs and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Reasons to Apply a Systems-level Approach to Improving Early Childhood Services

There are many ways in which ECE leaders and policymakers can use a systems-level approach to make positive changes in the availability, array, and quality of ECE services. One tool that can help ECE leaders and policymakers is the STEP Forward with Data Framework. Developed by the Early Childhood Data Collaborative, the Framework is a systems-level tool designed to help leaders use data to make improvements and strengthen early childhood systems. Rather than focus on one specific area, the Framework intentionally takes a broad view, examining how different pieces of the system (e.g., supply, outreach, enrollment, learning experiences, transition, administration) interact and affect one another as children and families move through steps of the system. This flexible and action-oriented framework includes 20 questions that ECE leaders may look to answer—across all system steps—about how children, families, and the ECE workforce experience the system; the framework also includes accompanying metrics and suggested data sources. The framework aims to help users gather, analyze, and use data to better understand children’s, families’ and the ECE workforce’s experiences; identify barriers; and address unmet needs. Below are three reasons to take a systems-level approach, accompanied by information on how the STEP Forward with Data Framework can be a tool in these efforts. Examples are included to highlight how states and communities have leveraged the Framework to better understand and change their comprehensive early childhood systems.

Guide the development of coordinated, integrated data systems to help leaders make informed decisions.

While ECE programs and services do not operate in isolation, processes such as eligibility determination and enrollment frequently operate independently, burdening both families and providers. As children and families move throughout the ECE system—from determinations of eligibility, to enrollment and program participation, to transition to kindergarten—they often interact with multiple processes and requirements that can be uncoordinated and even duplicative.

Creating coordinated and integrated data systems, in which data are linked across programs and services, can help ECE leaders and policymakers gain a more coordinated and comprehensive understanding of the children being served and where gaps or barriers might exist. This includes understanding who is being served and where, identifying supply issues, and examining how children are transitioning between programs. The STEP Forward with Data Framework is structured to follow a child and family (and thus their data, too) through the ECE system and can be used as a tool to structure coordinated and integrated data systems and frame program and policy agendas.

Evaluate the implementation and impact of initiatives and policies.

Child outcomes are not solely driven by classroom practices. Decisions made at the systems level—such as how funding is allocated to programs to improve quality—can also impact outcomes. For example, children and families experiencing poverty are more likely to live in communities where high-quality preschool is less accessible than for children and families of higher-income households. Further, policies can drive changes in access to and enrollment in ECE programs. For example, states that have made policy changes to their subsidized child care programs have seen increases in the number of providers serving eligible children and in families who report that care is more accessible and affordable.

A systems-level approach is also critical for ensuring that children get the services and support they need and that they’re not disproportionately impacted by policies or processes. For example, children with disabilities experience higher rates of exclusionary discipline than children without disabilities, and these rates are even higher among children of color. By using data to evaluate practices and policies, ECE leaders can identify areas for systems-level improvement. The Framework can be used as a tool to identify where policies, practices, or processes are facilitating or creating barriers for different groups of children and families.

Inform areas for continuous quality improvement and efficiency within the ECE system.

An important component of implementing and scaling up initiatives and programs is evaluating their effectiveness and creating opportunities for continuous quality improvement. State and local leaders and funders should understand, on an ongoing basis, what is working well and where areas for improvement lie. This requires using a cyclical process, using or collecting and analyzing data to understand current successes and challenges, identifying solutions and improvements, and using data to evaluate whether those changes led to intended system improvements. The STEP Forward with Data Framework provides a set of questions with accompanying metrics to help ECE leaders use data to identify opportunities to strengthen the system—making it more accessible and equitable for all children, families, and workforce members—and then evaluate the impact of quality improvement changes after they are in place.

Conclusion

Across the early childhood landscape, a patchwork system of interconnected programs and services is critical to supporting young children and their families. ECE leaders and policymakers tend to focus on improving individual programs or areas of the system, but families typically interact with multiple programs at once, experiencing the full complexity of these systems and the challenges that accompany accessing and participating in care. It’s important for early childhood system leaders to step back and evaluate how their larger systems are—or are not—operating together to support families and where there may be barriers or opportunities for improvement. The STEP Forward with Data Framework helps state and local leaders use data to make system-level improvements to drive programmatic changes and improve child outcomes.

More resources to support ECE leaders, researchers, policymakers, and advocates can be found on our Getting Started web page. For more information about the Framework, including how to receive consultation support, you can submit a quick form.