Follow Up Blog
October 4, 2022
TCC hosted two Virtual Roundtables at the 2022 BUILD Conference titled You Can’t Measure Equity Without a Data Plan. TCC is releasing a series of blogs based upon the Key Takeaways from those
discussions. The series is intended to provide early childhood policymakers with practical considerations needed to move your equity work forward.
Key Takeaway #1: The national conversation around equity and access most often focuses on families and children. While families and children are certainly a key priority, let’s not forget the early childhood providers and workforce who families and children depend on for services that meet their needs. These two groups are directly impacted by early childhood public investments, regulations, policies, and business practices. Failing to consider and plan with these partners in mind will result in barriers that may limit parent choice and access to high-quality care.
Implication: Early childhood providers and the workforce should be considered when developing your States’ Data Plan. A Data Plan is an important component of your States’ Early Childhood Strategic Equity Plan because it ensures that that your State collects, synthesizes, and analyzes the data necessary to measure equity across the early childhood system.
Actionable Recommendations:
Action 1: Create (or leverage existing) a sub-group of the larger Data Governance structure to give focus specifically to equity and data collection.
- The equity sub-group should be responsible for defining equity questions and identifying the data elements and reporting criteria needed to answer specific questions. The larger Data Governance group can authorize additional data fields or data sharing activities needed to fully answer important equity questions
- The equity sub-group should be given time on the agenda during the larger Data Governance meetings
- Having a researcher and a data analyst as part of this sub-group adds significant value
Action 2: Create (or leverage existing) opportunities for providers and educators to provide feedback about perceived barriers and inequities in the licensing system.
- Identify the most appropriate group to facilitate the feedback gathering process. At least one representative of the equity sub-group should be involved
- Identify the most appropriate methods of collecting feedback (e.g., online surveys, post inspection licensing surveys, in person focus groups, strategic planning with established Advisory groups)
- Ensure feedback is well documented, stored and shared with the Data Governance group
- Routinely share updates to provider and educator groups about how their feedback was used to address concerns
Helpful Resources
Children’s Equity Project. (June 2021). Start With Equity: Early Childhood Equity Strategic Plan.
National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance. (August 2021). Equity Considerations for the Child Care Licensing System.
State Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program. (July 2021). Early Childhood Integrated Data System Tool-Kit: Data Governance.
Author: Michelle Thomas, MSW
Client Engagement Manager
TCC Software Solutions
Improving the lives of Children and families. 