Getting Started: 10 Fundamentals of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems

Date: 8/1/2010

Policymakers often struggle to obtain answers to basic questions about their states’ public early care and education (ECE) systems. Answering these critical policy questions requires data to be collected over time at the individual child level and to be linked to data on ECE programs and the ECE workforce. These systems also require structures and policies that can ensure appropriate access to and use of data, along with ensuring security and privacy protection. By ensuring that data are accessible and stakeholders have the capacity to use data appropriately, coordinated state ECE data systems will promote data-driven decision making to improve the quality of ECE programs and the workforce, increase access to high-quality ECE programs, and ultimately improve child outcomes.

The 10 ECE Fundamentals outlined here provide the foundation for answering the critical questions that policymakers seek to answer.

Topic: Early Childhood