Counties across the United States offer a range of supports and services to infants, toddlers, and their families, including home visitation, early intervention, and family support services, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Each program and service requires the collection of data on the children and families served, but these data are typically collected for federal or state reporting purposes, rather than for quality improvement. By examining the data already being collected—and collecting additional information about young children and their families—counties can make better-informed decisions to promote the well-being of these populations.
Specifically, data can indicate where to prioritize needs and investments. The data can also be used to track progress on these investments over time. Collecting, sharing, analyzing, and using data are not without challenges; this blog explores the benefits of collecting and using data to understand infant and toddler well-being and highlights ways to overcome common challenges.
There are enormous benefits of using data to inform decision-making processes. For example, communities that use data to inform their decision-making processes are better able to:
Determine whether they are meeting agreed-upon targets over time. A county could ask, “Are we increasing the number of children screened and referred for early intervention services?”
Create a feedback loop for continuous improvement to better meet community needs and goals. “Why have we, as a community, not been able to increase the number of women receiving timely prenatal care? Do our targets need to be revised? Do our programs target specific populations who may need additional support or resources?”
Inform or respond to future policy changes or initiatives at the local, state, or federal level. If a state expands Medicaid, a county could ask, “Did Medicaid expansion increase the number of families entering our coordinated referral system? Are we seeing a corresponding increase in children receiving developmental screenings?”
While there are great benefits to collecting and using data, the process can also involve challenges.
The data may not be accessible. County staff may lack access to data, which may be housed or managed by a different agency or organization (e.g., state-administered program data, hospital system data). Alternately, the data may not be collected systematically by any one organization or agency. Lastly, there may be programmatic or legal restrictions to accessing the data.
Solution: Gaining access to data begins with developing relationships. If data are collected by another agency or organization, develop a partnership with that entity to learn more about the data source. This includes learning about any special considerations for sharing data, such as state or federal data security requirements or statutes that limit data sharing. To solidify your data sharing partnership, develop a data sharing agreement. If data are not currently being collected, consider a partnership to design a survey and/or develop a way to collect these data. For step-by-step instructions on building data-sharing partnerships, check out the following resource: Building a Data Sharing Partnership with Other Organizations.There is no one at the county with the time or skills to analyze the available data.
Solution: Engage experts who specialize in research and evaluation, such as universities, nonprofits, or evaluation consultants. To learn more about engaging with research partners, check out two resources on Engaging Research Partners and State Agency Research Partnerships.It is unclear how to create structures to access, collect, store, and share data.
Solution: An active data sharing agreement and data governance structure are critical. The data sharing agreement will set the parameters around data governance (e.g., Who owns the data? Who can access the data? Who can use the data and for what purposes?), data security, and data management.
With the right partners, structures, and plans, a county can use data to effectively make changes that positively impact the lives of young children and families in their community.
Several counties are already engaged in this work. The National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACoRF) is a non-profit organization recognized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service as a 501c3 public charity providing education, technical assistance and research to counties. NACoRF’s mission is to ascertain, develop and distribute knowledge about county governments and training of public officials, prospective public officials, and other interested parties. NACoRF is a partner in the National Collaborative on Infants and Toddlers, an initiative comprised of 29 communities supported by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative. Through this partnership, NACoRF launched the Pritzker Children’s Impact Network (PCIN), which provides technical assistance and support to eight counties focused on improving health and developmental outcomes for families and children, from the prenatal stage to age 3. The eight counties are: Boone, MO; Champaign, IL; Dauphin, PA; Pierce, WA; Ramsey, MN; Tarrant, TX; Washington, VA; and Watauga, NC. Their work will provide examples of how powerful data can be for improving the lives of young children and families.
NACoRF recognizes that counties are often a catalyst for change across all levels of government and Peer Learning Networks will launch in early 2019 for rural, mid-size/suburban, and large/urban counties to share early childhood best practices and innovation. These resources have been designed to help counties expand early childhood programs and services and make critical steps to sustain these efforts over time. To learn more about how your county can take action or to sign up for a Peer Learning Network, please contact info@countiesforkids.org for more information.
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of young children and families. Child Trends has partnered with the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers to provide technical assistance regarding measurement of outcomes, data collection, and data sharing related to this national effort for families and young children from the prenatal stage to age three.