Strategic Plan

Measure the effectiveness and impact of early childhood care and education services over time and use this information to improve outcomes for children.

1.5.1   Review the necessity and value of data collection, sharing, reporting, and evaluation requirements across state agencies and funding streams. Adjust and align approaches to reduce burden and drive collective impact.

1.5.2   Use unduplicated counts of children and families receiving services across the early childhood care and education system to guide decision-making, including where to allocate resources at the regional, county, and/or community level to meet the
identified need.

1.5.3   Develop shared early childhood care and education indicators related to healthy development, early learning, and strong families. Report on the indicators on an annual basis to identify trends and monitor quality, equity, and effectiveness.

What do these icons mean(To help Kansans see themselves as key contributors to the important work ahead, each tactic displays one or more icons representing where stakeholders can have impact.)?

Indicators and measures identified in the PDG grant and the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan are part of an extensive evaluation plan. They serve as the basis for formal reports which count services and analyze anecdotal information. Building an early childhood integrated data system (Strategy 1.4) will deepen understanding of these measures and how our state is ensuring that every child thrives. Both improved data integration (Strategy 1.4) and increased alignment (Strategy 1.2) better position our state and local leaders to make informed decisions about resource allocation and service improvements.

The second authorized project of the Data trust is the development of a Distinct/Unduplicated Count of Children Served dashboard. This will allow Kansas to accurately count children served and unserved by early childhood programs across agencies, geography, and demographics, and will help inform funding and access/availability coordination across agencies. This is a deliverable for the PDGB-5 grant and will give Kansas a modern technical resource for early childhood alignment, efficiencies, and equitable access. Discovery and development will begin when funding and interagency data sharing agreements are in place.