Connecticut needs a statewide research infrastructure for well-informed, effective and efficient program and policy development in early childhood at state and community levels. Early Childhood DataCONNections brings together state agency staff, researchers, community advocates and legislators to address some of the needs for better information on key early childhood issues. In doing so, DataCONNections seeks to build the capacity of state government to collect, analyze and report relevant information on the needs and services for young children, birth to age eight, and their families.
DataCONNections is developing the following:
- A research agenda for early childhood policy
- Enhancements to existing and future state databases to accommodate data analysis and research
- Guidelines for developing administrative databases for research purposes
- Sample interagency data-sharing agreements
- Building early childhood into the Department of Education student tracking database
- Conversion and enhancement of the Child Care Infoline database
- Tools for identifying data sources, including:
- Relationships and forums for sharing among state agencies, researchers, providers and advocates
- Demonstrations of the use of administrative data to answer policy questions concerning:
- Early care and education supply, demand and access
- Early care and education workforce—compensation, benefits, qualifications and turnover
- Maternal and child health systems planning
- Indicators on the efficacy of services for young children
Partnership and Funding
Early Childhood DataCONNections is a public-private partnership of the State of Connecticut’s Department of Social Services(DSS) and CHDI, with a three-year grant from the Child Care Bureau of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and matching funds from DSS, the Children’s Fund of Connecticut and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
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