I2D2 is a robust system of stakeholders who share a common goal to bring together comprehensive systematic data regarding Iowa’s children and families. Together, with the guidance of a formal governance process, we collaborate around data to provide meaningful insights to our state’s leaders and stakeholder community. The outcome? The needs of Iowa’s communities can be better understood. Service gaps can be better identified. Future improvements and efforts can be aptly measured with repeated cycles of inquiry. Data-informed decisions can drive our public programs forward.
In line with bipartisan recommendations from the Federal Commission on Evidence-based Policymaking, there is increasing attention to the value of integrated administrative data systems to inform executive decision-making. Integrated data systems use data already collected by programs that serve families for policy evaluation and population-based analyses to better understand impacts and gaps in public service systems over time.
The integrated data system approach is a process of problem solving that uses administrative data
to produce Actionable Intelligence. It is not a one-shot research or evaluation project. Through iterative and logical inquiry cycles, the results of integrated data system analytics shape and refine interventions over time to maximize effectiveness.
Core components of the approach are based on decades of development from existing integrated data systems across the U.S. and internationally. Iowa is part of AISP (Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy), a national network comprised of existing state and university partnerships working with integrated data systems to advance social policy.
The success of Iowans makes a difference for us all — we can agree on this across the board. But in the midst of policies, programs, funding and more, it is easy to lose sight of our priority — our shared mission. With I2D2 data and insights, we are helping to ensure the people of Iowa remain the focal point of decision-making. We are pushing forward real, positive impacts. When it comes down to it, we at I2D2 are Iowans ourselves — each dedicated to the greater good by connecting rigorous science with effective service coordination.
I2D2 is entirely funded by individual grants and contracts that support approved projects. Each award is secured in collaboration with engaged partners including state department leadership and I2D2 directors. This funding supports specific projects that are approved by the Data Stewardship Committee in pursuit of I2D2’s shared vision and the articulated priorities established by the Executive Board. Early seed grant awards from Iowa State University, the Midwest Big Data Hub, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, and Third Sector Capital Partners supported the partnership-development activities, development of I2D2 governance and data sharing protocols, and establishing the secure technology infrastructure that maintains I2D2 data and analytic platforms. Subsequent awards supported analytics of integrated data to address high-priority statewide needs and communications materials to disseminate and use findings to advance priorities.
Iowa Jobs for American Graduates. ($60,000; 2024-2025). iJAG Iowa Jobs for American Graduates Program Evaluation. Awarded to Rouse & Abraham.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. ($192,437; 2023-2024). Family wellbeing, home visiting, and prenatal support: A statewide investigation to inform outreach and intervention. Awarded to Rouse & Abraham.
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. ($457,958; 2023-2024). Child care costs: Market rate and narrow cost analysis 2023. Awarded to Rouse, Lippard, & Abraham.
Iowa Workforce Development. ($41,023; 2023-2024). Identifying strengths and opportunities in Iowa’s workforce innovation efforts: An evaluation of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I programming. Awarded to Rouse & Abraham.
Iowa Department of Management. ($4,745,879; 2022-2024). Advancing early child care for Iowa: A state-university collaboration integrating people and data to advance strategic planning. Awarded to Rouse & Abraham.
Iowa Department of Management. ($400,000; 2022-2024). Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making (I2D2): Using evidence to inform strategic planning for Early Childhood Iowa. Awarded to Rouse & Abraham.
U.S. DHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation Secondary Analysis of Data on Early Care and Education Grant. ($100,000; 2022-2024). ). Head Start children’s concurrent and sequential enrollment in public early childhood education programs. Awarded to Rouse, Choi, and Betancur-Cortez.
Iowa Department of Education. ($5,000; 2023). Advancing Head Start Success in Iowa: Statewide Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning Grant. Awarded to Rouse.
. Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children. ($854,113; 2021-2023). 2023 Iowa workforce study: Investigating strengths, needs, and opportunities for strengthening early childcare and education systems. Awarded to Rouse, Lippard, Choi, Peterson, Dorius, and Abraham.
Iowa Department of Management. ($181,410; 2021-2024). Early Childhood Iowa and I2D2: Advancing Strategic Planning and Outreach. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, & Abraham.
Iowa Department of Management. (Award $65,000; 2021). Advancing the I2D2 Partnership for State and Community-level Strategic Planning and Outreach. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, & Abraham.
Promise Partners. (Award $25,000; 2021). Local Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning for Early Childhood: An Integrated Data System Partnership Demonstration. Awarded to Rouse & Dorius.
U.S. DHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation Secondary Analysis of Data on Early Care and Education Grant. (Award $105,000; 2020-2021). Start Children’s Multiple Care Experiences: Patterns, Partnerships, and Effects on School Performance. Awarded to Choi, Rouse, & Dorius.
Iowa Department of Public Health. (Award $686,957; 2018-2022). Multiple Risks and Family Wellbeing: A Population-based Study of Home Visiting Enrollment, Retention, and Outcomes. Awarded to Rouse & Dorius.
U.S. DHHS Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant awarded to the Iowa Department of Management, Subaward to Iowa State University. (Full Award $2,190,119; ISU Subaward $1,197,796; 2019). Improving Iowa’s Early Childhood System: PDG B-5 Grant. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, Peterson, Choi, & Lippard.
Iowa Department of Public Health, subaward from the Center for Disease Control. (Total Award $2,200,000; Subaward $215,000; 2018-2019). Substance use among Iowa families: An intergenerational mixed method approach for informing policy and practice. Awarded to Dorius, Rouse, & Dorius.
Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences Untenured Faculty Seed Grant. (Award $10,000; 2018-2019). Developing the Iowa Child and Family Wellbeing Study: A Demonstration of Statewide Integrated Data System Capacity. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, & Peterson.
Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences, Department of Human Development and Family Studies Pilot Funds for Collaborative Research Development. Role: PI. (Award $5,000; 2018). Building a Data Infrastructure to Support State Partnership Research. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, & Melby.
Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Training and Technical Assistance Program. (Award Value $60,000; 2017-2018). IDS for Iowa: A State-University Partnership to Inform Early Childhood Policy and Practice. Awarded to Rouse, & Dorius. State of Iowa Department of Management Co-PI: Anderson, State of Iowa Partners: Richey, Davydov, Winslow, Rendon, Christ, & Kresse.
Third Sector Capital Partners and Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy Training and Technical Assistance Program. (Award Value $650,000; 2017-2018). Social Innovation Fund Pay for Success Youth Development Competition. Awarded to Rouse, & Dorius. State of Iowa Department of Human Rights Co-PI: Davydov, State of Iowa Partners: Anderson, Richey, Winslow, Rendon, Christ, & Kresse.
Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences Untenured Faculty Seed Grant. (Award $10,000; 2017-2018). Big Data, Real People: Using Integrated Data to Promote Child Wellbeing in Iowa. Awarded to Dorius, Rouse, & Hughes-Belding.
Milbank Memorial Fund. (Award Value $5,000; 2017). Academy of Health Datapalooza Scholarship. Awarded to Rouse, Dorius, & Richey.
Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences External Funding Accelerator Grant. (Award $2,400; 2017). Advancing Data Driven Health Policy and Practice in Iowa. Awarded to Dorius & Rouse.
Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences External Funding Accelerator Grant. (Award $1,955; 2016). Advancing Evidence-Based Family Policy in Iowa. Awarded to Rouse and Dorius.
National Science Foundation Big Data Award, Enhancing Industry-Academic Big Data Collaboration and Partnerships for Early Career Researchers across Midwest Big Data Hub. (Award $6,000; 2016). IDS for Iowa: An Integrated Data System Collaboration for Social Policy Research. Awarded to Dorius & Rouse.
Learn about the innovative work happening in Iowa with Opportunities Exchange’s upcoming webinar featuring the Iowa Child Care Connect online tool. Check out this exciting opportunity to explore how Iowa leads the way in child care solutions featuring I2D2 Director Heather Rouse! Registration is available...
Iowa Child Care Connect is Live! Discover Iowa’s Child Care Connect for real-time child care information through this Letter from the Director.
The October 2024 I2D2 Newsletter has been released! Key topics include the launch of the Iowa Child Care Connect platform, participation in the IPDLN Conference, and our new Student Program Assistants. This month also emphasizes Head Start Awareness, showcasing its impact on children facing poverty-related...
The I2D2 Impact Summer 2024 Newsletter is now available! Learn about I2D2’s new team member, new partnership projects, and upcoming events the I2D2 team will present at. Visit our newly revamped I2D2 Newsletter webpage to view past publications and sign-up for our Insights.
A recent study by I2D2 staff and affiliated faculty, “Head Start Children’s Dual Enrollment in State Pre-K: Prevalence and Child Outcomes” is this week’s Hot Topic in the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) newsletter! Published in AERA Open, researchers Ji-Young Choi, Laura C....
The I2D2 Impact Spring Newsletter dropped today. 🌷 Check out the link to our newsletter below to learn what we have been up to, data bytes, our recommending readings, and upcoming events that may interest you. Remember to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date...
Happy New Year from I2D2! We have released of our latest I2D2 Impact Newsletter for our readers. Explore the recent developments from the I2D2 team, featuring three new workforce briefs, updates to our IA Data Drive, and much more. In addition, we are currently seeking...
The IA Data Drive has been updated with 2023 data! In response to the ECI Statewide Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning in 2019, the IA Data Drive was developed to help inform and guide decision-making. In the interactive IA Data Drive, users can view the most commonly...
In partnership with IA AEYC, we are proud to release the final brief from the 2023 Iowa’s Child Care Workforce Study. Retention in the early care and education field was a major portion of our findings in the report. Turnover is a very costly issue...
We are hiring! I2D2 is searching for a Postdoctoral Research Associate. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work on projects funded by the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Education and state of Iowa Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Management, and Workforce...
The 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study that Iowa AEYC recently released in conjunction with I2D2 is a comprehensive study that brings together the voices of over 4,500 child care providers in Iowa. One of the major findings of the study was that many providers...
A major part of the recently-released 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study focused on the state of compensation for early care and education providers in Iowa. The study found that compensation was the primary concern for sustaining our child care workforce; low wages and lack...
Join the ECI State Board meeting Friday, November 3rd from 9am to 12pm (noon) CST to learn how Early Childhood Iowa is developing partnerships between communities and state government to improve the well-being of children ages 0-5 and their families. On the agenda, includes I2D2...
The 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study, published by Iowa AEYC and I2D2, has identified several challenges the early care and education workforce faces. To build a more sustainable workforce, a statewide advisory committee developed five key recommendations informed by recent statewide research. These recommendations...
The 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study is complete. View the 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study Report here.
I2D2 released a new brief “Iowa Head Start: Successfully Serving the Comprehensive Needs of Low-Income Children”. The federally-funded program promotes school readiness and offers comprehensive services for low-income children under 5. The program has historically served families with diverse needs related to poverty. Findings...
The recently released update to Early Childhood Iowa’s “We are ECI” Strategic Plan 2023-2026 is a showcase of the committed partnerships across our statewide systems in improving services and outcomes for Iowa’s youngest children. We are proud to be partners in this work, as ECI has provided a...
The team at I2D2 is honored to be highlighted as a key “Innovative Solution” by Iowa State University in 2022. As part of the university’s strategic plan and the goal “to be the trusted partner for proactive and innovative solutions”, I2D2 was featured as the...
I2D2 recently finalized technical reports from the original Early Childhood Iowa Longitudinal Study integration which now include an addendum with recent work including integrated data from Head Start programs across the state. This addendum focuses on child outcomes for children participating both Head Start programs...
Over the last 20 years, 41 birthing units have closed across the state of Iowa. These birthing unit closures are occurring primarily in rural communities. The purpose of this analysis was to examine how closures may impact groups of families who may be more susceptible...
I2D2 releases new ECI Family Survey report In the wake of our introduction to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shut-down in 2020, and the creation of the Governor’s Childcare Task Force in 2021, it is clear that Iowa families are still facing challenges – particularly those...
I2D2 is thrilled to release the IA Data Drive for use in local and state strategic planning efforts. Stakeholder feedback across our early childhood system in 2020 consistently highlighted the need for aggregate data to support local and statewide strategic planning (see Mapping Vulnerability in Iowa’s...
I2D2 is hiring! The I2D2 Program Assistant will provide valuable support in accomplishing team goals and meeting deadlines specifically related to a large integrated data system build for the state of Iowa. This position will directly support the Director and Assistant Directors of I2D2, coordinate...
I2D2 was recently featured in a release by the Iowa State University News Service. The article discusses the partnerships I2D2 has facilitated, the technology used to ensure privacy, and the impact on programs for young children and families in Iowa. See the full article HERE
Jeff Jackson, I2D2’s Strategic Projects Specialist, was recently inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success in recognition of his academic and professional accomplishments as well as his completion of the NSLS leadership program. Congratulations, Jeff!
I2D2 was recently featured in a case study sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families as part of a national effort to advance the use of administrative data for program evaluation and cross-systems improvement. The report includes lessons learned and recommendations from I2D2 development,...
I2D2 Directors Heather Rouse and Cassandra Dorius presented at Iowa State University’s Research Day 2022 held by the Office of the Vice President for Research. View their lightening presentation on Integrating People and Data to Advance Collaborative Decision-Making
I2D2 presented at the annual “What’s Happening in Early Childhood in Iowa?” meeting to legislators, ECI State Board members, ECI Area Board members, early childhood programs and service providers. This presentation focused on how I2D2 is providing data which can be used to guide program...
I2D2 was featured in the winter 2022 issue of Kansas Child magazine for Dr. Rouse’s work with AISP partners developing a framework to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children. This framework considers the impact of imbedded stressors caused by housing, health,...
Co-Director Cassandra Dorius and Assistant Director of Data and Analytics Todd Abraham were recently awarded the Interdisciplinary Team Research Award by Iowa State University. The award recognizes an interdisciplinary team of two or more faculty researchers with outstanding achievements who have made a significant contribution...
I2D2 has released a new data brief on the impact of birth risks on home visiting enrollment and program outcomes. Find the brief here.
I2D2 has released a new data brief on Themes in Iowa’s Child Care Conversation. This brief details challenges faced by early childhood care facilities regarding staffing and facilities. See the full brief here.
I2D2 Director Rouse and national colleagues from across the AISP network recently published a paper showcasing how IDS can be a critical resource for studying the impacts of COVID-19 on young children. This paper provides a developmental model and use cases for IDS to study...
In collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health, I2D2 released a program evaluation of the Phones 4 Families program. Families who are already more vulnerable due to low-income or family risk status, such as those served by Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting...
In collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health, I2D2 released a report on birth risks and timing of enrollment in home visiting programs. This report utilized integrated data from birth records and home visiting records to analyze how birth risks impact timing and duration...
I2D2 team members presented at the Midwest Big Data School on centering racial equity in integrated data. Visit the new I2D2 YouTube channel to view the presentation. I2D2 Director Heather Rouse and Assistant Director of Data and Analytics Todd Abraham discussed the governance and infrastructure...
Jeff Jackson, Assistant Director of Outreach and Strategic Planning for I2D2, has been appointed to the Professional and Scientific Council (P&S) for Iowa State University serving the 2021-2022 term. He will be a member of the Professional Development Committee and a Representative of the College...
I2D2 work completed in 2020 is being used to translate data into action by the Child Care Taskforce recently launched by the Governor. This Task Force will be making recommendations to address the child care shortage for Iowa’s youngest children and barriers for the workforce....
I2D2 Director Heather Rouse has officially been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Iowa State University. Congratulations, Heather, on this well-deserved accomplishment!
Research from the I2D2 team was recently featured at the 2021 Annual Conference for the Society of Research on Development. Graduate students led two posters co-authored with the I2D2 team and state partners that were designated as Strategic Posters exemplifying policy research related to children’s development. https://www.srcd.org/event/srcd-2021-biennial-meeting View the posters here, available until...
Early Childhood Iowa held its Equity Advisory Committee meeting on March 23, 2021, where the I2D2 team led a discussion about how we attend to equity in data collection, integration, analysis, and dissemination. This work uses concepts from the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP)...
https://earlychildhood.iowa.gov/document/whats-happening-early-childhood-iowa
