Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Resource and Referral, Iowa Workforce Development, and Early Childhood Iowa
Iowa’s child care providers are committed to work they find meaningful, and the majority would like to remain in the field as long as possible. Unfortunately, like many states across the US, Iowa struggles to maintain a high-quality child care system. Particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, recruiting and retaining staff and adapting to the changing needs of families in child care is a complex task that requires relevant data to inform strategic decisions.
The 2D2 team is working collaboratively with state agencies, providers, and other stakeholders statewide to better understand the strengths, needs, and challenges facing our child care providers. Using administrative data collected by state agencies and child care providers, combined with detailed survey and focus group approaches, this work is highlighting areas of opportunity to strengthen Iowa’s child care system.
Findings in Action
Iowa’s Governor-appointed Child Care Task Force recommendations (2021) identified challenges and proposed solutions to child care for the State of Iowa. Composed of public and private partnerships, stakeholders acknowledged that quality early childhood education and care relies on a strong workforce and that investments in the workforce grow Iowa’s economy. I2D2 is a uniquely positioned partner In this work with capacity to leverage skills In data collection and integration across siloed systems of health, education, and child welfare to guide statewide strategic planning efforts.
Led by I2D2 teams, the 2019 Early Childhood Needs Assessment uncovered shortages in the quantity and quality of early childhood related to low-wages and lack of benefits (see also: Themes in Iowa’s Child Care Conversation). These findings were highlighted in the statewide strategic plan “We are ECI” with goals Including (a) creating a larger, more skilled early childhood workforce and (b) providing new or expanded early childhood workforce supports to enhance the quality of early childhood programs and services.
I2D2 continues to elevate the vision of Iowa’s Child Care Taskforce recommendations through collaborative efforts with state leadership, child care partners, and community agencies. Most recently, I2D2 and HHS released one of the first-in-the-nation near real-time data solutions to capture child care vacancy data and highlight child care supply and demand statewide: Child Care Connect (C3). This work is designed to strengthen child care businesses by providing more accessible information for families to find care, and in turn for child care business to fill open slots as soon as they are available.
Data integration and analysis are the forefront for understanding Iowa’s child care needs and workforce trends. We are honored to be part of Iowa HHS partnership efforts.
Iowa Child Care Connect (C3)
Iowa Child Care Connect (C3) is Iowa’s integrated solution to understanding real-time child care availability from providers and demand from Iowa families. In the past, data on child care was fragmented across individual systems, which made it difficult to envision the needs of children and families in Iowa. Today, C3 is providing Iowans with near-real-time updates directly from child care providers in convenient and easy-to-access online applications.
Data Briefs
Early Childhood Workforce Study Briefs. Data Briefs Prepared for the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children. Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making. Ames, IA. Iowa
Riser, Q.*, Rouse, H., Bruning, J.*, Gress, A.*, Dorius, C., & Foley, T. (February, 2020). Estimated Cost of the Child Care Shortage in Iowa. I2D2 Policy Brief prepared for Early Childhood Iowa. Des Moines, IA.
Kelly Davydov, DHR/DOM Program Manager and Preschool Development Grant Director
Amanda Winslow, DOM ECI Systems Coordinator
Ryan Page, DHS Program Manager
Mary Breyfogle, DE Early Childhood Education Consultant
Rick Roghair, Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children
Tom Rendon, Iowa Head Start State Collaboration Office
Datasets
Vital Statistics Birth Records (IDPH)
Kindergarten and Preschool Enrollment (IDOE)
Childcare Subsidy Receipt (IDHS)
Home visiting and family support program enrollment (IDPH, DOM, DHR)
Head Start Enrollment (Head Start Grantees)
This work has been supported by federal funding from the Administration for Children and Families Preschool Development Grant B-5 to the Iowa Department of Management, and by seed grants from Iowa State University and the College of Human Sciences to faculty investigators Heather Rouse and Cassandra Dorius.
