During Early Childhood Iowa’s (ECI) Statewide Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning process of 2019, stakeholders from across the system continually expressed a need for more local data. While ECI has historically relied on a set of State Board-approved indicators to inform state-level work, access to these was challenging for Local Area Boards as data were drawn from multiple sources.
IA Data Drive was designed to bring all of these sources into one location to focus attention on the sets of indicators that are most relevant for early childhood strategic planning.
After meeting with a variety of stakeholder groups throughout 2020 using static reports of local indicators (see Mapping Vulnerability in Iowa’s Early Childhood System and the All County Needs Assessment, below), the I2D2 team compiled lists of the most commonly used indicators and prioritized their inclusion in IA Data Drive. Starting with the ECI State Board-approved indicators, we anticipate the addition of future data elements to continue to meet the needs of more diverse community and statewide planning efforts.
I2D2’s interactive “IA Data Drive” dashboard is here to empower decision-makers with accessible data in an easy-to-use format. What in the past may have been visits to 15 different websites is now just a click away – early childhood trends, local vs. state data comparisons, and more. IA Data Drive provides an assortment of indicators aligned with the most recent statewide annual report from ECI. Access the data drive at the IA Data Drive Login link below.
You need to make decisions quickly, but you want to make them in an informed way. I2D2’s unique dashboard will let you do both and drive forward with confidence.
Linked below are support materials for user navigation. Learn more about the available features with the Iowa Data Drive Manual. For step-by-step navigation, visit the Dashboard Navigation link.
Dorius, C., Rouse, H., Taylor, G., Hanson, B., Burke, S., Shaw, R., & Seeger, C. (February, 2020). Mapping Vulnerability in Iowa’s Early Childhood Systems. Report prepared for Early Childhood Iowa. Des Moines, IA.
Rouse, H., Dorius, C., Bartel, M.*, Riser, Q.*, Bruning, J.*, Gress, A.*, & Kelley, E.* (March, 2020). All County Needs Assessment. Early Childhood Iowa’s Integrated Data System, Iowa State University. Prepared for Early Childhood Iowa. Des Moines, IA.