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I2D2 VISION

Iowa’s early childhood system is effectively and efficiently coordinated among health, social service, and education agencies to support healthy and successful families. This work will be informed by actionable intelligence derived from a statewide integrated data system that comprehensively identifies and addresses the needs of Iowa’s young children and their families.

Mission

Ensure ethical integration and analysis of relevant, cross-system data to:

  • Identify priority areas for policy and program change to support young children and their families.

  • Advance a culture where applied and academic knowledge are effectively brought together to transform theory into practice.

  • Strengthen broad outcome assessment and improvement.

  • Promote a “data literate” community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

  • Encourage the use of analytic findings in practice and policy decision-making.

  • Foster an iterative inquiry process that builds, expands and adapts to knowledge gained.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

  • Act first and foremost in the service of improved public good and services.

  • Maintain high standards for data security that protect privacy and confidentiality.

  • Build mechanisms to ensure that all data meet standards for timeliness, accuracy, validity and professional collection methods.

  • Minimize the costs associated with the actionable intelligence inquiry process, while maximizing the benefits to be derived from the data.

  • Engage the community of practitioners, policymakers and researchers in the production and sharing of information generated from the inquiry process.

Transforming Data Into Actionable Intelligence

For decades, programs have aspired to effectively and efficiently serve Iowans. Challenges with siloed systems of government, fragmented service sectors, and disjointed funding models, however, make effective decision-making a tall order.

Our nation’s leaders understand the value of data to inform executive decision-making. Reports from the U.S. Commission of Evidence-Based Policymaking have increased attention on the potential of integrated data systems to address gaps in service coordination, population-level surveillance and service responses.

Here in Iowa, state agency channels already collect multitudes of data about child and family needs and wellbeing for local program access and reporting. With I2D2, we securely and scientifically leverage that data to increase use, to improve data literacy among stakeholder community groups, and to generate cross-systems dialog — fostering greater insight to Iowa’s needs.

With such insight, I2D2 addresses systems-level disconnects. Invisible
populations can be seen. Cross-systems collaborations can be
strategically and deliberately formed to fill gaps and address needs.
Program successes can become clearer. With actionable intelligence
derived from I2D2, our state and program leaders can make powerful,
targeted decisions to improve the lives of all Iowans.

I2D2 integrated data system was created with proven best practices by a unyielding, passionate team that believe an integrated data system in Iowa can make a positive, lasting impact.

HISTORY OF I2D2

latest news and resources

View the 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce Study Report here.

August 31, 2023

  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...

June 9, 2023

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...

February 15, 2023

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...

January 2, 2023

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...

October 24, 2022

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...

October 24, 2022

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...

August 8, 2022

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...

August 8, 2022

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...

July 22, 2022

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

July 15, 2022

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!

June 7, 2022

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,...

May 19, 2022

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 

April 25, 2022

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...

January 13, 2022

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,...

January 12, 2022

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...

December 8, 2021

I2D2 has released a new data brief on the impact of birth risks on home visiting enrollment and program outcomes. Find the brief here. 

October 27, 2021

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.

October 27, 2021

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...

October 27, 2021

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...

July 1, 2021

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...

July 1, 2021

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...

June 24, 2021

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...

June 23, 2021

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....

May 27, 2021

I2D2 Director Heather Rouse has officially been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Iowa State University. Congratulations, Heather, on this well-deserved accomplishment!

April 19, 2021

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...

April 19, 2021

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)...

April 1, 2021

https://earlychildhood.iowa.gov/document/whats-happening-early-childhood-iowa

December 21, 2020