IECAM Contributes to Data Recommendations Report

IECAM's Dawn Thomas and Keith Hollenkamp recently provided insights about early childhood data definitional issues for the American Institutes for Research's (AIR) Illinois Preschool Development Grant Birth–Five Needs Assessment: Data Recommendations Report. This report, contracted by the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD), is the culmination of several activities that expand upon AIR's 2020 Illinois Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five Needs Assessment.

These activities were facilitated by AIR and included creating a data matrix to document existing definitions and definition gaps, holding stakeholder meetings to discuss definitions and bring consensus on ECEC domains, and providing recommendations. This work will support the state's efforts to bring several Illinois departments together to develop a new data set to help researchers and policymakers understand the early childhood landscape in Illinois.  

You can read this StateScoop article to learn more about these efforts.