south carolina’s child care data bridge project building bridges from data to policy to practice...
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South Carolina’s Child Care Data Bridge Project
Building Bridges from Data to Policy to Practice
Children’s Defense Fund August 2010
Few Basics: Who Are We?
South Carolina Department of Services, Child Care Services
Leigh Bolick, Director and PI for the grant
3- year child care capacity grant, funded by ACF/OPRE
In 3rd year (ends Sept 30 2010)
Big Picture: What Did We Want to Do?
To create new or improved databases w/ the goal to link and/or integrate child care databases and where appropriate integrate with the State’s data warehouse. BUILD and expand upon the State’s existing infrastructure
Create & explore the use of web-based tools that access information from your PC (Cubes)
An integrated data infrastructure For Integration/ linking - common identifiers are the key
Build on the SC Budget & Control Board’s Office of Research & Statistics with the state’s integrated data warehouse and cubes (enhance a strategic partnership)
Build upon and/or develop new partnerships in our research community
This investment in our data infrastructure will provide better quality information and more integrated information for the development of services and policy.
South Carolina’s *Integrated Data System, goal is to enhance Child Care
* For more information on South Carolina’s Integrated Data System, contact
Budget & Control Board’sOffice of Research & StatisticsHealth and Demographics
Section Chief - David Patterson, Ph.D.(803) [email protected]
Sarah Crawford(803) [email protected]
South Carolina’s Partnerships (Structure for Grant)
Includes:
Child Care Services, PI
Information Technology
Research
*While Clemson and USC represent the primary research community in the Data Bridge Grant, other entities will participate as appropriate.
Other Partners:
SC Center for Child Care Career Development (CCCCD)
Other Agencies/Organizations
SC Data Bridge Advisory Group
One More Big Picture:
Understand and support the vision to link with the Dept of Education
2 important additional components to the SC Picture
The SC Department of Education participates in the SC Data Bridge Advisory Group
SC Department of Education received a Year 2 LDS grant.
SCDSS partnered on the grant’s application.
Use Project’s Research Question as Guide to our Work
What are the relationships* of Child Care Development Funds on improving the quality of care available to and utilized by low-income working parents and at-risk families to support parental outcomes and child well-being?
* With proper research design – hope to look at impacts eventually
Resources include our Child Care related databases
State-regulated centers/providers (licensing) Built internally by DSS IT staff
ABC centers/providers (quality provider system)Built by SC Budget and Control Board, ORS staff
ABC Voucher/client-child (subsidy system)Parts under development by DSS IT staff
Professional developmentTEACH & other CCDF funded higher education
Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) Technical assistance (registry and reporting)
Built by CCCCD
Linking bridges across Data Systems
Needed 2 Linking Methodologies- (Provider level, Child level) At Provider Level - No existing methodology
(Childcare Licensing, ABC Quality Provider,
ABC Voucher, Other Provider databases) DSS IT developed Web-based methodology to link providers
across multiple organizations
(DSS for Licensing and ABC Voucher & ORS for ABC Quality) SC Data Bridge project tapping into existing methodology
(Linking at the Child/Person level)
Person level unique id methodology resides
w/ SC Budget and Control Board’s ORS
“Getting to Know You …”
Getting to know our data, that is …
Quick Overview of all the databases
Data dictionaries
Frequency Distributions
Crosswalk tables
A Cube is a Web-Based Desk-Top TOOLTo help explore or answer policy questions
What Is an Analytic Cube?
Secure Web-based database
A way to “slice & dice” lots of data
Define “slicers” or characteristics (fields)
Pre-aggregate the linked data
Developed a Provider Licensing Cube
Why does this matter (an ex)?
PolicyAn example: In 2005 regulatory requirement for hand
washing sinks next to diaper changing tables
PracticeAn example: agility in budgeting and targeting ARRA
funds to promote health and safety in child careSpecific: Install sinks next to diaper changing tables
to help providers meet health and safety regulations
ResultHealthy childrenEmpowered Providers
Another Policy Question of Interest
How well are we targeting our high-risk children?
Are there geographic pockets that need additional vouchers?
Developing and refining our tools to help us better ask and help answer this question
Developing/ Refining the Child Cube
• To better target children at risk• Allows DSS to crosstab children served by
ABC Vouchers with other programs such as TANF, SNAP (Food Stamps), Children who are in founded abuse and neglect cases and children in foster care
• Will allow DSS staff with proper security to “drill down” into clients in order to check on program issues (operational purposes only)
Children (Ages 0-5 years) Served in 2009
through ABC Vouchers Status in
2009ABC
VoucherTANF -
noFood
Stamps - no
7,422 23%
TANF -no
Food Stamps -
yes
24,265 74%
TANF -yes
Food Stamps -
no
1,176 4%
In analyzing data from the child cube, realized that TANF transitional services were not captured using the year slicer. A former TANF client receives up to 2 years of transitional services including the use of ABC Vouchers
Cubes continue to be updated & edited …
Cubes based on Provider DataLicensing cube has been updated with more recent infoABC Quality Reviews draft cube under review
Cube based on Child Level Data reviewing & editing With agency permissions, use the Integrated Data WarehouseBegan with ABC Voucher children, DSS TANF & Food Stamp children,
Human ServicesNeed to receive permission from SC Dept of Health & Human Services
(SC’s Medicaid agency)Eventually want to add slicers (if approved by the agency) from:
Mental Health, Disabilities, & other agenciesSC Dept of Education
Have begun exploring available outcomes data from ORS data warehouse
Through our ORS partnership, have begun exploring availability of education outcomes to children served by ABC Voucher
Begun synthesizing answers to research questions using data from the warehouse and through this project
Challenges Process of getting to know the data was time
consuming and held some surprises Required a shift in thinking for researchers,
IT, and policy/program staff Additional training required for program staff
on use of data cube technology Had to incentivize ongoing use of data cubes
for program staff to “institutionalize”