States have many early childhood programs, services and data systems. Systems that bring together data from multiple sources through collection, integration, maintenance, storage, and reporting are called Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems. Integrated data systems have become increasingly important as states look to understand how to best support young children and their families to yield lifelong success in the areas of health, well-being, learning, relationships and employment.
Utah’s Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS, pronounced E-Kids) is a data system which integrates early care and education data from participating agencies and programs providing services to families with young children. ECIDS helps to identify and evaluate long-term outcomes attributed to early childhood investments. Utah’s ECIDS is hosted by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
ECIDS has been designed to assist early childhood programs and stakeholders to meet the following objectives:
ECIDS Objectives
Evaluate long term health & education outcomes for children who participated in early care and education programs (ECE).
Improve child outcomes and the quality of ECE programs by promoting data driven decisions.
Answer key policy questions regarding ECE programs and services.
Provide data that is timely, relevant, accessible and easy to use.
Improve the ability of agencies to participate in funding opportunities that require data on children, ECE professionals and ECE programs.
Early childhood programs and stakeholders will use integrated data to address six broad policy questions:
ECIDS Policy Questions
Do families have access to the resources they need to raise healthy children?
Do families have access to the resources they need to prepare young children to succeed in school?
Which children and families in need, are/are not being served by early childhood services and programs?
Which characteristics of various early childhood programs are associated with positive outcomes for which children?
What are the educational and economic returns on early childhood investments?
How is early childhood data currently being utilized and how will data be utilized in the future to inform policy and resource decisions?