Unified IT System

1. ARRA ProposalProposed Unified Information Technology System: Concepts for the Next Stage of Data Development Board of Early Education and CareApril 6, 2010

2. Unified IT System EEC is currently developing a Unified Information Technology System that will: • streamline statewide early education and care business processes; • improve child data; and • manage over $500 million in annual financial assistance. It will incorporate several EEC initiatives: • the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS); • (b) transformation of the EEC educator registry into a fully functional and real time professional development data management system; and • (c) the evolving system for assessing school readiness and child outcomes.

3. Unified IT System • In the spring of 2009, EEC defined the business requirements for its Unified IT System, a web-based application essential to management of EEC programs and funds, but accessible as well to a broad constituency of potential users including parents, practitioners, providers and policy makers. • EEC determined that the new system will be based on the open source PELICAN database developed by the Pennsylvania Office for Early Childhood and Early Learning over the past several years, although it will be customized to Massachusetts standards. • This decision enables a cost-effective development and implementation process and is also well aligned with the goal of the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, for multi-state use of compatible longitudinal data systems whenever possible.

4. Unified IT System: Modules Included Child/Family Access and Assistance • Capability to perform intake, manage, and support all Commonwealth children/families, including those receiving EEC financial assistance • will support capturing the long-term outcomes of 300,000 children, birth into elementary education Licensing, Monitoring, and Support • Capability to perform intake, manage, and support all programs funded by EEC including those licensed by EEC and license exempt providers Professional Development • Capability to maintain a repository of early education and care educators (education level, training and professional certifications etc.) and professional development opportunities Purchase of Services • Capability to support a standardized contracting process for the various services purchased by EEC, including contracts for provider slots, vouchers, and grants

5. Data Partnerships with K-12 Education Over the past year, EEC has also worked collaboratively with the ESE on a series of data system development initiatives. • A key initiative includes ESE’s “Massachusetts i-Passport”, its December 2009 application to the US DOE for a federal ARRA Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) grant award. ESE’s application has six goals; five are directly related to collaborative work with EEC: • Continued development of the Integrated P-20 Data System, including the assignment of SASIDs across EEC, ESE and DHE; • Developing a more robust “early warning and opportunity system” that “starts at birth and continues through high school” and includes EEC.  • Continued upload of LEA student and educator data to the SLDS. • Continued work to identify prospective educators through assignment of unique “education personnel identifier” and assign these identifiers to those who work in EEC funded programs, with integration of data into the SLDS; and • Continued improvements in the SLDS data audit system; • EEC and ESE have entered into a MOU to assign unique identifiers to cohorts of young children. The two departments are also working with the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop a statewide early childhood assessment system and to develop and implement a joint PreK-3 initiative.

6. Concepts and Recommendations for the Next Stage of Data Development

7. Concepts and Recommendations for the Next Stage of Data Development • The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information System” • Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and Real-Time Presentation of EEC Extant Data • Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8) Interagency Data Working Group

8. I. The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information System” • EEC has intentionally focused on how the new data system can become an “early childhood information system” (ECIS) as now being described by the national Early Childhood Data Collaborative. • EEC envisions an ECIS that incorporates the assignment of unique child IDs, educator/staff IDs, and program IDs, linked with timely, accessible data to improve the effectiveness of both teaching and learning and that has increased access to secondary data from multiple sources

9. I. The Massachusetts “Early Childhood Information System” • When fully developed and implemented, the Massachusetts ECIS will be able to: • track children across ages and over time, encompassing data on home and community environments; • include children’s demographic data • include child outcomes across developmental domains that can be linked across sectors, agencies and programs (e.g., infants/toddlers, family child care etc.) • link to program and fiscal data (e.g., program quality, and service costs); • support analysis by geography that is useful to communities engaged in Birth through age 8 strategic planning, resource management, program improvement, and accountability. Timeframe and Estimated Cost • Begin with a contract as soon as possible to develop the informatics necessary to store the data. $325,000-$400,000.

10. II. Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and Real-Time Presentation of EEC Existing Data • EEC has a vast storage of financial and enrollment data on the preschool and child care services funded. • EEC collects a substantial amount of data on program licensing and child and family demographics. • In addition, the ESE SLDS grant anticipates more substantial involvement with EEC and ESE data in relation to the Commonwealth’s evolving Early Warning Indicator System, based on the early assignment of unique student identifiers by EEC that will continue with children through their K-12 educational career. • The internal capability to analyze and report out this data is limited.

11. II. Develop Capacity for Data Analysis and Real-Time Presentation of EEC Existing Data It is the Department’s recommend that funding be allocated to provide data analytic and research capability and to continue the agency’s partnership/membership in the UMass (Lowell) Open Indicators data presentation tool development and use. Timeframe and Estimated Cost • Begin by July 2010 with one or more contracts for data analysis of extant EEC data to be provided for a period of at least 12 months. Cost: $100,000- $150,000. • Begin by July 2010 to secure a 12 month membership in the Open Indicators data collaborative. Cost: $75,000.

12. III. Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8) Interagency Data Working Group • With TA from the NGA and the National Early Childhood Data Collaborative, EEC proposes to secure TA and staff consultation to design and implement a series of cross-agency data sharing memoranda. • Allowing EEC, through a newly established Early Childhood Data Working Group (EEC/DCF /DPH/Mass Health/ESE) to examine client specific data on a subset of young children determined to be vulnerable for developmental challenges and lack of school readiness during the B-5 years.

13. Develop and Support Early Childhood (B-8) Interagency Data Working Group • The goal of this work is to establish an “early warning indicator system” as called for in the Governor’s Readiness Cabinet data report, apply it to children younger than five, and recommend state and local intervention and coordinated case management. Timeframe and Estimated Cost • Begin by July 2010, with interagency agreements within 120 days, and initial data extraction, analysis and data reporting by February- March 2011. Cost: $100,000 - $125,000

14. Funding Recommendation and Summary of Recommended Next Steps Funding Recommendation EEC proposes the use of up to $750,000 of ARRA funds for the purposes outlined below.