Author Archives: Patti Schank

Using Data to Advance Equity

Conference: Family Leadership Conference 2022 Presenters: Michelle Lewis, DaSy​, Thomas McGhee, DaSy The goal of this presentation was to help participants (1) articulate the role of families and community members […]

System Improvement for Equitable Access, Experiences and Outcomes

Many folks have been engaged in equity work at a personal and professional level. But what does it mean to have an equitable system? This session focused on how to intentionally include equity in your system through the indicators of quality in the revised ECTA/ DaSy System Framework. We shared how to use data at the leadership level to inform policy development, and provide opportunity to dig deep to identify needs, priorities, and opportunities for action at both the state and local level within your own system.

Equity Starts with Allocations: Aligning Resources to Meet the Needs of All

Methods for state Part C allocations are typically driven by factors such as the number of children served in the previous year and historic expenditure patterns. But how well are these allocations meeting the needs of children and families in the state Part C program? Might other factors better support different levels of need? Using multiple sources of programmatic and fiscal data, states may better understand how to equitably allocate resources statewide to serve all families. Because states vary considerably in how they are structured, in this session we discussed different considerations and methods for determining allocations to facilitate equitable use of early intervention resources statewide.

Intersectionality, Quality, and Inclusion: The Role of Race in the Early Childhood System

Today’s early childhood system has many positive and meaningful supports for children and their families. However, outcomes for children are disparate. Equitable access, appropriate supports, and full inclusion are not available to all children. This disparity is especially true for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children and families. In this session, participants examined history and data to explore how bias and ableism have impacted the early childhood system, specifically in relation to intersectionality, the perception of “quality” in programs, and inclusive services for all children.