Dispatches from the intersection of ECE data & quality improvement.
Child Start operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs across two counties in Northern California, serving about 1,000 children per year. They joined the very first cohort of the QI Network in early 2020 and have since applied the principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI) to several challenges in their programs. Child Start’s Executive Director Juan Cisneros has worked in Head...
Working with an improvement coach is one of the key benefits of joining the QI Network. But what do these coaches actually do? How do they spend their days? And where do they add value? We sat down with two QI Network coaches over Zoom to find out how they got into coaching, why they’re passionate about continuous quality improvement (CQI), and how this work helps Head Start programs. Dr....
Kitsap Community Resources (KCR) in Kitsap County, Washington has been serving its community for over 50 years, including operating Head Start and Early Head Start programs. They joined the very first cohort of the QI Network in early 2020, using the principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI) to several challenges in their programs. Jill Brenner, KCR’s Director of Early Learning and...
Ever been curious how federal reviewers think about your local data practices? Or what it’s like for the review team visiting centers virtually or in person? As a Review Lead and later as a Field Operations Manager, Dr. Desiree Del-Zio has facilitated or managed approximately 400 federal reviews. She’s now CQI Training Lead for the Q.I. Network. Dr. Del-Zio shared her insights as a former...
Community assessments are an often misunderstood and yet critical tool for Head Start programs. Requiring inquiry, data, thoughtful analysis, they can accelerate your progress or create headaches that endure for years. Given their pivotal role, it’s amazing how little we think about them. Even if they are heavy on data, they are unfortunately often light on reflection and analysis. Recognizing...
Last year we formed a new kind of learning network where early childhood programs lean into their data and use improvement science tools to improve child outcomes. Thirty programs from across the country currently participate and are at various stages on the improvement journey. We’ve just decided to share via blog what we’re learning, so welcome to this first post in an ongoing...
To be honest: when we first recruited the Harvard team to present their early childhood data bootcamp to Head Start leaders, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Professors Nonie and Stephanie of the Zaentz Early Education Initiative are respected educators, but they have limited experience with Head Start. Our idea was to spend two weeks thinking about data, and then a third week building on...
