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Early Insights Blog

Dispatches from the intersection of ECE data & quality improvement.

CQI as a tool for program design and planning: Q&A with Child Start

CQI as a tool for program design and planning: Q&A with Child Start

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...

Meet the Coaches: Dr. Maritza Lozano & Pamm Shaw

Meet the Coaches: Dr. Maritza Lozano & Pamm Shaw

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....

‘How CQI has strengthened our work’: Q&A with Kitsap Community Resources

‘How CQI has strengthened our work’: Q&A with Kitsap Community Resources

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...

High Performers:  A Federal Reviewer Talks About Programs Mastering Their Data

High Performers:  A Federal Reviewer Talks About Programs Mastering Their Data

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...

Strengthening Community Assessments with Better Questions

Strengthening Community Assessments with Better Questions

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...

Head Start Improvement Journey — Reports from the Front

Head Start Improvement Journey — Reports from the Front

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...

Takeaways from the Data and Q.I. Institute

Takeaways from the Data and Q.I. Institute

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...