The ECLDS+SLEDS Regional Coaching Network is your nearby, personal resource for better understanding the data available to you in ECLDS. The network has coaches in all corners of the state, ready to work closely with you to address the technical issues that may arise when accessing, using, and applying data. If you are new to ECLDS or would like assistance with data analysis, contact a regional data coach close to you.
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Welcome to Minnesota's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System!
We are proud to offer this ever-evolving tool to help our state answer questions about young children and their development and learning. We are excited to continue to grow our system and provide more robust information for all interested users around the state.
Thanks for visiting! If you have any questions please contact eclds.support@state.mn.us.
What's New
Share Your ECLDS Stories
How has ECLDS helped you in your work? We're collecting anecdotes, studies, press releases, photos—whatever you have to share with us to help us better understand how ECLDS is being used and how it could grow to better meet your needs. Share your stories by emailing us at eclds.support@state.mn.us.
Share Your Voice and Your Story
MN StoryCollective is a way for you to share your experiences, helping support the state's many communities. From safe roadways to thriving educational systems, we care about the wellbeing of all who live here. MN StoryCollective connects the voices of residents with those making decisions. The purpose of sharing your experience is to provide information that may be used to constructively improve the future of our state. Share your story today.
Listen In: Talking through the Numbers
Using a story-focused approach in evaluation can help us all better understand what experiences are important and meaningful to families in Minnesota. Lucy Littlewolf Arias from MDE’s Division of Early Learning discusses in Wilder Research’s podcast, Talking through the Numbers, how she and her team used storybanking—gathering stories from people directly impacted by policies, programs, and services—as part of Minnesota’s Preschool Development Grant’s Indigenous Evaluation efforts.
Listen in: Minnesota Help Me Connect
Minnesota Help Me Connect is an online service navigator that connects expectant and parenting families with young children to services in their local communities that support healthy child development and family well-being. The Center for Inclusive Child Care’s podcast, Inclusion Matters, invited Shawn Holmes, Minnesota Department of Health’s Help Me Connect Coordinator, to share an overview of the amazing resources this gem of a website provides.
2022-23 School Year Data Now Available
The ECLDS now contains data for the 2022-2023 school year for a total of ten years of data. Use the breadth of data to observe trends in your county, school district, or economic development region of choice.
ECLDS is part of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families
The ECLDS administrative team is now part of the new Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. We are proud to serve you alongside our colleagues in early childhood, youth investment, and family well-being programs.
This project has been funded by the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 84.412A-Federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant and CFDA 84.372-Institute of Education Sciences: Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems. It is also funded by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as part of appropriations for the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (Minnesota Session Laws, 2021 1st Special Session, Chapter 2 --H.F.No. 7, Article 1, Section 2, Subd. 16).
Census
American Community Survey (ACS) data about families with young children is exclusively available in more detailed age bands through Minnesota's ECLDS. Information is available for all states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Learn more about these ACS early childhood population estimates in the user guide.
Use the drop-down menus below to choose your geography and data topic. View the tutorial video for a step-by-step walk-through of using the tool.
The EZAPOP provides access to national-, state-, and county-level population data for individual years detailed by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. For a specific example, this site allows you to get a count of Asian female 2-year-olds living in Ramsey County in 2020. This data is originally collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and subsequently modified by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The KIDS COUNT Data Center, maintained by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, includes assessment indicators of child well-being in Minnesota and across the United States. Much of the Data Center's content is pulled from the Census website. Data about children of all ages and their families can be readily found in the Data Center.
To learn more about older children and adults in your county or state of interest, explore the population tables on the official Census website.
For limited school district-level demographic census information based on ACS five-year period estimates, visit the EDGE ACS website. On this site, data is available in the broader 0-5 age band under four topics. Instructions for accessing this data on the EDGE ACS website is included below. (If you are interested in understanding school district estimates alongside county information available on this page - select the appropriate five-year data set. Note: Direct comparisons are not advised due to differing measurements.)
- In the American Community Survey - Education Tabulation (ACS-ED) Children
section, choose your five-year estimate of interest by clicking on the blue
table symbol beside it.
-
From the drop-down menus, select School District under Geography Type,
identify your state, and choose the school district of interest.
- Select Total Children.
- In the Find Table drop-down, birth-5 estimates can be
found under:
-
Child Population tables
- Social: School Enrollment (Nursery school, preschool)
- Economic: Employment Status (Children of householder under 6 years)
- Economic: Percentage of Families and People Whose Income in the Past 12 Months is Below the Poverty Level
- Demographic: Sex and Age
-
Child Population tables
- In the Find Table drop-down, birth-5 estimates can be
found under:
- Select Total Children.
-
From the drop-down menus, select School District under Geography Type,
identify your state, and choose the school district of interest.
The Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE) program develops information resources to identify and understand the social and spatial context of education in the U.S. It uses data from the ACS to create custom indicators of social, economic, and housing conditions for school-age children and their parents. It also uses spatial data collected by NCES and the Census Bureau to create geographic locale indicators, school point locations, school district boundaries, and other types of educational geography to support spatial analysis.
Please let us know how you found the Census data on our site, and how you plan to use it. Feedback (opens new window)
Nourishing Our Children for Success
Welcome!
Get ready to explore and learn more about early childhood services across the state and the children who participate in them with Nourishing Our Children for Success.
This easy-to-navigate data story offers you context to data currently available from the Minnesota Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services that are included in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System. Throughout the story you will access powerful data visualizations of statewide, district, county, and legislative district data for some of the early care and learning programs available in Minnesota, for your own exploration.
Enjoy!
1. Value of Early Education
2. Services Provided
3. The Kids We Serve
CHAPTER 1: VALUE OF EARLY EDUCATION
All Minnesota children should have access to a system of high-quality early care and education programs. Children who are healthy and successful socially, emotionally, and academically have a better chance of becoming economically productive and engaged adult citizens.
Children who attend programs that are inclusive of peers with different abilities, cultural backgrounds, and a range of economic backgrounds benefit from a variety of language models, increased respect for diversity, and preparation for life in an inclusive society.
In Minnesota, young children have the opportunity to start building their learning skills in preparation for kindergarten and overall school success through various state programs that promote school readiness. Some of these programs have been designed to meet the specific developmental needs of children in poverty and help their families provide a healthier environment for them. Children with high needs who participate in well-designed early childhood programs are likelier to be ready for kindergarten and further succeed in their educational pathways.
The purpose of Nourishing Our Children for Success is to provide community leaders easy-to-access, meaningful data about early childhood in order to make informed decisions.
SUPPORTS IN PLACE
Minnesota values supporting young children through publicly-funded programs and services so that they are at their optimal health and ready to learn. Some examples include Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening (ECS), the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs), and the Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP). Each of these initiatives provides guidance and early identification of child needs. Although data from each of these programs are not yet included in the ECLDS, they constitute important foundations for other services and programs.
EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENING KINDERGARTEN COHORT, 2020-21
Age 3 | 32% |
---|---|
Age 4 | 43.2% |
Age 5 to 6 | 24.9% |
- Kindergarten cohort report reflects selected state fiscal year and looks back to determine age at which children were screened.
- Children served through Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) may be screened within ECSE.
- Children may be screened multiple times within a year, based on parent request.
- Data reflects children enrolled in public schools only; does not include children screened who attend private schools.
- Kindergartners attending charter schools not required to receive screening, unless the charter elects to provide a program, Minnesota Statutes 121A.16.
- Represents only screenings completed by Head Start or Child and Teen Checkups and submitted to districts.
Minnesota children receive a free early childhood screening by their school district prior to entering public kindergarten.
Through the Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening program (ECS), children must receive a free early childhood screening between age 3 and no later than 30 days after entering public kindergarten or within 90 days to attend other early learning programs. The screening requirement may be met by completing a comparable screening through a school district, Head Start, Child and Teen Checkups, or a health care provider. Screening is a simple process that measures a child's developmental status, and a child may be referred for a more in-depth health assessment, diagnostic assessment, or educational evaluation as a result of ECS.
Children and their families may also be referred to free early learning opportunities and resources, such as Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), Head Start, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), prekindergarten programs, early learning scholarships, and/or home visiting programs.
Programs and services that assess the development and learning of young children may do so in a variety of ways. Decades of research has shown that the most thorough assessments of young children address multiple areas or "domains" of learning and development. The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs), Minnesota's early childhood learning standards, are a common set of developmentally appropriate expectations for children age birth to kindergarten aligned with kindergarten academic standards. The ECIPs are used in all areas of the early childhood system, as well as all Minnesota programs (aligned with Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework). This provides consistency and coherence for children, families, teachers, and administrators.
ECIPs
In many Minnesota elementary schools, kindergarten teachers complete some form of assessment to understand the status and needs of their new students. This helps them plan effective lessons and understand the unique needs and abilities of each child. Minnesota has a Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP) initiative that gathers data at kindergarten entry from kindergarten classrooms that volunteer to participate. In recent years, the data collected has been used to pilot the alignment of assessment tools to one another and the ECIPs. This work ensures that kindergarten teachers using these assessments with young children are measuring the same thing. The KEP data are not currently used for state-level analysis because it is voluntary and they are not representative of all kindergartners in the state.
When assessing children's learning and development, standards must take the unique needs of dual-language learners into account. Learning two or more languages is an asset, and children need to be supported to use both their home language and English. There are many ways early educators may use ECIPs with dual language learners, including celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of children and their families, supporting children's fluency in their home language or honoring home languages if staff are not proficient in that language, using best practices to teach English, establishing a culturally responsive learning environment across domains, supporting children's language development through play and talking, and reading and singing together in both English and home languages.
Key Findings
- Children who participate in quality early care and education programs are more likely to be successful in school, graduate from high school, enroll in higher education and professional training, become productive adult citizens, and be less likely to enter the criminal justice system.
- Minnesota children may receive free early childhood health and developmental screening starting at age three to identify potential needs of children and provide supports to meet those needs.
- The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPS) can help programs serving young children ensure they are addressing all of the relevant domains of child development.
- Minnesota's Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP) has piloted the alignment of a variety of classroom level assessments administered within the first 8-10 weeks of the kindergarten year and aligned to the ECIPs.
CHAPTER 2: SERVICES PROVIDED
Minnesota children and their families may participate in one or more public Early Care and Education (ECE) services designed to meet their health, educational, social and economic needs. ECE services are explored in the coming chapters, and data from these programs help us understand the successes, challenges, and opportunities the state faces to better serve our children.
Child Care Assistance Program: CCAP helps low-income families pay for child care so that parents can work or go to school. Families are allowed to choose the child care provider that best meets their needs. These may be licensed child care centers, licensed family child care homes, licensed exempt centers (i.e., school-age programs run by schools), or legally non-licensed providers.
Early Learning Scholarships: Scholarships provide funding to increase access for three- and four-year-old children with the highest needs to high-quality early childhood programs with the goal of improving their school readiness. To be eligible, a program must be rated through Parent Aware, Minnesota's quality rating and improvement system. Children age birth to age two are eligible if they meet any of the following criteria: child of a teen parent; currently in foster care; in need of child protective services; experienced homelessness in the last 24 months; or has a sibling awarded a scholarship and attending the same program.
Early Childhood Family Education: ECFE provides parent education for parents (including expectant parents) and their children ages birth through third grade. ECFE focuses on strengthening families by enhancing the ability of all parents to provide the best possible environment for the healthy growth and development of their children. Since all parents need information and support to raise healthy children, ECFE is a universal program, and participation is not restricted by income level or special needs. ECFE recognizes that the needs of families can vary by location and work closely with public and private community organizations to create programs and connect families with resources that serve the needs of the families in their particular district.
Early Childhood Special Education: ECSE provides supports and services to infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities and their families. Children and families are connected to ECSE services via referral from a variety of providers, including pediatricians, school districts, child care providers, and Head Start.
Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program: MFIP/DWP are economic supports to low-income families. MFIP/DWP have work and work preparation requirements intended to help parents secure and retain employment. Families must be income-eligible; these families are also eligible for CCAP.
Minnesota District Preschool: Minnesota District Preschool in the ECLDS includes data from three public preschool programs: School Readiness, School Readiness Plus, and Voluntary Prekindergarten.
- School Readiness: School Readiness programs are intended to prepare children for kindergarten. A child is eligible to participate in a school readiness program if he or she: is at least three years old on September 1; has completed health and developmental screening within 90 days of program enrollment; and either qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, is an English learner, is homeless, has an ECSE plan, has an identified learning risk factor identified through health and developmental screening, or is at risk by school district definition.
- School Readiness Plus: SRP is a fairly new early learning program, created in the 2017 legislative session, and targeted to four-year-olds demonstrating one or more risk factors.
- Voluntary Prekindergarten: VPK prepares children for kindergarten success. Funding allows school districts, and charter schools with MDE-recognized early learning programs, to incorporate a VPK program into their E-12 system. A child who is four years old on September 1 is eligible to participate free of charge.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: SNAP (formerly also known as food stamps) provides families with supplemental resources to purchase food for their household. Families must be income-eligible.
Read more
about MDE Early Learning
The Minnesota Department of Education's division of Early Learning
Services supports schools, communities, and districts to implement
inclusive and comprehensive prenatal through 3rd grade systems aligned
with World's Best Workforce. MDE's Early Learning
Services division
vision is that all Minnesota children are prepared for kindergarten,
proficient in 3rd grade reading, and prepared for lifelong learning. To
support this vision, the following strategies are implemented by Early
Learning Services:
- Enhance system of prenatal through Grade 3 leadership.
- Expand access to high-quality education, services, and instructional time for all children.
- Strengthen and align instruction, assessment, and curriculum.
- Support evidence-based practices for family and community engagement.
- Ensure a highly skilled workforce.
- Use data to inform policy, planning, practice, and professional development.
Key Findings
- Minnesota has a number of funding supports and programming options for young children and families. Some are targeted; some are an option for every child.
- CCAP helps low-income families pay for child care.
- ECFE is a universal program that provides education for families on enhancing the environment for child healthy growth and development.
- ECSE provides supports and services to young children with disabilities and their families.
- MFIP/DWP provide economic support to help parents secure and retain employment.
- SNAP provides supplemental resources for low-income families to purchase food.
- Minnesota District Preschool consists of three district-implemented programs that intend to increase the kindergarten preparedness of children with specific characteristics or risk factors.
- Early Learning Scholarships increase access to high-quality Parent Aware-rated programs statewide for children with the highest needs.
CHAPTER 3: THE KIDS WE SERVE
Minnesota's young children are diverse, and diversity has been increasing over time. The percent of white children has decreased 2% from 2010 to 2018 while the proportion of children of color has been on the rise. Since 2010, the proportion of Black children grew by 2%, and children of two or more races by 1%.
SLIGHTLY MORE MINNESOTA CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO AGE 5 WERE CHILDREN OF COLOR IN 2020 COMPARED TO 2010
White Children | 69% |
---|---|
Black/African American | 8% |
Hispanic/Latino | 10% |
Asian | 6% |
Two or more races | 6% |
American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% |
White Children | 66% |
---|---|
Black/African American | 11% |
Hispanic/Latino | 9% |
Asian | 7% |
Two or more races | 6% |
American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Understanding the demographics of children who are served by ECE programs is essential for improving services, adapting them to the needs of the community, and better designing outreach programs to fully serve those children who need them the most.
As described in Chapter 1, research shows a significant return on investment for communities when children are able to participate in high-quality early care and education. Not all young children are able to participate in high-quality programs due to a variety of factors: lack of expansion funding, shortage of trained staff and low wages, and geographic mismatches between where families need care and where it exists.
With the exception of ECSE, all the early childhood programs shown below could serve more families and children if more funding were made available. In this context, understanding how children are accessing ECE programs is relevant for allocating funds.
The following dashboard allows you to discover how Minnesota children are participating in ECE services in your county, school district, or legislative district.
Key Findings
- Statewide, children from low-income families are participating in public Early Care and Education (ECE) programs at high rates.
- Depending on their design, ECE programs serve children from low-income families or the universal population.
- CCAP serves primarily children of color. Statewide, many more Black/African American children are being served compared to other children of color.
- ECFE serves an increasingly diverse population, approximating the population at the state level for a universal program.
- ECSE may identify more children of color than those who are served. Parents have a choice and may decline services.
- Increased state investment in recent years in CCAP, Early Learning Scholarships, Head Start, VPK, ECSE, and SRP have had a positive impact on increasing participation of low-income children and children of color. Significant additional investment is necessary to reach all eligible populations early.
CHAPTER 4: TRENDS
This chapter is dedicated to exploring participation trends of Minnesota children in ECE programs by poverty and race. Participation trend data can be used to forecast changes in the demand for specific programs in the future, or to learn how children and families are accessing multiple programs over several years.
Poverty and race participation trends also illustrate how programs complement one another in practice, or how staff might adjust their outreach to better serve children of a specific demographic.
The following dashboards will allow you to discover the ECE participation trends by poverty and race in your county, school district, or legislative district. In The Value of Early Learning, MFIP/DWP, and Food Assistance are used as a proxy for understanding lower socioeconomic status.
Data may not be available due to current selection(s) and data privacy requirements.
Note: The increased participation rate of children of color and the increase in known participation in ECE programs across all races and ethnicities may be partly attributed to increased collection of data for ECFE and District Preschool.
Key Findings
- Kindergartener families' participation in MFIP and SNAP has decreased slightly from 2013 to 2020.
- Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) tends to attract families that are less likely to access MFIP and SNAP.
- Only about ¼ of ECFE participants receive income or food assistance whereas about ½ of families participating in ECSE receive cash or food assistance.
CHAPTER 5: OPPORTUNITIES
The youngest Minnesotans are increasingly diverse. The ever-changing face of Minnesota children means that the state's programs, policies, and investments must adapt in order to address their needs to ensure school readiness and well-being. Strategies to continue current progress include targeted outreach and investment, cultural integration to programs and curriculum, and an increase in program and policy leaders and educators from communities of color.
2017 – 2019 ECE PARTICIPATION SUMMARY
Federal Race Definition | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
American Indian/Alaska Native | 44.6% | 44.9% | 41.2% |
Asian | 40% | 39.7% | 42.8% |
Black/African American | 59.8% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
Hispanic/Latino | 39.4% | 39.3% | 37.5% |
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 32.6% | 28% | 23.8% |
Two or More Races | 51.1% | 49.3% | 51.5% |
White | 43.2% | 43.9% | 44% |
Recent investments in programs and policies targeted at increasing early education program access for low-income children like CCAP, Head Start, VPK, SRP, and Early Learning Scholarships, have successfully increased access for children of color. Additional targeted investments in these communities would continue to improve affordability and access while supporting cultural identity.
A key recommendation by the Office of Legislative Auditor is for the legislature to consider aligning funding and eligibility requirements of certain early childhood programs to make them more understandable and efficient. This change may increase access.
A child's culture and race are highly influential to their learning, and cultural preferences should be taken into account in instructional and family engagement practices within early childhood programming. When a child's culture is acknowledged and welcomed in their learning environment, they are more likely to thrive and their family is more likely to be engaged. As the diversity of Minnesota's children continues to grow, it is important for programs to adjust to these changing needs learning and cultural preferences.
CCAP is successfully reaching the target populations that benefit most from access to stable, high-quality child care while parents work to improve family economic stability. This evidence demonstrates that CCAP is a key to success for many young, lower income children and children of color, and there is opportunity for expansion of services and benefits, if supported by more funding.
Statewide, children of color are underrepresented in school readiness and public parenting programs. This offers Minnesota school districts an opportunity for ongoing target outreach and increasing funds to reach more children of color and American Indian children.
Recent legislation requires ECFE programs to conduct annual community needs assessments. Among other things, these assessments must identify new and underserved populations and programs should develop programming and services for families identified in the needs assessment. Local ECFE programs should continue to enhance efforts for reaching families that access MFIP and Food Programs, similar to how some ECFE programs have built outreach to other new and underserved populations.
Given the low participation rates for many populations of color and low-income children in ECSE, there is an opportunity for outreach to families in these communities whose children are likely eligible for ECSE. Providing intervention services early will decrease the likelihood of needing those services later on -a benefit to the family and child, as well as cost savings to the state.
White Children | 63.9% |
---|---|
Children of Color | 36.1% |
White Children | 63.1% |
---|---|
Children of Color | 36.9% |
White Children | 78% |
---|---|
Children of Color | 22% |
The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) recently recommended that the "Legislature should consider requiring assessments of school readiness as children enter kindergarten." The Department of Education agrees with this recommendation, though statewide implementation will require additional funding. The OLA also recommended the use of a universal identifier across all programs, as well as fully funding a statewide Kindergarten Entry Profile.
About the Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System
This innovative tool combines data collected by the state departments of Education, Human Services, and Health into one online, interactive database. The system protects the privacy of children by not showing data for individual children; it shows population results only. It shows children's growth and achievement in relation to their participation in a variety of educational and social programs over time.
Why do we need it?
Minnesota’s early care and education system is vast and complex. Our government invests a lot of money into programs that help children. As it is now, we don't have a complete picture of all the ways that the investments have helped those children. Each department collects its own data: the education department collects education data, the health department collects health data, and the human services department collects human services data. Decision-makers rely on comprehensive information to draw conclusions. If all the data we collect were linked, we would be able to see what outcomes were generated across more than one program. This online data tool is intended to do just that. Minnesota was able to build this tool because of funding from the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant, and grow it with funding from a federal IES Statewide Longitudinal Data System grant. The system continues through state funding as part of the P-20 Education Partnership.
How does it work?
Minnesota already has all this data. The tool just makes better use of what data we already have at state agencies. The database shows users a variety of information. For the first time, anyone is able to explore how children benefit from government programs when they are very young. The system does not reveal data on individual children.
Why is it important?
Research shows that the early years of a person's life are very important, so we need to know whether our programs for young children are helping. The ECLDS allows anyone to see information on the results of multiple programs. Learning what works now will inform what we do in the future to help our children thrive. ECLDS staff recently conducted an economic analysis study of the ECLDS. Read the resulting white paper that demonstrates the economic value of the system.
Who uses it?
The ECLDS is a go-to source for anyone who is interested in our kids' well-being. Anyone who wants to know whether we are spending public money wisely can use the system. This includes lawmakers, educators, community members, and parents.
What is it?
ECLDS is the early childhood companion site to Minnesota's Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS). SLEDS is managed jointly by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Together, the two sites, ECLDS and SLEDS, form a P-20 education data system, which captures, analyzes, and uses student data from preschool to high school, college, and the workforce.
ECLDS Contacts
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Newsletter Archives
Data Governance
This diagram shows the governance structure of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System. There are two primary bodies in this governance structure. The first is the ECLDS Governing Body. The second is the ECLDS Research and Data Committee. The Governing Body appoints members to the Research and Data Committee and the Research and Data Committee makes recommendations to the Governing Body. Both groups have members from the state departments of Education, Health, Human Services, MN.IT, and professional associations. The ECLDS+SLEDS Executive Committee has financial and legal decision-making authority for both ECLDS and SLEDS. Learn more about ECLDS data governance.
Structure
This diagram shows the structure of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System and the flow of data. Data sources are provided by the state departments of Education, Human Services, and Health. The data come into the system and are linked. Once linked, they are de-identified, that is any data elements that can identify an individual are removed. Once de-identified, the data is moved to a warehouse which helps provide information to answer a variety of policy questions. Users can visit the website where the de-identified data in the warehouse is available to answer a variety of questions. Four high-level questions that are being addressed with ECLDS data are: How many children are served? In what programs are children participating? In what types of quality programs do children participate? and What are child outcomes over time?
Data Access Management Policy (DAMP) and Data Guide
Click below to open the ECLDS Data Access Management Policy (DAMP) and Data Guide in its own browser tab.
DAMP and Data GuideData Dictionary
Click below to open the ECLDS data dictionary in its own browser tab.
Data DictionaryQuick Links
Early Childhood Programs Brief descriptions of each public program included in the ECLDS.
ECLDS+SLEDS Data Suppression Policy
Evolution of Data Linking white paper about data linking in ECLDS and SLEDS.
Data Source Matrix of Available Years of Data
The ECLDS does not include Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP) data. The voluntary data submitted to MDE constitutes a sample too small to be representative of kindergartners across the state. Conclusions cannot be drawn from such a small sample size.
Data Privacy
Data Privacy
Because ECLDS data represents Minnesota's youngest citizens and their families, ECLDS is committed to protecting individual privacy and security of information collected and shared. Education, health, and human services data is governed by state law (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13).
Legislation Governing Data Sharing and Data Privacy
The majority of data in ECLDS is classified as private data by Minnesota statute. Private data can be used as necessary by the agencies that collect the data or have statutory authority to use the data. Private data cannot be disclosed except in specific situations. Federal regulations provide additional limitations to the use of certain data. Individuals found in violation of federal or state law or resultant policies and procedures are subject to consequences as documented in the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and all data sharing and usage agreements for ECLDS.
Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA)
The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13, asserts that all government data are public data unless classified otherwise. Public data can be disclosed to anyone for any reason. Private data, as designated under Minnesota law, may be collected, stored, used, or disseminated by government entities if the government entity is authorized to do so by state, local, or federal law (Minn. Stat.§ 13.05 sub.4(b); the individual subject or subjects of the data have given their informed consent; the data are being discussed at a meeting open to the public (see Minn. Stat.§13D.05). The majority of data in ECLDS are classified as private data, meaning their disclosure is limited to that authorized in statute. The use and preparation of summary data is permitted under Minn. Stat.§ 13.05 sub.7.
Education Data
In general, education data are classified as private under state law in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.32, subdivision 1. "Educational data" means data on individuals maintained by a public educational agency or institution or by a person acting for the agency or institution which relates to a student. Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.32, subdivision 11 the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education have the authority to share educational data in order to analyze instruction in school districts for the purposes of improvement.
Head Start Data
Head Start agencies are authorized to collect and utilize educational and related data from enrolled children and families (Head Start data) to inform program improvements in accordance with the federal Improving Head Start Readiness Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-134, § 641A(g)(1) and (2), codified at 42 U.S.C. § 9836a(g). Head Start data is classified as private data pursuant to the federal Improving Head Start Readiness Act of 2007, 42 U.S.C. § 9836a(b)(4), and by Minn. Stat. § 119.50, subd. 2.
Head Start agencies are authorized to delegate the authority to create summary data from private data to another entity pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 13.05, subd. 7. MDE is authorized—through data sharing agreements—to create summary data from private Head Start data via the ECLDS to inform continuous improvement approaches based on the long-term success of Head Start-participating children and families.
Health Data
As part of MDH's duties, MDH collects and compiles data necessary for reporting Minnesota births pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 144.213.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 1, designates the information in birth records as public information with the following exceptions.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 2, designates demographic data in a birth record (including the original record of birth and the certified vital record) as confidential when the birth of a child is to a woman who was not married to the child's father when the child was conceived or when the child was born, unless the mother designates the data as public.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 2a, designates as private data the health data associated with birth registrations from which an identification of risk for disease, disability, or developmental delay in a mother or child can be made.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 4, allows MDH to give access to restricted birth information to persons performing medical research who agree in writing not to disclose private or confidential data on individuals.
As part of MDH's duties, MDH administers and operates the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 144.966. EHDI Data created, collected, received, and maintained by MDH are classified as private by Minnesota Statutes, section 13.3805. MDH and MDE may use EHDI Data to implement and evaluate a system of following-up with and tracking children from birth through age three who are at risk for delayed or late onset of permanent hearing loss under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.966, subdivision 2. The statute also allows for evaluating program outcomes to increase effectiveness and efficiency and ensure culturally-appropriate services for children with a confirmed hearing loss and their families.
Human Services Data
DHS is permitted to share the Protected Information with MDE pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.05, subdivision 7, which allows DHS to delegate the preparation of summary data to others under contract and it is the intent that MDE will use and aggregate DHS data for use in ECLDS.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 13.46, subdivision 1(c) allows DHS to enter into contracts to make other entities part of the welfare system and both parties agree it is their intention to make MDE a part of the welfare system for the limited purposes described in this Agreement.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 13.46, subdivision 2(a)(5) allows the disclosure of private data on individuals collected, maintained, used, or disseminated by the welfare system to personnel of the welfare system who require the data to verify an individual's identity; determine eligibility, amount of assistance, and the need to provide services to an individual or family across programs; and evaluate the effectiveness of programs.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 13.46, subdivision 2(a)(9)(iii) allows the disclosure of private data on individuals between DHS and MDH to monitor and evaluate the Minnesota family investment program or the child care assistance program by exchanging data on recipients and former recipients of food support, cash assistance under chapter 256, 256D, 256J, 256K, child care assistance under chapter 119B, or medical programs under chapter 256B, 256D, or 256L.
- Minnesota Statutes, section 13.46, subdivision 2(a)(29)) provides that data on individuals collected, maintained, used or disseminated by the welfare system are private data on individuals and shall not be disclosed except...“counties and the Department of Human Services operating child care assistance programs under chapter 119B may disseminate data on program participants, applicants, and providers to the commissioner of education.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, data for use in P-20W data systems such as ECLDS and SLEDS, requires that state agencies and partner data providers specify the conditions of use of data prior to inclusion. The conditions of use must include an anticipated data destruction date.
FERPA generally requires written consent of a parent or eligible student before an educational agency or institution discloses personally identifiable information. However, there are certain limited conditions in which prior consent is not required to disclose information (34 CFR Part 99.31).
These conditions include, but are not limited to, certain disclosures:
- To other school officials within the agency or institution determined to have legitimate educational interests
- To officials of another school, school system, or postsecondary institution where the student seeks or intends to enroll or is enrolled for purposes of the student's enrollment or transfer
- To authorized representatives of: 1) the Comptroller General of the United States; 2) the Attorney General of the United States; 3) the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education; or 4) state and local educational authorities
- In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or received
- To organizations conducting certain types of studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions
- If the information disclosed is designated as “directory information”, or
- If the information disclosed has been stripped of all personally identifiable information and determined that a student's identity is not personally identifiable after taking into account other reasonably available information
For more information on the conditions under which prior consent is not required to disclose information, please see Title 34, §99.31, of the Code of Federal Regulations for FERPA. Organizations and individuals found to be in violation of FERPA shall be prohibited from accessing information from ECLDS for a period of five (5) years.
Outreach and Training
The ECLDS team strives to share information about the system in many ways. Please see below for communication resources, toolkits, videos, webinars, presentations, and reports to help you better understand and use the ECLDS. Also scroll down to find contact information for your regional data coach who can walk you and your team through how to use the ECLDS, as well as how to address the technical issues that may arise when accessing, using, and applying the data.
Communication Resources
- ECLDS User Cheat Sheet (for online viewing only; not optimized for printing)
- Early Childhood Stats at a Glance - fillable, downloadable placemat
- ECLDS Census Data Tool - User Guide
- Census Data Tool Flyer
- Top 5 Features You Can Rely on When Using ECLDS
- Top 5 Questions You Can Answer by Using ECLDS
- ECFE Guidebook: Six Steps to Completing Your Community Needs Assessment on Time
- How MN ECLDS Works
- The Intersection of Health and Education
- Minnesota Family Resource Map - Quick Guide
- Regional Coaching Network - flyer
- Regional Coaching Network Service Areas by County - flyer
- ECLDS+SLEDS 2022 Bi-Annual Report
- ECLDS+SLEDS 2022 Data Highlights
Regional Coaching Network
If you are new to ECLDS or would like assistance with navigating our data reports, we encourage you to contact a data coach for an in-person demonstration. Our members work proactively with local schools, districts, colleges, and workforce agency staff.
Regional Network Members | Location | Contact Person | |
---|---|---|---|
BrightWorks (formerly Metro ECSU) | Arden Hills, MN |
Bianca Virnig Anna Paulson* |
bianca.virnig@brightworksmn.org anna.paulson@brightworksmn.org |
Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), University of Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
Alyssa Parr Anne Larson* |
akparr@umn.edu Lars4959@umn.edu |
Century College | White Bear Lake, MN | Erin Osborn | Erin.Osborn@century.edu |
Lakes Country Service Cooperative | Fergus Falls, MN | Megan Peterson | mpeterson@lcsc.org |
Northeast Service Cooperative | Mountain Iron, MN | Lisa Kvas | lkvas@nescmn.net |
Northwest Service Cooperative | Thief River Falls, MN | Jake Seuntjens | jseuntjens@nwservice.org |
Resource Training and Solutions | Sartell, MN |
Alison Orgaard Jennifer Johnson* |
aorgaard@resourcecoop-mn.gov jjohnson@resourcecoop-mn.gov |
Sourcewell | Staples, MN | Brenda Sprenger | brenda.sprenger@sourcewell-mn.gov |
South Central Service Cooperative | North Mankato, MN | Kim Mueller | kmueller@mnscsc.org |
Southeast Service Cooperative | Rochester, MN | Mike Schnell | mschnell@ssc.coop |
Southwest West Central Service Cooperative | Marshall, MN | Eric Schwankl | eric.schwankl@swwc.org |
* ECLDS Specialist
List of counties served by each member
Regional Coaching Network - flyer
Data Use Toolkit
This toolkit is the result of a three-year pilot conducted in Minnesota from 2016 to 2019. The pilot was one of 14 projects funded by a federal Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program grant awarded to the Minnesota Department of Education. The Growing Evaluability Together (GrEaT) pilot focused on building the evaluation capacity and data use of local early childhood programs. The toolkit can be used by any program teams for their existing strategic planning and problem-solving work. View and download the toolkit on the SLDS Communities360 Public Clearinghouse through the below link.
- Minnesota Growing Evaluability Together (GrEaT) Project Data Use Toolkit
- For a step-by-step whole program assessment, try Regional Education Laboratory Program (REL) Central's Program Evaluation Toolkit.
Webinars, Presentations, Reports
Learn more about ECLDS through reports and presentations made by our team.
- Allies Get Guidance on Using Data and Racial Equity in Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, Alliance for Early Success webinar, February 2021
- Appropriately Defining Success for ECIDS Analytics, ECDataWorks podcast, September 2020
- Bridging The Divide: A New Renaissance in Early Childhood Data Use, ECDataWorks video, 2019
- Building ECIDS Capacity to Adapt and Succeed through Changing Conditions, ECDataWorks podcast, September 2020
- Early Childhood Data Analytics: Distinct Count of Children Served, SLDS Webinar, June 2019
- Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System, Minnesota IT Services, 2018
- ECDataWorks: Advancing Early Childhood Policy and Practice through Strategic Use of Integrated Data, BUILD Initiative webinar, July 2017
- Interagency Data Linking and Common Identifiers, SLDS Issue Brief, June 2020
- Keeping the P-20W Lights Glowing in Minnesota, SLDS Best Practices Conference presentation, November 2021
- Making ECE Integrated Data Dreams a Reality, SXSW Education 2019 Session; audio only
- Making Use of Integrated Data: State Examples of Using ECIDS Data to Inform Policies and Practices, Child Trends Webinar 2017 (Minnesota presentation begins at about 22:10)
- Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership Report to the Governor & Legislature, January 2024
- Moving Beyond the Basics: Encouraging Others to Use Your ECIDS, SLDS Webinar, 2018
- Promoting Effective Understanding and Use of Integrated Early Childhood Data, SLDS Webinar, 2020
- Resources to Integrate Home Visiting and Other Early Childhood Data, Child Trends Webinar, March 2020 (ECLDS staff as state contributor)
- Teaching and Learning Led by Evidence: Where can student data from MDE be accessed? PowerPoint slides / Webinar (Whole webinar is of interest for locating public Minnesota education data; ECLDS section begins around 32:43), January 2021
- Using Census Data to Support ECIDS, ECDataWorks, November 2023
- Using Your SLDS to Meet COVID-19 Needs, SLDS Virtual Workshop Series, July 2020
Tutorial Videos
Overview of ECLDS and SLEDS (P-20W)
This tutorial is perfect for newcomers to ECLDS+SLEDS. The video provides a general overview of the websites, their common navigation, and basic guidelines for accessing data reports. (2022)
Resources
Tutorial Videos
Navigating ECLDS Website and Reports
This video provides a tour of the website to help you find some key information for an optimal user experience. (2022)
Resources
Tutorial Videos
Using ECLDS to complete a Community Needs Assessment
This video shares ECLDS reports and resources that can simplify the process of writing a community needs assessment.
Tutorial Videos
Partnering to Improve Systems
The Preschool Development Grant (PDG) works to align education and care systems across Minnesota. Learn more about why this work is important. (2021)
Tutorial Videos
Using ECLDS for Program Planning
This video tutorial navigates specific data reports and tools on ECLDS that can provide useful information for planning local services and programs. (2022)
Resources
Tutorial Videos
Using the GrEaT Toolkit to maximize local program data use
This video highlights a data use toolkit that walks local early childhood programs through four steps toward improved data use capacity. (2022)
Tutorial Videos
Coordinated Services for Families
This video is about a family seeking support in a community with a Head Start child care partnership. (2017)
Tutorial Videos
How Families Access Services
This video explains how accessing early care and education programs help to stabilize families. (2017)
Tutorial Videos
Using ECLDS to Target Services
This video explains how communities plan for targeting services to specific populations and how the ECLDS can help. (2017)
Tutorial Videos
Why Services are Targeted
This video explains why communities plan for targeting services to specific populations and how the ECLDS can help. (2017)
Maps
MN Family Resource
Map
Inspired by the Children's Defense Fund - Bridge to Benefits
project, this map provides local users with geographic information on
assistance services and resource sites nearest to them. It also supports local
planning, especially for community assessments. The boundaries layer allows users a
visual understanding of the many overlapping jurisdictions in Minnesota for early
childhood, including school districts, counties, health boards, special education
districts, Head Start agency boundaries, and more.
In the News
Minnesota was one of the first states to create an early childhood integrated data system, and it continues to be at the forefront of ECIDS work across the country. See below for examples of local and national recognition of the system, as well as use of ECLDS data.
Data in Use
- Early Care and Education Participation for Young Children in Foster Care: Administrative and Contextual Insights, Center for Early Education and Development, University of Minnesota (Legislative report written on behalf of Minnesota Department of Human Services), December 2022
- Evaluating Early Childhood Program Access, Children's Defense Fund, May 2018
- Peacetime Emergency Child Care Grants Round Two: Administration and Scoring, Child Care Aware of Minnesota, May 2020
Articles and Publications
- Bringing Early Childhood and K12 Together, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, September 2019
- Data Stories for the Data Curious, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, July 2019
- Data Story: State and Local Leaders Need Analytic Tools to Tell their Data Stories, ECDataWorks, May 2019
- Empower Families with Data, PDG B-5 TA Center, January 2022
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Matching Methodologies, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, May 2021
- How Policymakers Can Support Early Childhood Data Governance, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, September 2019
- Identifying Home Visiting Data to Integrate with Other Early Childhood Data, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, October 2019
- Improving the Lives of Young Children through Data, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, October 2018
- Interagency Data Linking and Common Identifiers, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, June 2020
- Legislative Report: Family Supports and Improvement Program. Publication Date: January 15, 2023. Mandated by: 2021 Minn. Laws 1st Spl. Sess. Chap. 7 Art. 14 Sec. 19
- Legislative Report: Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership. Publication Date: January 15, 2023. Mandated by: 2009 Minn. Laws Chap. 96 Art. 2 Sec. 58 Subd. 2 (Minn. Stat. 127A.70 Subd. 2)
- NCES Forum Guide to Data Governance, National Center for Education Statistics, 2020
- One Step at a Time: The Benefits of an Incremental Approach to the Integration of Home Visiting and Other Early Childhood Data, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, October 2019
- Rising to the Challenge: Building Effective Systems for Young Children and Families, a BUILD E-Books, Chapter 7, BUILD Initiative, 2015
- SLDS Best Practices Brief: Elevator Speeches, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, July 2019
- SLDS State Data Use Cases, Minnesota, March 2019
- Stacking the Blocks: A Look at Integrated Data Strategies, Build Initiative, June 2015
- State Approaches to SLDS Branding, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, September 2021
- State Spotlight: Early Childhood Integrated Data System: Minnesota's Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, December 2015
- States Overcome Challenges with Early Childhood Education Data through Collaboration, EdScoop, March 2019
- Steps for Obtaining Consent from Stakeholders to Share Home Visiting Data, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, February 2020
- The Integration of Early Childhood Data: State Profiles and a Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education, November 2016
- Using Integrated Data to Examine Access to Services for Children of Color: State Spotlight on Minnesota, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, February 2019
Videos
- Childhood Data in Response to Emerging Needs, ECDataWorks, September 2021
- Minnesota's Data Story, Child Trends, February 2018
Webinars
- Making Use of Integrated Data: State Examples of Using ECIDS Data to Inform Policies and Practices, Early Childhood Data Collaborative, June 2017—Minnesota portion of webinar begins around 22:16
Write-ups and Blog Posts
- Connecting Home Visiting, Early Care and Education Will Benefit Families, The Chronicle of Social Change, 2/15/19
- Minnesota Integrates State Data to Improve Early Childhood Programming, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2/16/18
- Serv and Return: State Early Childhood Data Dashboards, Alliance for Early Success, 2/28/2023
- SLDS Spotlight: Supporting Data Use Through an Online Learning Hub, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, National Center for Education Statistics, March 2023
Other Resources
The early childhood world is vast. We'll continue to gather here links to related data, research, reports, and more. Let us know if you have recommendations for resources we might consider adding.
Quick Links
Interactive Data Tools
- Child Care Technical Assistance Network Data Explorer and State Profiles
- Child Opportunity Index (COI) 2.0, diversitydatakids.org, June 2020
- Congressional District Health Dashboard, NYU Langone Health, 2023
- CUSP Public - Child Universal Success Platform (CUSP) is a free tool to locate child population, demographic, and program eligibility data for all U.S. states and counties, 3Si
- Easy Access to Juvenile Populations (EZAPOP), National Center for Juvenile Justice
- Investments in Health Care, Minnesota Department of Human Services
- IPUMS, University of Minnesota
- Kids Count Data Book Interactive - Minnesota
- Kids Count Data Center-Minnesota, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Minnesota Child Care Data Center, Child Care Aware of America, 2020
- Minnesota Public Health Data Access Portal, Minnesota Department of Health
- Minnesota's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Dashboards
- Minnesota Student Survey, Minnesota Department of Education
- National Outcome Measures, Health Resources & Services Administration - Maternal and Child Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Maps
- Mapping Access to Child Care for Minnesota Families, University of Minnesota
- Minnesota Children's Fiscal Map, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB)
- National Database of Childcare Prices, U.S Department of Labor Women's Bureau, 2008-2018
- State of Early Childhood Data Systems Interactive Map, Child Trends 2018
Profiles & Roadmaps
- Early Childhood Landscape in Minnesota, The Hunt Institute, 2020
- Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program: State Fiscal Year 2021 Family Profile, Minnesota Department of Human Services, December 2021
- Minnesota Compass Build Your Own Profile, data tool, Wilder Research
- Minnesota Early Childhood Profile, National Center for Children in Poverty, 2024
- Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center Roadmap, Minnesota, 2024
- Profile of State Data Capacity in 2019 and 2020: Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Survey Descriptive Statistics,, National Center for Education Statistics at Institute of Education Sciences, August 2023
- A Roadmap for Action: Addressing Minnesota's Achievement Gaps and Quality Early Care & Education Shortage, Early Care and Education Crisis Work Group Consensus Recommendations, December 2018
- A Roadmap for Transformational Change in Minnesota Education, Governor's Education Roundtable, 2020
- Think Babies State Fact Sheets—Minnesota, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), 2019
Program Resources
- Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration Toolkit, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania, May 2020
- Community Health Assessment and Planning Cycle: Handbook for Local Public Health, Minnesota Department of Health, June 2023
- Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS) Program, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics
- Early Childhood Program Administration Wiki: Resources, Training, Best Practices, Sharing, Minnesota Department of Education
- Help Me Connect, Minnesota's Departments of Education, Health and Human Services
- Minnesota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (Minnesota PRAMS), Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reports & Research
- CEDS Connect: Minnesota Risk and Reach Report, Common Education Data Standards (CEDS), February 2023
- Child Care in Rural Minnesota After 2020, Center for Rural Policy and Development, February 2021
- Early Care and Education Workforce Study, Wilder Research, December 2023
- Early Childhood Education Subnetwork Research Repository, National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP)
- Early Learning Scholarships Use in Minnesota, SFY2023, Minnesota Department of Education, March 2024
- English Learner Education in Minnesota, 2020-21 Report, Minnesota Department of Education, May 2021
- Great Start for All Minnesota Children Task Force final report, February 2023
- Minnesota Early Childhood Risk and Reach, Wilder Research
- Minnesota Early Childhood Strategic Refresh: An Updated Cross-System Plan for 2023 and Beyond, School Readiness Consulting, March 2023
- Minnesota’s Early Childhood Workforce: Making a Difference in the Early Years, State of Minnesota, March 2024
- Minnesota Homeless Study, Wilder Research
- Minnesota Statewide Health Assessment , Minnesota Department of Health and Healthy Minnesota Partnership, April 2024
- Minnesota Services and Supports for Families with Young Children, Minnesota Children's Cabinet, January 2018
- Underenrollment in School-Based Early Learning Programs and Kindergarten, Minnesota Department of Education, Early Learning Services, 2021
Yearbooks
- Home Visiting Yearbook, National Home Visiting Resource Center, 2024
- State of America's Children, Children's Defense Fund, 2023 - Minnesota Fact Sheet
- State of Babies Yearbook, Zero to Three
- State(s) of Head Start, NIEER
- State of Preschool Yearbooks, NIEER
Tableu Text
Minnesota Early Childhood Longitudinal Data System - ECLDS
Starting Out Late, Ending On Time: How concurrent project planning saved us
This project is funded by the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding. CFDA 84.412-A Federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant
Year 1
- Grant Awarded: Race to the Top (Shared Milestone)
- Charter Finalized: Charter Established between the three participating state agencies (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
- ECLDS Lead in Place (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
- Expert Program Contacts Identified (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
Year 2
- IT staff in Place: IT Project Manager and contracted technical staff hired (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)
- Informing, building relationships around project and goals (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
- Governance Established (Program/Business Activities)
Year 3
- Approval of Key Policy Questions: Consolidation, discussion, explication, prioritization (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
- Architecture designed and in place (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)
- Data Sharing Agreements in Place (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)
- Stakeholder Focus Groups Convened: Partners and practitioners engaged in data use and needs (Program/Business Activities Milestone)
Year 4
- Analytics: Charts, graphs, and reports created from data (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)
- Multiple Iterations of Analytics Development: Agile process used to develop charts, graphs, and reports (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)
- SLDS-IES Data Use Grant Award: Partners and practitioners engaged in data use and needs (Program/Business Activities)
- Web Site Launch: Site is launched with mobile first technology (Technical/IT Activities Milestone)