Who and How Many? Using Integrated Health and Education Data to Study Early Care Experiences of Children in the US

Article by Quentin H. Riser et al: “Fragmentation across early care and education (ECE) systems in the United States obscures how many children access services and how these experiences shape school readiness. This study leverages Iowa’s Integrated Data System for Decision-Making (I2D2), which links health, social determinants of health (SDOH), and education records, to provide one of the first unduplicated counts of ECE participation statewide. Drawing on a matched cohort of 27,321 children eligible for kindergarten in 2017–2018, we examine three aims: (1) describe patterns of centre-based ECE participation; (2) assess associations between child/family characteristics and participation; and (3) evaluate links between ECE and kindergarten suspensions and attendance. Results indicate that 73\% of children participated in at least one ECE program prior to school entry, with substantial overlap across public and private preschool, and subsidised or unsubsidised child care. ECE participation varied as a function of poverty, race/ethnicity, maternal education, and cumulative early-life risks. ECE participation was associated with better kindergarten attendance but not suspension. Findings underscore both the promise of integrated data for advancing equity-driven research and the need for policies that target families with the greatest barriers to ECE access…(More)”.