Child care faces significant challenges in the state of Iowa. The 2023 Iowa Child Care Workforce study uncovered that higher workforce wages are the first necessary steps to recruit and retain staff, but we cannot stop there. The Recommendation Brief provides five key actions to provide a framework for how Iowa can support a more sustainable child care workforce.

In our recent Head Start Brief, we found that Iowa Head Start programs serve more preschool age children with diverse characteristics and needs related to low-income status than other programs across the state. The comprehensive services at Head Start programs give children equivalent developmental achievement scores across a range of academic, socio-emotional, and physical outcomes.

Four Questions to Guide Decision-Making for Data Sharing and Integration - The University of Pennsylvania has developed a Four Question Framework to guide partners in determining the ethical and legal implications of building an Integrated Data System IDS and data projects. This framework, published in the International Journal of Population Data Science, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and iterative processes to ensure that all partners are actively involved in the decision-making process. The Four Question Framework is a valuable tool for any organization that seeks to build a successful and ethical data governance framework.

Family Child Care in Crisis: Providers Discuss What Comes after Pandemic Funding Ends - In late September, federal funding to child care providers was set to expire. In this blog, hear what the impacts of lost federal funding means for child care providers, and how long-term solutions -- beyond even pandemic funds -- are necessary to fix the child care crisis.

Toward a Vision for a New Data Infrastructure for Federal Statistics and Social and Economic Research in the 21st Century - Data infrastructure provides improved decision-making and more informed public policy to improve the economy, society, and lives. Costly surveys and nationwide data collection efforts are increasingly less useful and efficient ways to understand our needs. Read this national vision for how existing and improved data sources can be used to provide new frontiers in evidence-based decision-making.