Centering Voices of the Community in Evaluation Design, Reporting, and Advocacy: Lessons from a Statewide Early Childhood Care and Education Needs Assessment

The Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation (OEIE) partnered with Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities (KCCTO) to conduct a 10-month statewide needs assessment on the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) workforce in Kansas. The study aimed to understand the factors influencing recruitment and retention of ECCE professionals to create a statewide workforce initiative and contribute to state-level advocacy. Gathering insights from approximately 6,000 ECCE workers and field-adjacent members across all 105 Kansas counties, the research included an incentivized online survey and 39 focus groups, adding nuanced information to the survey results. This presentation will discuss how evaluators can ensure various populations’ voices are captured; how data is analyzed, reported, and presented for maximum utility and impact; how to use data to advocate for the ECCE workforce in Kansas; and how evaluators can ensure the purpose of an evaluation activity stays paramount, even while external noise persists.
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Stephanie Parks; Christopher Pinzone