Early Childhood Data Sources

Annual Data Report on Child Abuse and Neglect - Child Maltreatment 2007
(2009) Children's Bureau
Provides national and state statistics on topics that include reports of abuse and neglect, child characteristics, fatalities, perpetrators, and services provided to children and families.

Child Welfare Information Gateway - State Statutes Database
(updated January 14, 2010) Children's Bureau
Allows you to search state statutes for issues related to child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. Provides summaries of state statutes (and full text, in some cases).

State Child Welfare Policy Database
(various dates, initial information is from surveys conducted in 2007-2008) Child Trends
Provides state-by-state policy information on a range of child welfare topics.

Child Assessment (PDF: 359kb)
(updated July 2009) NCCIC
Provides basic information about the purpose of child assessments, assessment tools, how state Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies are using assessments, and other child assessment resources.

State Policy Improvements that Support Effective Identification of Children At-Risk for Developmental Delay (PDF: 549kb)
(March 2009) NASHP
Summarizes strategies used by ABCD Screening Academy states to support primary care providers' use of a validated developmental screening tool as part of well-child care.

State Strategies to Support Practice Changes that Improve Identification of Children at Risk for or with Developmental Delays
(March 2009) NASHP
Describes approaches used by ABCD Screening Academy states to support providers as they worked to improve developmental screening in primary care.

Autism Legislation Database
(2008 to present) NCSL
Provides information about autism legislation introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia from the 2008 legislative session to present.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: State Part C and Part B Initiatives to Serve a Growing Population (PDF: 146kb)
(April 2009) Project Forum
Summarizes findings from a survey of IDEA Part C and Part B program staff related to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the areas of professional development, technical assistance, early identification efforts and direct services.

FY 2010-2011 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Report
(2010) NCCIC
Includes a summary of how all States and Territories comply with CCDF statute and Federal regulations and provides state specific information on how the program is administered and implemented; eligibility criteria, reimbursement rates, and sliding fee scales; health and safety requirements; and selected activities to improve the quality of child care.

Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2010 Update
(2010) NACCRRA
Highlights 2009 state data about child care costs for infants, 4-year-old children and school-age children in child care centers and family child care homes across the country.

Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes: 2010 Update
(2010) NACCRRA
Ranks states on their small family child care standards and oversight policies. Only 9 states met all of the health and safety requirements needed to keep children safe and healthy in small family child care. 17 states received a score of zero. About half the states do not conduct inspections at least annually. 26 states do not have minimum education requirements for family child care providers and only 27 states require criminal background checks using fingerprints.

We CAN Do Better: 2009 Update - NACCRRA's Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight
(2009) NACCRRA
Examines state child care center licensing regulations and the oversight of those regulations. Scores and ranks the states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense (DoD) on 10 regulation and 5 oversight benchmarks. 33 states received a failing grade and none of the states earned an A. Only the DoD earned a B, and only the District of Columbia earned a C.

NCCIC State Profiles
(based on 2006-2007 information) NCCIC
Includes demographic information about children, families and child care in each state, as well as contact information for different state agencies involved in child care.

State Requirements for Child-Staff Ratios and Maximum Group Sizes for Child Care Centers in 2007
(2007) NCCIC
Provides information about States’ child-staff ratio and maximum group size requirements for child care centers in 2007.

OSEP's Annual Reports to Congress
(most recent is the 2007 report) OSEP
Provides links to the full text of the U.S. Department of Education's yearly reports to Congress on the implementation of the IDEA, including data tables.

IDEA Data
(most recent data is from 2008) DAC
Provides public access to data reported annually by states under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including state-by-state, rank-ordered, and historic trend data.

National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS)
(1997 – 2007) OSEP
This 10-year longitudinal study followed a nationally representative sample of 3,338 children and their families who began early intervention services in 1997 – 1998 through their experiences in early intervention and into early elementary school. Findings from the study provide information about the characteristics of children and families receiving early intervention services, the services they receive, and the outcomes they experience. See all reports from NEILS.

Part C Updates, 10th Edition
(2008) NECTAC
Contains information about program administration, state policies and practices under the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities - Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS)
(2003 – 2009) OSEP
This study looked at a nationally representative sample of over 3000 children with disabilities who were 3 to 5 years of age in 2003–04. The children were followed through 2009. Findings provide information about the characteristics of children receiving preschool special education, the services they receive, their transitions across educational levels, and their performance over time on assessments of academic and adaptive skills. See all reports from PEELS.

Promoting Social-Emotional Wellbeing in Early Intervention Services: A Fifty-state View
(2009) NCCP
Summarizes findings from a study done to determine how states are leveraging different policy choices to support the integration of social-emotional developmental strategies into Part C early intervention services. Part C coordinators from forty-eight states' participated in the study.

Section 619 Profile, 16th Edition
(2009) NECTAC
Contains information on state policies, programs, and practices under the Preschool Grants Program - Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

State Efforts to Meet the Early Childhood Transition Requirements of IDEA (PDF: 190kb)
(April 2009) Project Forum, NECTAC and NECTC
Highlights policies and practices adopted by six states (FL, IN, KY, NH, NM and WV) to meet the early childhood transition requirements of IDEA.

State Early Childhood Advisory Councils
(updated August 2009) NCCIC
Provides examples of current state child care and early learning councils.

Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS): State Summaries
(based on information from FY 2005 and 2006) NCCP
A state-by-state review of early childhood systems development efforts under the State Maternal and Child Health Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Initiative (ECCS).

State ECCS Plans
(various dates) ECCS Initiative
Provides links to state plans for building a comprehensive system for young children under the State Maternal and Child Health Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Initiative (ECCS).

Annual Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Data
(most recent data is from 2007) CDC
Provides national and state data from the CDC EHDI Hearing Screening and Follow-up Survey. See also, State and Territorial Profiles for state specific information about all aspects of the CDC EHDI process, such as program structure, screening and referral procedures, tracking and surveillance systems, and educational materials.

State Early Learning Guidelines
(FY 2008-2009) NCCIC
Provides information on states that are developing, revising, and/or implementing early learning guidelines.

Early Learning Standards: Results from a National Survey to Document Trends in State-Level Policies and Practices
(2007). Scott-Little, C., Lesko, J., Martella, J. & Milburn, P. Early Childhood Research and Practice
This article presents data from a national survey showing that almost all states have developed early learning standards for prekindergarten-age children and a number of states have also developed infant-toddler early learning standards. The authors discuss the implications for early childhood policies and practices.

Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health
(most recent data is from 2006 and 2007) CAHMI
This searchable database provides access to national, state, and regional data findings on over 100 indicators from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN).

America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness
(2009) NCFH
Provides comprehensive state-by-state data on the status of homeless children in America.

2010 Kids Count Data Book
(2010) Annie E. Casey Foundation
This annual report profiles the well-being of America's children on a state-by-state basis and ranks states on 10 key measures of child well-being.

America’s Future: Latino Child Well-Being in Numbers and Trends
(2010) National Council of La Raza and Population Reference Bureau
This database and report provide data on a variety of factors related to the well-being of Latino children in each of the 50 states, as well as an overview of national and state-level trends for Latino children under age 18 relative to non-Hispanic White and Black children since the year 2000.

America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2010
(July 2010) Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
Provides updates on the well-being of children and families in the United States across a range of domains, including family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.

Baby Matters: A Gateway to State Policies and Initiatives
(2009) ZERO TO THREE
A database of state policies and initiatives on topics that impact infants, toddlers and their families.

State Policy Initiatives to Improve Child Care for Infants and Toddlers
(2009) CLASP
Provides examples of policy initiatives that states are undertaking to improve child care for infants and toddlers, including links to relevant legislation and regulations, a description of how the state developed and implemented the policy, and any cost data and evaluations or other data.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS): Inclusion of Infant/Toddler Quality Indicators (PDF: 808kb)
(2010, July) National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative
Summarizes the results of a review of 20 QRIS to identify those that include quality indicators specific to infants and toddlers.

50-State Policy Wizard
(2009) NCCP
Creates custom tables with information about state and federal policies that assist low-income families and children.

Low-income Children in the United States National and State Trend Data, 1998-2008
(November 2009) NCCP
Provides national and 50-state data on the characteristics of low-income children over the past decade.

Medical Home State Data
(2009) CAHMI & APA
Provides quick access to data on how children in each state experience receiving care within a medical home.

Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of Children's Mental Health Policy in the United States
(November 2008) NCCP
Updates a 1982 report on mental health services in the U.S. for children with mental health problems, those at risk, and their families. Most chapters include data related to early childhood mental health services. For example, in Chapter 3, see the section entitled "Services and Supports for Young Children", Table 3: "States’ Initiatives to Expand Early Childhood Mental Health" and Figure 2: "Scope of Funding for Early Childhood Mental Health Initiatives."

Promoting Social-Emotional Wellbeing in Early Intervention Services: A Fifty-state View
(2009) NCCP
Summarizes findings from a study done to determine how states are leveraging different policy choices to support the integration of social-emotional developmental strategies into Part C early intervention services. Part C coordinators from forty-eight states' participated in the study.

Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative: Database of State Policies
(updated August 2009) NAEYC
A database of state policies that support the effective implementation of a state system of professional development for the early childhood workforce. Organized by the the following six policy areas: professional standards, career pathways, articulation, advisory structure, data and financing.

NPDCI Cohort I and II State Profiles
(various dates) NPDCI
Compilations of existing initiatives, plans, standards, and competencies related to early childhood professional development and/or inclusion in the NPDCI Cohort I and II states.

State Core Knowledge and/or Competencies
(various dates) NCCIC
Provides examples of state early childhood professional development systems that have information about core knowledge and/or competencies available online.

The State of Preschool 2009
(2009) NIEER
Seventh in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2008-2009 school year.

Pre-K Now State Profiles
(2009) Pre-K Now
Highlights prekindergarten initiatives by state.

Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K, Fiscal Year 2010
(2009) Pre-K Now
Looks at how each state is funding pre-k, which states are leading the effort to provide high-quality programs, which states are making the largest cuts and the possible consequences of those cuts, and how states are using stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help fund early childhood programs.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS): Inclusion of Infant/Toddler Quality Indicators (PDF: 808kb)
(2010, July) National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative
Summarizes the results of a review of 20 QRIS to identify those that include quality indicators specific to infants and toddlers.

Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) Resource Guide
(2010) National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center
Many states have implemented a statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early childhood care and education programs. This online QRIS Resource Guide is intended to help states and communities better understand key issues and decision points during the planning and implementation of such a system. It contains state-specific resources.

The Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment: Compendium of Quality Rating Systems and Evaluations
(2010) Child Trends and Mathematica Policy Research
The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services commissioned this compendium profiling 26 child care Quality Rating Systems. It includes a descriptive, comparative analysis of key elements of QRS obtained by examining the 26 QRS nationwide, as well as individual profiles of each QRS across the country.

Quality Rating and Improvement System National Learning Network (QRIS NLN)
(2010) BUILD Initiative and Smart Start National Technical Assistance Center
Provides a variety of resources for states interested in developing or improving their QRIS, including a list of QRIS state contacts and a library of State Resources and Profiles that contains training guides, forms, and TA materials developed by individual states for their QRIS.

Comparison of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) with Department of Defense Standards for Quality
(2009) NACCRRA (PDF: 2160kb)
Examines QRIS standards for child care centers and family child care homes in the 19 states with a state-wide QRIS and looks at which QRIS level(s) in each state meet Department of Defense criteria for child care quality.

A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments
(2010) Child Trends (PDF: 744kb)
This research brief summarized the findings from a study that examined approaches to school readiness assessments in all 50 states and DC, identifying 7 states that utilize assessments in order to monitor statewide levels of school readiness. The authors also provide key policy considerations for developing and utilizing school readiness assessments at the state level.

State Approaches to School Readiness Assessment
(2009) NCSL
Looks at how states assess school readiness and how readiness information is used within the states. Appendix A has a state-by-state list of state approaches.

Early Care and Education State Budget Actions FY 2010
(2010), NCSL
An annual survey of state fiscal decisions in early care and education policy and programs, including child care, prekindergarten, home visiting and other related early childhood programs.

Children's Budget 2010
(2010) First Focus, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
This annual guide provides an analysis of all federally funded programs that are meant to enhance the well-being of children across the country and how their appropriations levels have changed over the past five years.

Early Care and Education Legislation Database
(updated weekly) NCSL
A searchable database of state legislation on issues related to child care and child care financing, early childhood services, prekindergarten, professional development, home visiting, infants and toddlers, and financing early education. It can be searched by state, topic, status, primary sponsor, bill number or keyword.

Early Childhood State Profiles
(updated in March 2010) NCCP
A database of early childhood state policies related to: health and nutrition, early care and learning, and parenting and economic supports.

In the States
(updated regularly) CLASP
Includes data on: Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) participation; Head Start and Early Head Start participation; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) expenditures; young child demographics and more. See also, CLASP's DataFinder tool, which allows users to create and download custom tables that present a national picture, a state picture or a comparative look at states and communities.

State Early Care and Education Public Policy Developments (FY2010)
(2010) NAEYC
Provides a recap of public policy developments in the states for FY10 in a variety of areas, including infant/toddler initiatives, professional development, and child care subsidies.