The State of Iowa has worked to address a critical challenge that resonates across the nation: the struggle families experience while trying to secure reliable, affordable child care. The emotional and financial toll on a family when a caretaker must quit, change, or refuse a job due to child care obstacles is significant and extends beyond individual households to adversely impact the state’s economy.
Resultant collaborated with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Iowa State University (ISU) to build solutions addressing the state’s child care difficulties. From the integration of disparate data systems to the creation of accessible, user-friendly tools, this partnership has moved mountains in making child care more manageable for Iowa families.
Transformative Data Integration
Collecting early child care data presents unique challenges because private providers have their own data and are not beholden to the state. HHS knew that if they could enable providers’ child care management software (CCMS) to input data seamlessly into state systems securely while protecting business privacy it would facilitate direct transactions with subsidy systems and provide insights into supply and availability. They also wanted the interface to fuel a family-facing child care search portal with real-time vacancy information.
The journey began by building an often-overlooked foundational component: an operational data store along with methods to seamlessly integrate data between providers and the state.
But we didn’t stop at just integrating existing data. One significant milestone was implementing a system that accurately captured the number of available child care spots—a critical but previously unattainable metric. By leveraging mobile-optimized surveys and iterative feedback loops, we filled essential data gaps and provided the state with a first-of-its-kind accurate count of child care vacancies.
Introducing the Iowa Child Care Search Tool
In an exciting leap forward, we collaborated to develop a public-facing dashboard that simplifies the search for child care. The Iowa Child Care Search tool allows users to see real-time availability of child care slots based on various criteria, including location and child age. It even maps out routes from home to work, integrating additional stops like schools or carpooling sites.
This intuitive, user-friendly portal makes finding quality child care a streamlined process, integrating the tool across numerous state websites where families naturally seek child care information.
Leading the Way for Other States
Iowa families now benefit from a system that not only offers daily insights into child care supply and demand but also provides a comprehensive, public-facing resource to find child care solutions efficiently. This model doesn’t just paint a clear picture for families and providers; it assists decision-makers in designing policies and strategies that respond to real-time needs.
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