The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care on Zoom convened the first meeting of a newly created Data Advisory Commission to advise the agency on improving collection, use and public reporting of early education and care data.

Deputy Commissioner Amy Checkoway, Department of Early Education and Care, opened the session by welcoming members and describing the agency’s push to “make data more transparently available” and to modernize IT systems so data can better inform policy and program decisions. “We have key performance indicator dashboards that are posted online,” Checkoway said, noting the agency’s move from manual and point-in-time reporting toward more timely program and workforce data.

The meeting reviewed the commission’s statutory charge, which was added to the fiscal year 2025 state budget as an outside section and directs the commission to recommend ways to improve state provider- and program-level data related to cost, quality and utilization of early education and care services. The statute also requires an annual report to the Legislature by Dec. 1 on findings and recommendations.

Why it matters: Commission members and EEC staff said better, more timely and integrated data could help the state identify capacity gaps, track the impact of public investments, and reduce duplicative reporting burdens on providers. Commissioner Kershaw emphasized the point: the commission is intended to produce actionable, staged recommendations and to increase public transparency about what the agency already collects and publishes.

What EEC staff told the commission: Adrian Murphy, senior director of data analytics, described the agency’s core internal data systems and external linkages. Key systems include LEED (the licensing and program database), the Commonwealth Cares for Children program (C3) that provides monthly program-level enrollment and staffing data, the Child Care Financial Assistance system (CCFA) and its wait-list tool (KinderWait), and CUSP, a tool that integrates Census, CCFA and program data to map supply and demand and identify childcare deserts. Murphy said more than 90% of licensed early education and after‑school programs now participate in C3, which has materially expanded the agency’s ability to measure program enrollment and staffing.

Jesse Murray, chief product officer, described planned IT modernization: a consolidated family portal and case-management system for CCFA (to replace or unify KinderWait, client intake, and legacy case systems) and a new educator portal to register credentials, support career progression and better track workforce movement. “We want the user experience to be better for families, educators and programs,” Murray said, adding the agency is designing mobile-friendly, multilingual interfaces and status-tracking so applicants do not enter a “black hole” after applying.

Participants’ priorities and concerns: Commission members representing providers, research organizations and statewide nonprofits highlighted several priorities: linking family demand (including wait-list data) with local supply to identify childcare deserts; improving workforce data (language, full-time/part-time status, mobility across jobs); and collecting household-level information only when necessary and without chilling participation. Emily Dropkin, director of data planning and evaluation at Community Action Pioneer Valley, warned about data fields that could deter immigrant families from enrolling and urged care in how immigration-related questions are used. EEC staff said they will align data collection with policy needs and explore alternatives where identifiers (like Social Security numbers) were used only for technical convenience.

Numbers and examples discussed: Mark Riley, Undersecretary and chief operating officer at the Executive Office of Education, said recent investments have raised early‑education workforce compensation “by about 20% or so.” Kate Warren Barnes, head of Massachusetts strategy and impact for Jumpstart for Young Children, cited a Berkeley center finding that the state’s early-education workforce is “4.9 times more likely to live in poverty than elementary and middle school teachers,” which she presented as evidence for deeper workforce supports. Commissioner Kershaw told the commission the agency received about 1,685 applications for the first family child‑care capital grant program, totaling roughly $36 million in requests — a data point she said underscores capital needs in family child care.

Process and next steps: EEC proposed quarterly commission meetings and an initial, short progress update to the Legislature documenting the commission’s formation, membership and first meeting. Staff said they will publish materials and dashboards used in the meeting, and future sessions will dive deeper into specific areas such as the family portal, workforce data, and the CCFA caseload and wait list. The commission will use EEC data systems and interagency linkages, including the state’s early childhood integrated data system (eKidz), to inform recommendations.

Outcomes: The session was an organizational kickoff and information session; no formal votes or motions were recorded. Staff and commission members agreed to continue quarterly meetings and to focus the next session on family demand and access data.

The meeting closed with Commissioner Kershaw urging the commission to prioritize the work over report deadlines: “the work of this commission is the most important thing and that those reports can reflect wherever we are in our process,” she said.