EARLY DEVELOPMENT
Oakland has a great new data source -- the Early Development Instrument (EDI). This instrument gives us a way to explore, from a neighborhood level, children’s strengths and the challenges they face both pre-kindergarten and once they enter school.
Based on observational assessments by kindergarten teachers, the EDI is a community snapshot of young children’s health, development, and school readiness. Outcomes are coded to where children live, giving community members a strong sense of place by showing neighborhood-level results. OUSD has created an interactive dashboard that allows community members to observe strengths and inequities across the city.
The Starting Smart and Strong Initiative supported and funded use of the EDI in Oakland. We’re also gathering a group of EDI Ambassadors to learn about the data and present it to neighborhood and community groups. Please reach out if you’d like to partner with us in spreading the word about the EDI and using the data to drive action!
Turning Data into Action
We each have a role to play in using the EDI results to improve conditions for children.
Here are some ideas about what you can do with these data.
Based on observational assessments by kindergarten teachers, the EDI is a community snapshot of young children’s health, development, and school readiness. Outcomes are coded to where children live, giving community members a strong sense of place by showing neighborhood-level results. OUSD has created an interactive dashboard that allows community members to observe strengths and inequities across the city.
The Starting Smart and Strong Initiative supported and funded use of the EDI in Oakland. We’re also gathering a group of EDI Ambassadors to learn about the data and present it to neighborhood and community groups. Please reach out if you’d like to partner with us in spreading the word about the EDI and using the data to drive action!
Turning Data into Action
We each have a role to play in using the EDI results to improve conditions for children.
Here are some ideas about what you can do with these data.
- Parents can use neighborhood-level EDI results to identify community assets and programmatic gaps, as well as advocate for programs and services that support child development. Parents can influence local policymakers on health, education, housing, public safety and family support.
- Educators can use EDI to inform curriculum and teaching strategies, enhance communication with families, justify increases in ECE slots & centers, and improve school transition and alignment activities between preschool & kindergarten.
- Service providers can use EDI to inform their own strategic plans, inform grant writing, and promote effective coordination and collaboration with other partnering organizations and initiatives.
- Policymakers can use EDI to facilitate community mobilization to create a “young children’s agenda.” EDI can elevate, improve and align early childhood activities, investments and policies across citywide efforts for equitable systemic change.
- Funders can use EDI results to improve grant making, needs assessments and other activities that benefit from real local data.