Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS)

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A replicable method for turning broad data questions into answers that guide early childhood planning

Client

Center for Early Learning Funding Equity (CELFE) at Northern Illinois University
Dates

November 2024 – January 2026

Problem

Chicago’s early childhood data system informs planning but leaves users’ top questions unanswered.

Effective early childhood planning depends on knowing how many children are eligible for services, where they live, and whether they are being reached. In Chicago, program managers, city leaders, advocates, and funders rely on the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS) to answer these questions. Yet stakeholders reported that existing dashboards and reports did not fully address their highest-priority needs around population, eligibility, service distribution, and enrollment—leaving gaps between the data available and the decisions they were meant to inform.

Solution

NORC clarified users’ information needs and produced transparent, local eligibility estimates that answer their priority questions.

NORC partnered with CECIDS to improve how population and enrollment data inform early childhood planning. Our approach combined technical analysis with stakeholder engagement to ensure system outputs reflect real-world decision-making. We produced eligibility estimates using the Estimates of Local Populations Eligible for Programs (ELPEP) methodology, which relies on transparent, consistent assumptions to estimate eligibility across local areas. Alongside these estimates, we piloted a process to turn broad questions into specific use cases and developed guidance for replicating this approach. By pairing data expertise with iterative dialogue, we created a framework that supports both immediate planning and longer-term research priorities.

Result

NORC answered immediate planning questions and built a replicable template for defining data needs elsewhere.

By pinpointing where the data fell short, NORC gave CECIDS a clear set of priorities for closing persistent information gaps, as well as surfacing broader questions to guide future research. ELPEP-based eligibility estimates now give city and state leaders transparent, local figures to inform decisions about outreach, enrollment, and resource allocation. Accompanying briefs and a reusable toolkit let CECIDS and its partners keep refining their data needs as priorities shift, while laying the groundwork for more complex analyses ahead.