With the right tools, resources, and supports, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies in states, tribes, and territories can better evaluate their programs and use data to make informed policy decisions. Using and conducting high-quality, rigorous research is a growing part of CCDF Lead Agencies’ work as they seek to improve services for children, families, and providers. 

With funding from the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, the Urban Institute operates two centers that develop resources to help CCDF Lead Agencies build their research and evaluation capacity. These resources cover a range of topics, including basic tools for capacity building, administrative data, data collection, stakeholder engagement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and grantee reports.

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Featured Content

• Measuring and Supporting Child-Teacher Interactions: A State and Tribal Story (Event)
  Please join us on April 20, 2022 from 1:00 to 2:15 EDT for a webinar titled “Measuring and Supporting Child-Teacher Interactions: A State and Tribal Story.” The webinar is aimed to support CCDF lead agency staff, their research partners, and others through the real examples of their peers and seeks to highlight the importance of culture in shaping and measuring child-teacher interactions and classroom practices. Program staff and researchers from Georgia, and staff from Cook Inlet Tribal Council with their research partners will talk about their programs and research, sharing key lessons learned so far. Register here.
• Do Longer Eligibility Periods Lead to More Stable Care for Kids? (Event)
  We held a webinar in March 2022 on March 23, 2022 from 1:00 to 2:15 EDT titled “Do Longer Eligibility Periods Lead to More Stable Care for Kids?” The webinar aimed to support CCDF lead agency staff, their research partners, and others interested in how states implemented and studied the 12-month eligibility period required under Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 in learning about how changes to state subsidy policy may –or may not—lead to more stability for children and families. Speakers shared their findings and experiences researching these issues in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Slides will be posted soon.
• Research and Evaluation Capacity Building: A Resource Guide for Child Care and Development Fund Lead Agencies (Resource Guide)
  This guide provides a concise, curated list of written and online resources to support CCDF Lead Agencies seeking to build research and evaluation capacity.

• Engaging Stakeholders in Research: Tips for CCDF Lead Agencies (Brief)
  This brief explains how to engage stakeholders in your research and the benefits of doing so. 

• Working with Administrative Data in Early Childhood and Related Fields (Resource Guide)
  This list includes resources that explain how to acquire, use, manage, link, and analyze administrative data in early childhood or related fields.

• Procuring Research and Evaluation Services (Research Report)
  This guide aims to help CCDF Lead Agencies understand some basics about procurement. It defines key procurement terms, reviews key steps for procuring research and evaluation services, and provides a checklist for easy reference.