Answering this question can help identify areas of need in terms of CCEE availability by finding the population of children ages 0-5 by regions of interest and contrasting that information with the capacity CCEE programs have to serve that age group in each region. To answer this question, site level information can be used along with external data sources providing population estimates. Ideally, total licensed capacity information is dynamic and updated in real time since the number of licensed programs that are operating in a state or local area can change daily based on program closures and openings.. Current data sources are not typically updated in real time to capture these changes. Point-in-time data collected at regular intervals can be used to address this question but will not be as precise. Real time data sources are aspirational as states work towards developing systems and processes that have the capacity to capture changes as they happen to programs (for example, program openings, closings, number of children enrolled, and attendance).
What is the ratio of licensed capacity to child population (0-5) across different geographic regions of the state?
Description
General Analysis Recommendation
Calculate the Total Child Population Age 0-5
Total child population across a state can be obtained through data sources such as the US Census or American Community Survey (ACS). For example, the ACS Table “Children Characteristics” (Table S0901[1]) provides the number total children and the percent of these children who are under 6 years of age. This data table can be filtered by different geographies of interest. To obtain an estimate of the total population of children under age 6 in a given state, the “Children Characteristics” table can be filtered by the desired state. Multiply the percent of the total child population that is under 6 years of age by the total number of children in the state to obtain the number of children under 6. The same process can be followed to obtain the value for other geographies of interest, such as county or zip code by filtering for those specific geographies.
Identify CCEE Providers who are Licensed and Operational
To answer this question, the data element Site Licensing Status can be used to identify licensed providers. To limit the dataset to include only licensed programs that are active, select programs with indicated “Active” category in the option set for the Operational Status data element.
Calculate the Licensed Capacity to Serve Child Ages 0-5
Find the licensed capacity of providers in the regions of interest by using the Site Level data elements Operational Status, Site Address, and Licensed Capacity. Group the Site Level data by geography of interest by using the field values for the Site Address data element, such as City, Zip Code, or County. The field values for the Licensed Capacity data element distinguish capacity numbers by Infant, Toddler, Preschool, and School-age age groups. To obtain the total licensed capacity for children aged 0-5, sum up the values for the Infant, Toddler, and Preschool age groups for each geographic area of interest.
Calculate the Ratio of Licensed Capacity to Child Population Age 0-5
Divide the total child population age 0-5 by the total licensed capacity for children 0-5 for each geographic area of interest to find the ratio of licensed capacity for children aged 0-5 to children under 5 years of age. This calculation assumes that children ages 3-5 years old are included in the Preschool category for licensed capacity. The ages included in the preschool age category may vary from state to state and may require additional information to obtain the total licensed capacity for children aged 0-5.