Data Conversations to Gather Data Insights

Gathering data insights takes place after data is collected and sorting in a community assessment and planning process. This "data assessment" captures insights about child and family outcomes in structured data conversations held active partners in the local collaboration. Participants should include diverse stakeholders, such as families, partners from different sectors, and staff and supervisors.

Data conversations look closely at the collected child and family outcomes data. The structured cpnversation is deisgned to connect the outcomes to the local context. Data conversations generate discussion, elevate themes, and bring common understanding to support data-informed decision-making. They also identify gaps between current outcomes (i.e. the problem) and the desired vision (i.e. the goal).

Data conversations support developing a shared local vision, which is deepened by the other assessments, strategy design and implementation. The habit of engaging partners throughout a community assessment and planning process serves to stregnthen the collaboration's shared agenda.

Data conversations involve the following high-level tasks:

1) Review outcomes data together

2) Reflect on data themes and note observations

3) Connect data themes and observations to community context and lived experiences

4) Decide next steps together

A few important planning notes for hosting data conversations:

• Intentional planning ensures broad representation of experiences, strengthens equity goals for the local collaboration, and improves decision making, planning and implementation.

• Participation from a range of backgrounds and experiences strengthens the integrity of the data.

• Consider how to invite parents, people from different racial, ethnic, socio-economic, gender, sexual orientation, age, and work/life backgrounds, as well as representatives from different leadership roles in an organization (supervisor vs home visitor) to bring their insights related to the collected data.

• Representatives from the many sectors that support early childhood development bring fresh context to the data; consider who is at the table now and who should be invited.

• Strongly consider accessibility when inviting diverse stakeholders as partners in the data conversation, especially those who are pregnant or parenting young children. Consider hosting hybrid meetings or small groups. Offer language translation and interpretation, if possible. Host meetings near a public transportation route, when available. Offer childcare if resources allow.