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Family Engagement

Measuring What Matters: Using Data to Support Family Progress

Learn how using data more effectively can strengthen your work with children and families. Explore how to assess services and measure progress on family and child outcomes using data. This series focuses on tracking program progress as you set goals and implement plans within a five-year project period. Measuring What Matters is aligned with the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

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Measuring What Matters—Using Data to Support Family Progress: Overview

Learn ways to use data to support progress toward PFCE family outcomes and the provision of quality services. Discover guiding principles for using data and explore the four data activities for tracking family and program progress in a cycle of continuous learning and quality improvement.    
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Exercises in Data Management: Introduction

Review a series of exercises that focus on each of the four data activities: Prepare, Collect, Aggregate and Analyze, and Use and Share. Explore how to use data to track family and program progress.
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Exercise 1: Prepare – Identifying PFCE Measures of Effort and Effect

Think about the first step in using data to support your work with families. This exercise guides the process of reviewing related program objectives, services, and activities. Careful preparation includes asking the right questions, considering the data you already have, and thinking about the data you want to collect to show the reach and impact of your work with children and families.
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Exercise 2: Collect – Collecting Data Related to Family Outcomes

Collecting high-quality data is essential for tracking progress toward child and family outcomes. Explore how to prepare for data collection. Choose methods to help you gather data to track progress in line with your program's goals, objectives, and expected outcomes.
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Exercise 3: Analyze and Aggregate – Dig Into Data

Learn ways to analyze the PFCE data your program has collected over time. Aggregate and disaggregate data to get a whole picture of the progress your program and families are making.
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Exercise 4: Use and Share – Using PFCE Data to Tell Your Story

Discover how to use your program's PFCE data to tell a story. This exercise will help you present and share data in accurate, appealing, and accessible ways to show family and program progress.
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Resource Guide

Expand your knowledge and use of data to track family progress. Find resources to help you get started, as well as for program planning and evaluation.

Additional Resources

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Learning Course: Measuring What Matters

Explore this nine-module course available on the Individualized Professional Development (iPD) Portfolio to learn more about using data to enhance your work with children and families using the Measuring What Matters resources.
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Tracking Progress Database: Standardized Measures to Assess Family Engagement Efforts and Effects

Find tools to help programs measure family engagement outcomes and relationships with families.

Read more:

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