The Baltimore Early Childhood  Data Collaborative (ECDC), formerly Early Education Data Collaborative (EEDC),  began after the release of BERC’s report, Early Elementary Performance and Attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten in March 2012 with the introduction of early education partners. Conversations about what we could learn if we shared our data led to the creation of the ECDC. Learn about the partnership, our history, and methods used in our work. This page contains all work products to date and will continue to expand as the project continues.

Judy Centers: The Parent Perspective. This brief examines parents’ perception of Judy Centers, which are service locations and staffing  to coordinate wraparound services for children and their families. Centers are placed in high-needs schools and tasked with improving kindergarten readiness.  Using surveys and focus groups with convenience sampling, we found that that 97% of parent respondents were “very likely” to recommend Judy Centers to a friend (3% were “likely”).  The most used programming was parent support services.  Respondents indicated that Judy Centers functioned as a hub for families and children to connect socially, and buffered the stress associated with transitioning to kindergarten.

Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Programs. This brief examines kindergarten readiness for children referred to the Infants and Toddlers program. Students who completed the program were kindergarten ready at rates similar to or greater than the district at large. Many children – arguably too many – did not complete the services to which they were entitled.

Baltimore Youth in Publicly Funded Programs. This brief provides a visual representation of the flow into and out of publicly funded programs for children born to mothers who lived in Baltimore from September 2, 2007 through September 1, 2008. The final program is enrolling in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools).

Predicting Kindergarten Enrollment in Baltimore. This brief examines the relation between the number of Baltimore-born children and subsequent kindergarten enrollment in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools). We use this birth information to make predictions about kindergarten enrollment to 2022-23.

Born in Baltimore. This report provides a description of mothers and children as well as their use of services. One finding is that  approximately three-quarters of children enrolled in City Schools Pre-K and kindergarten were born to mothers who resided in Baltimore at the time of their birth.

Kindergarten Attendance and Readiness for Class of 2027. This brief examines kindergarten readiness and attendance and found that children enrolled in early childhood programs were more likely to be kindergarten ready and less likely to be chronically absent.

The Costly Consequences of Not Being Socially Ready for Kindergarten. In 2015, 52% of Baltimore City Public Schools’ kindergarteners were assessed as entering school without sufficient social-behavioral skills needed to learn. They were more likely to be retained in grade, receive additional special education services and be suspended or expelled from school.