Implementing Needs Assessments and Strategic Plans

Last Reviewed Date
January 20, 2023

The purpose of a needs assessment is to serve as the rationale for a state’s strategic plan. The assessment should indentify areas that need to be strengthened to maximize the availability of high-quality early childhood education options for families with low-incomes.

This page offers a wide range of guides, webinars, and other resources to help each state design and conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and use that assessment as the basis for an impactful, enduring strategic plan.

Needs Assessment Community of Conversation Part 1 Webinar

This conversation included questions from grantees, grantee experience with needs assessment work to date, and PDG B-5 needs assessment submission process information.

Needs Assessment Community of Conversation Part 2 Webinar

This webinar includes questions from grantees, grantee experience with needs assessment work to date, and PDG B-5 needs assessment submission process information.

PDG B-5 Fundamentals of Data Integration

This series focuses on the Fundamentals of Data Integration specific to PDG B-5 grantee teams, and includes information on data governance, single IDs, data privacy, and data integration.

Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) Early Childhood Data Analytics: Distinct Count of Children Served Webinar

This webinar covers key factors for defining a count of children, for states to use in answering questions for PDG B-5 comprehensive needs assessments. 

Using IDEA Part C and 619 Data in the PDG B-5 State Systems Needs Assessments Webinar

This presentation highlights the types of data collected by states IDEA 619 and Part C and where the data is located. 

Guide for Communicating the Strategic Plan for a Comprehensive, Statewide ECCE System

This guide provides guidance for PDG B-5 state leads and teams for using the evaluation of the strategic plan to communicate to external audiences about progress and goals.

Strategic Plan Community of Conversation Part 1 Webinar

This conversation included questions from grantees, grantee experience with strategic planning work to date, and PDG B-5 Strategic Plan submission process information.

Strategic Plan Community of Conversation Part 2 Webinar

This conversation reviewed Strategic Plan guidance, discussed participant questions, and explained the Strategic Plan crosswalk and submission process.

The Role of Strategic Plans in Comprehensive ECCE Systems Building

This webinar provides information about states with successful, enduring processes in place that result in an ongoing strategic plan for their early childhood system. 

Using the Strategic Plan for Comprehensive Systems Building

This webinar provides resources and examples from other states on updating, communicating and using the strategic plan to communicate to external audiences about progress and goals.