ECIDS Technology
The NDE Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) is designed to organize, mediate and broker early childhood data from public agencies, departments, and external partners to deliver early childhood programs effectively and efficiently across Nebraska
The ECIDS project is structured around use cases selected and prioritized by its agency partners and stakeholders. The first phase of the system was developed around three priorities:
Derive a distinct count of children served within the early care and education (ECE) system in Nebraska.
Represent both the demand and supply of ECE services to evaluation equal access to full-day, year-round, high-quality ECE for children regardless of the setting or family income.
Identify use cases meaningful to Head Start professions that can be served with available data.
Though the ECIDS system is designed to be flexible and extendable to allow the system to accommodate future needs, decisions related to technology and architecture, data definition and modeling, and visualization design are anchored explicitly to these three use cases.
How does ECIDS work?
Data Sharing
In keeping with its federated approach, ECIDS only integrates data required to complete its identified use cases. Partner organizations maintain and manage the data they collect and then integrate with ECIDS following explicit data sharing agreements between NDE (on behalf of ECIDS) and the collaborating agency or organization. Data sharing agreements outline specific elements to be shared with ECIDS, the purpose for its sharing and any limitations on the presentation or use of such data. Additionally, all individual-level data is de-identified, PII is removed, and identifiers are replaced with unique codes.
Data Security & Storage
ECIDS leverages modern data security and protocols throughout the system . All data are stored in secure, encrypted databases. Partner organizations maintain and manage the data they collect and then connect through written agreement to share data for specific purposes and to answer identified policy and program questions. Data systems are integrated to preserve established data rules and permissions, including those related to parent permission, and limits access to specified and documented user roles.
Reporting & Data Disclosures
Information from Nebraska’s ECIDS system is used to provide information and context through public-facing reports, de-identified files for researchers, or, in limited cases, operational information for students’ educators and providers. Reports and information made available to the public include aggregate information and follow best practices related to suppression and masking of small numbers. Robust aggregate information is available to the public through the Nebraska Education Profile (NEP) and the Nebraska Early Childhood Data Explorer.