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Enhanced access to data has been enabled with the development of a child care supply and demand data tool. The tool brings in demand-side data by using publicly available data sources and applying methodologies to create modeled population characteristics in great detail to include: total child population for age 0 through 13 in the state; child population by each age group, house hold income, and house hold employment; for each of those elements the geographic distribution of the child population by Lead Agency administrative region, county, state house district, state senate district, school district, and zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) that aligns with the census; for each of those elements the measure of child population over time; and potential child eligibility for the Child Care and Parent Services (CAPS) subsidy program, Georgia’s Pre-K program, Early Head Start, and Head Start. The tool brings in supply-side data by using Lead Agency administrative data to include: all child care providers by state and county; provider facility type, quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) rating, and public program participation; and estimates total child enrollment with total capacity. Not only does the tool allow for specific investigation into demand use cases and supply use cases, but it also brings supply and demand together to investigate and identify where potential service gaps may or may not exist. Additionally, the tool has been developed to offer alternative data views to provide the perspectives of service gaps by family language and the degree to which a geographic area may be underserved. These analyses are used to help define a shortage of supply and identify where a shortage in supply may exist for infant and toddler programs in the state. This work includes identifying different areas where there are general gaps in access to infant and toddler child care as well as gaps in access to the state’s ECE (early care and education) programs that support infant and toddler child care. The analysis can then be used to make informed decisions about how to direct additional resources. In addition to the internal teams, the Lead Agency works with research partners from the Urban Institute, Child Trends, University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and others to conduct formal research studies.

The Office of Child Care has not established criteria for measuring a shortage of supply for infant and toddlers, or any other population, and if there are specific thresholds that identify when a shortage exists. So, there is not a generally accepted definition or criteria for a state to use. Therefore, in order to know if a shortage of infant and toddler programs exists, a state must gather evidence to support the establishment of criteria to measure supply and demand throughout the state in order to determine if a shortage of infant and toddler programs exists in Georgia. Currently, the Lead Agency is evaluating available data in order to define the criteria needed apply appropriate thresholds to supply and demand data for identifying a defined gap. This work will enable the Lead Agency to determine if supply shortages for infant and toddler programs exist in Georgia. The Lead Agency believes that a data-driven approach to evaluating supply and demand is necessary for developing the most impactful strategies and policies for addressing shortages of supply where they exist.

In the absence of an established quantitative method, the Lead Agency is able to make generalized observations related to supply and demand using the data