Children Enrolled in Formal Early Education and Care Statewide

An estimated number of children enrolled in formal early education and care programs across Massachusetts, modeled by the Child Universal Success Platform (CUSP). The dataset includes counts of children receiving financial assistance and those from lower-income households, drawing on US Census and state administrative data. Third Sector Intelligence (3Si) developed this data in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).

Use Cases

• Analyze enrollment rates by AGE_GROUP and SUBSIDY_REGION to identify geographic disparities in access.
• Model the relationship between LABOR_FORCE_PARTICIPATION and SERVED_COUNT to understand childcare needs of working families.
• Compare the proportion of children BELOW_50_SMI_COUNT who receive CCFA_COUNT to assess subsidy targeting.
• Track changes over time using DATA_LOAD_DATE to monitor the impact of policy interventions on CHILD_COUNT and SERVED_COUNT.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple authoritative sources, including US Census data and state administrative databases like LEAD and C3.
• Provides specific counts for policy-relevant subgroups, such as CCFA_COUNT and BELOW_50_SMI_COUNT.
• Data is part of an official Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Dashboard for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and granularity require manual inspection after download.
• The definition of 'formal early education and care' excludes public/private K-12 enrollment and district-run afterschool programs, limiting scope.

Provenance

Source

Child Universal Success Platform (CUSP) by Third Sector Intelligence (3Si) and the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).

Collection Method

Modeled child population base from US Census data, combined with aggregate capacity and enrollment data from EEC's LEAD database, Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) programs, and pre-K enrollment data.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-04 15:56:27; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Statewide and regional data for Massachusetts (the Commonwealth).