Data Strategy Case Study
An early childhood education non-profit engaged Merakāta to develop a comprehensive data strategy. The project aimed to enhance the organization’s ability to support the use of data to address inequities in access to early childhood care and education across Virginia.
The Challenge
Our client and other Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) partners across the state struggled to aid grantees in making data-driven decisions due to disconnected data systems and inconsistent data practices. Early Childhood data initiatives were operating in silos, leading to redundancy and confusion across the ecosystem. Without a clear understanding of the data landscape in Virginia, visibility into the impact of ECCE services was limited. A comprehensive, actionable solution was required to enhance data management and analysis capabilities.
The Solution
Merakāta employed a phased, collaborative approach to this initiative. We reviewed over 120 documents and conducted 31 stakeholder interviews to gain a deep understanding of Virginia’s ECCE data landscape. This led to the creation of several key artifacts, including an Organizational Systems Map, Business Information Model, and Data Creation and Consumption Diagrams.
The Results
Merakāta provided our client with actionable insights to optimize data use across the state and support grantees in understanding and navigating the ECCE data ecosystem.