Readiness Radar: A one-stop-shop for all those in need of early childhood data
By gears
We know a lot of data experts who sit in front of a pile of numbers, graphs, charts and maps, as dazed as a foodie eating a six-course meal.
As for the rest of us, who can think of many more interesting things than delving into all those facts and figures, there is an easier way. You can now find The data you need and make its disparate sources work well together.
Readiness radara decade-old GEARS tool that we rebooted through collaboration with them Get Read Georgia, takes care of this problem. A truly one-stop-shop, the new Readiness Radar brings together early childhood data that once existed in many different places and brings it together in one easy-to-use online platform. The Preparedness Radar includes a range of education, health, housing, economic and demographic data across neighborhood, county and state levels, helping answer questions about family and child well-being in Georgia.
The tool can be used as a simple search engine. If, for example, you want to know how many children under the age of five live in a particular county, which is useful in forecasting school enrollment numbers, you can find this. If you want to know what percentage of children in a particular geographic area have achieved reading proficiency by third grade — a number that may be requested by a grant application or oversight body — you can find that, too.
But readiness radar can also add a great deal of detail and nuance to this data by layering multiple functions.
Let’s say you’re interested in what access to child care looks like in areas with a high density of families living in poverty. A preparedness radar can reach a specific geographic area and show gaps in access compared to income level.
Displays is the operative word here. One of the most exciting features of Readiness Radar is its visual component. Standby radar uses maps of different (and even different) colors shades of those colors) to communicate demographic, health, educational, housing, and other information at the neighborhood, county, and state levels. There may be color-coded dots on that map that depict service points such as quality-rated childcare providers, elementary schools, and more.
“The beauty of the mapping tool is that you can see the data in a different way than you would in a spreadsheet,” says Hannah Goldberg, director of research and policy at GEARS. “The preparedness radar allows users to see the demographic landscape of an area and the locations of specific assets, such as early learning programs, in those same areas.”
The list of users who can benefit from this versatile tool is almost as long as its functionality. Goldberg can blather casually on a number of them.
“School system leaders and nonprofit leaders, including funders,” she says. “Policy makers at the local and state levels. Child care providers and Hopefully Child care providers who want to open in an area in need. Journalists who need data to tell their stories. Researchers and higher education leaders. Healthy community. Basically, anyone trying to better understand and answer questions about a community and what resources exist or might be needed there.
This breadth is one of the things that motivated Get Georgia’s Reading Director Arianne Weldon to partner with GEARS to reshape the preparedness radar.
“In Get Georgia Reading, we set out to increase the number of Georgia children reading proficiently by third grade,” says Weldon. “Multiple factors such as maternal education level, premature birth, and lack of access to quality early care and learning interrupt a child’s path to literacy. It is extremely helpful to have a data tool that leads us to where all of these complex factors intersect so that together we can pave the way.” To improve outcomes – starting before birth – for every child in Georgia throughout school and life.”
The Readiness Radar range states that its most popular features are “Early Childhood Profiles” and an important feature called the ATL Access Map.
The profiles are clear and straightforward. Each contains basic education, health, program enrollment, and other data collected from the census of a particular county, city, or legislative district.
The other most widely used feature, the ATL ACCESS Map, focuses with laser precision on all the overlapping indicators that impact the supply and demand of child care in five metro Atlanta counties – Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett. The mapping feature makes it easy to specifically identify child care gaps and where they fall within community demographics. Although Readiness Radar is easy to use for both deep dive pros and regular Googlers, we recommend you learn your way around the tool with this educational video From the creator of Readiness Radar Neighborhood association.
then Let us know how You are on Use Standby Radar — How much time it saves you!
