At OEC, we support high quality research — research that improves knowledge and understanding about early childhood services and people’s experiences. Learn how to access and explore an array of CT early childhood data resources.
Get access to published data
See OEC data and reports
Explore our Agency and Program Reports page. You can also jump directly to:
- 211 Child Care reports for data on child care in CT
- Birth to Three annual data summaries and annual performance reports
- Care 4 Kids reports on children and providers
Use eLicense to create a roster of a child care program
- Visit the state’s eLicense website
- Choose either “Child Day Care Licensing Program” or “Youth Camp Licensing Program” from the alphabetical list
- Choose the type of information you want (open or closed) and tap continue
- Download the roster in your preferred format (Excel, CSV, or text)
Check out these public data sources
Connecticut data
- Connecticut Open Data provides State data on a variety of topics, including education
- CT Data Collaborative provides many open data sources, including resources focused on children & families and education
- The CT State Department of Education CT K-12 data portal provides detailed data about prekindergarten experiences, K-12, and higher education
National data (that includes State of Connecticut data)
- The American Community Survey reports yearly U.S. Census Bureau information on social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics across different geographic units in the United States
- The Kids Count Data Book is published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and provides demographic, economic, education, family, health, and other data on children in the U.S. and by state
- The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute for Education Sciences provides a variety of data tools and reports on education in the U.S.
Looking for something else?
If you can’t find the data you want, or have an idea about data you’d like to see, you can fill out our data request form.
We’ll send a notice of receipt, and follow up with questions and next steps. Clear, specific descriptions of what you would like really helps! Include the timeframe (e, g., calendar years 2018 through 2020), the program (e.g., Home Visiting), and any geographic or demographic focus (e.g., New London County, or infants and toddlers).
Keep in mind that some data may not be available, and pulling together a quality data set while also administering programs takes time.
Understand your responsibilities as a researcher
- OEC expects that all research will be conducted with respect for the people involved, a desire to benefit others, and promote their health and welfare. Everyone has the right to fair treatment, including confidentiality, as outlined in the Belmont Report.
- A quote from John Schwabish: “Data are a reflection of the lives of real people, not just a sterile abstraction.
- Additionally, OEC believes that advancing equity is important for the health and development of all young children and those who love them.
- Learn about special protections for Research with Children
- Explore the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 45 CFR Part 46) on the federal Office for Human Research and Protections webpage
- Check with your agency, university, or hospital Institutional Review Board for additional responsibilities and considerations.
* Note that OEC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) — which operated from 2015 to 2021 — is no longer active.
Conducting research with OEC families, children, or programs
Wanting to interview people or asking for their personal data needs to be done with great care and respect. Here are some steps for success:
- Contact the OEC Division Director of the program you are interested in to talk about what you’d like to do, how you hope to do it, and why you think it is important for understanding and improving the lives of young children and the people who care for them.
- Pro Tip: email a letter of introduction and ask for a brief meeting. Attach a written description of your proposal.
- If the OEC Division Director is interested in your proposed project, ask them for a Letter of Support. This will be useful for a grant application, IRB or dissertation proposal, and to share when you recruit research participants.
- Once you have the support and approvals you need, think about how to begin recruiting participants. See the Understand your responsibilities as a researcher section.
- Keep in mind that people can always say, “No thanks!!” even if your research is top notch.
- Saying Yes only applies to that “level” of approval. If the OEC Division Director says “Yes”, but the program director says “No”, that’s a hard stop. If the program director says, “Yes”, then the classroom teacher says “No”, you stop. When a parent says “No”, that’s where you stop.
- If all of the adults say “Yes” and the child’s words or behaviors show that they don’t want to talk or play or participate in the research, that’s a “NO!” and you must end the research session.
- When you have completed your research, tell us what you learned! Share key findings and results with the OEC Division Director and with the people who participated. OEC wants to hear about the impact of our programs and policies on children, families, providers, and communities.