Data
Reimagining a child care system that works well for everybody starts with listening more keenly to those who the system is supposed to serve: the families, educators and administrators who are most responsible for meeting the needs of young children. The data driving this initiative highlights the pain points these experts are currently navigating and describes their ideal system.
Our Proximity Experts
Proximity Experts is a term we generated to describe the families, early childhood educators, and administrators who provide the data and expertise to guide the direction of this initiative. These experts have specialized knowledge and lived experiences with the child care system. We are committed to making their ideal real.
Proximity experts continue to:
1 Identify pain points in their current child care journey
2 Define components of their ideal child care journey
Meet a few of our proximity experts:
Violeta Chirino
Administrator
Tynisha Wright
Parent
JP Coakley
Administrator
Javi Henry
Educator
Berna Artis
Administrator
Our Data Source
Data From Proximity Experts via Human-Centered Design
We launched WeVision EarlyEd based on data from 35 families, educators, and administrators in D.C., selected from a pool of 170 applicants. Over five months, Catapult Design, a human-centered design consultant, worked with these proximity experts to map their “journeys” — exploring both their current child care experiences and their vision for an ideal system.
Next, we identified the core shifts in public thinking needed to make their ideal child care experiences a reality. We also worked with a subset of proximity experts to pinpoint practical solutions to test first.
Data From Proximity Experts via Conference Sessions and Interactive Exhibits
Building on what we learned in D.C., we looked for more ways to share and pressure test our initial ideas, and gather additional insights from experts across the country.
We hosted briefings and sessions, and collected feedback from more than 2,000 early childhood professionals through our interactive WeVision EarlyEd exhibit at conferences. These conferences included events in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Orlando.
We found that child care challenges are similar nationwide, and so is the vision for an ideal child care system. That’s why WeVision EarlyEd is a national effort to make this vision a reality, in D.C. and beyond.
Data From Proximity Experts (Fall 2021 – Fall 2022, Washington, D.C.)
We launched WeVision EarlyEd with data from 35 families, educators, and administrators (drawn from a pool of 170 applicants) to re-envision child care in D.C. A human-centered design consultant worked with the proximity experts for five months to map their “journeys” — both their current experience with the child care system and their ideal experience.
Then, we identified the Core Shifts in public thinking needed to make ideal child care experiences a reality while also working with a subset of experts to identify the practical solutions we wanted to test first, based on ideas generated by the proximity experts.
Data From Proximity Experts (Fall 2022 – Present, National)
Building on the data from Washington, D.C., we sought other opportunities to collect data from proximity experts from other states. We also collected data from more than 2,000 early childhood professionals using an interactive WeVision EarlyEd conference exhibit. We continue to host briefings and facilitate sessions. The child care pain points are similar, and so is the ideal. That’s why WeVision EarlyEd is about making the ideal real, in D.C. and beyond.