Researching and analyzing data is important in today’s age, but what does that look like in a professional setting? And how does enFocus analyze data to catalyze innovation for local organizations? Tri-County Head Start’s work with Fellow Scott Coppa is a prime example of how enFocus Fellows assist organizations in developing tools for data analysis. Tri-County Head Start is an early educator and child care provider in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties in Michigan. Tri-County Head Start, Scott Coppa, and the enFocus project team united together to establish a robust funding model aimed at expanding Head Start services to children on the verge of eligibility.
Scott’s background in data analytics helped guide Tri-County Head Start through the dashboard creation process. From his research, he designed an interactive analytical dashboard to leverage insights to identify high priority communities and ensure a targeted approach to address community needs and financial stability. The dashboard accounted for enrollment factors and demographics like age, the number of other early childhood care providers, and the number of children in need of childcare all within a designated location.
He says, “Drawing from my experience in analyzing community-level analytics, I focused on substantiating the needs and viability of new concepts. This involved conducting in-depth analyses to identify trends and opportunities, ultimately informing strategic decisions for implementation across specific sites while mitigating risks.” His creation of the demographic dashboard is then represented visually through maps, displaying where the areas of greatest opportunities lie for Tri-County Head Start.
He was also able to create a forecasting dashboard to calculate cost savings at each of Tri-County Head Start’s locations. Similar to the demographic dashboard, he was able to base the calculations on a variety of factors to compute costs dependent on the input of specific variables. The financial forecast dashboard ensures that Tri-County Head Start understands which variables contribute to their operational costs.
“Throughout the project, I acquired valuable skills, particularly in financial modeling. The process of creating a large organization budget allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of financial intricacies. Skills acquired throughout gave me the confidence to continue building out new ways to interact with projected expenses based on our suggested change in fiscal modeling and real-time community-level needs,” elaborates Scott.
Scott is one example of many Fellows who help organizations streamline their data in an accessible, tangible, and understandable way. The outcomes of the first phase of their project not only empower Tri-County Head Start to scale allotments significantly, but also pave the way for potential increases in staff salaries and improved facilities, contingent on securing funding. Tri-County Head Start can make more informed operational decisions because of the dashboard and its insights.
The insights from the dashboard will also help them make informed decisions based on community needs. Scott says, “By prioritizing data at the core, we ensure that the expansion aligns with actual community needs. Beyond just numbers, effective data utilization allows communities to comprehend their unique requirements and facilitates engagement with stakeholders, including government entities, employers, and foundations.” As Scott describes, Tri-County Head Start will be able to make informed business decisions, and have a deep understanding of where they can increase opportunity for childhood care and education for families in Southwest Michigan.
Scott speaks to the impact data can have on local organizations like Tri-County Head Start. Resources like demographic and financial forecasting dashboards minimize risk, inform strategic decisions, and provide valuable community insights. enFocus strives to make data driven solutions accessible, tangible, and understandable so local organizations can catalyze change for entire communities. Design a project with enFocus services and learn how you can utilize your organization’s data to maximize community impact.