5 Key Takeaways from Our Latest Webinar: How CIID Supports Early Childhood Data Integration Using CEDS

During our recent webinar, Making Connections: How CIID Supports Early Childhood Data Integration Using CEDS, CIID staff and guest presenter Katherine Fuselier, Part B Data Manager from the Nevada Department of Education, explored how the combination of data standards, data integration, and technical assistance can help states build more connected data systems.

Here are five key takeaways from the conversation:

While CIID has helped Part B state education agencies improve IDEA data collection and reporting for the last 10 years, we are expanding our technical assistance to serve the Part C community. We are building on our existing knowledge of building data governance, privacy, and interoperability while focusing on practical tools that help states modernize their data systems.

Our goal is straightforward: make it easier for agencies to collect, connect, and use high-quality IDEA data to improve outcomes for infants, toddlers, children with disabilities, and their families.

During the May 2026, Part C Data Bridge Summit, states made clear that they want to move beyond using data solely for compliance. Instead, they want integrated data that supports continuous improvement, better services, and stronger outcomes for infants, toddlers, and their families.

To achieve this goal, states need connected data systems that allow information to flow across Part C, Part B, early childhood, health, fiscal, and K–12 programs. At the same time, many continue to struggle with fragmented systems, manual processes, and data that are difficult to access or use.

Successful data integration begins with a shared language.

Just as universal symbols help travelers navigate around the world regardless of the language they speak, data standards help different systems communicate consistently. Without common definitions, agencies spend valuable time translating, interpreting, and reconciling information.

CEDS provides a common vocabulary for early intervention and education data. Rather than replacing existing systems, it gives organizations a standardized framework for defining data elements so information can be shared, compared, and understood more easily across programs.

Successful integration requires technology, business processes, governance, and people working together. When those pieces align, agencies can create a single source of truth that improves data quality, reduces duplication, and supports better decision-making.

Integrated data systems also make it easier to:

• Improve the accuracy and completeness of reporting

• Support policy development and program improvement

• Conduct meaningful cross-program analysis

• Increase access to data across agencies

• Collect data once and use it many times

Ultimately, the goal isn't just to connect systems. It's to make data more useful.

Katherine Fuselier shared how using CEDS in the Nevada Department of Education has helped improve data quality, simplify reporting, strengthen collaboration, and make ongoing data integration easier. Adopting common data standards isn't an all-or-nothing effort. States can begin by using CEDS to support reporting, develop data dictionaries, connect information across programs, and answer important policy and program questions.