Early Start CT – Competitive Funding

Social Vulnerability Index and Child Care Access Scoring

Early Start CT Funding Points

The map to the right, shows the total points providers will be given based on the average estimated level of Child Care Access and the average Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) score for the ZIP code they are located within. The methodologies used to calculate Child Care Access and SVI can be found below.

Directions

To find your location, use select the search icon at the top left of the map. Enter your location's address and then select the census tract your location is within.

Child Care Access

When determining points for Child Care Access, the Office of Early Childhood used the following, based on the distribution of Child Care Access across the state:

  • .66 ≤ Child Care Access ~ 2 points,
  • .58 ≤ Child Care Access < .66 ~ 4 points,
  • .52 ≤ Child Care Access < .58 ~ 6 points,
  • .48 ≤ Child Care Access < .52 ~ 8 points,
  • .44 ≤ Child Care Access < .48 ~ 10 points,
  • .40 ≤ Child Care Access < .44 ~ 12 points,
  • .35 ≤ Child Care Access < .40 ~ 14 points,
  • .29 ≤ Child Care Access < .35 ~ 16 points,
  • .19 ≤ Child Care Access < .29 ~ 18 points,
  • 0 ≤ Child Care Access < .19 ~ 20 points

See Methodology section below for more information on how Child Care Access was calculated.

Social Vulnerability Index

(SVI)

When determining points for SVI, the Office of Early Childhood used the following, based on the distribution of SVI across the state:

  • 0 ≤ SVI < .2 ~ 4 points
  • .2 ≤ SVI < .4 ~ 8 points
  • .4 ≤ SVI < .6 ~ 12 points
  • .6 ≤ SVI < .8 ~ 16 points
  • .8 ≤ SVI ≤ 1 ~ 20 points

See Methodology section below for more information on the Social Vulnerability Index.

Methodology

Child Care Access

Child Care Access was calculated using a two-stage floating catchment area (2SFCA) methodology. This method was based on the methodology used by the Center for American Progress for their  Child Care Desert Map . The  Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing Program Data  from the CT Open Data Portal was used for provider address locations. Non-active providers and Youth Camp providers were removed for this analysis. Block group level child population (0-9) and block group centroid locations were collected from the 2020 Decennial Census. Census block groups were used as a proxy for neighborhood locations.

The 2SFCA method provides an area-based approach to determine the level of childcare access by neighborhood, dependent on the capacity of nearby providers and the population of the neighborhoods those providers serve. The 2SFCA method measures the childcare capacity within a specific neighborhood's catchment area and then adjusts each nearby provider's capacity based on the estimated number of children that could potentially be served by that provider.

In stage one of the 2SFCA, a weighted capacity to population ratio is calculated for each childcare provider in Connecticut. For each provider, all census block groups within a 5-mile catchment area around the provider's location are identified. A 5-mile catchment area was selected based upon a review of similar studies that found that most children have care within three miles of their home (Davis, Lee, Sojourner, 2016; National Survey of Early Care and Education Project Team, 2016). The child population of the block groups within each provider's catchment area can be seen as a proxy for the demand for childcare. However, since the likelihood of a child going to a specific provider will decrease based on distance, the populations are discounted using an inverse weighted distance function.

In stage two of the 2SFCA, a weighted slots to population ratio is calculated for each census block group location in Connecticut. For each census block group, all providers within a 5-mile catchment area around the census block group's centroid are identified. The capacity to population ratio found in stage one, is then summed across all providers within the catchment area. Finally, the Child Care Access level was averaged acrossed ZIP codes*. The Child Care Access level can be read as the estimated ratio of slots to child population, so a Child Care Access of 1 would be there is an estimated slots to child population of 1:1 (i.e. a slot for every child.).

*The  HUD USPS ZIP Code Crosswalk Files  were used to match tracts to ZIP code locations.

Sources:

Center for American Progress. (2020). Child Care Deserts. Center for American Progress. Retrieved October 23, 2024, from  https://www.americanprogress.org/series/child-care-deserts/ 

Davis, Elizabeth E. and Lee, Won Fy and Sojourner, Aaron J., Family-Centered Measures of Access to Early Care and Education. (2019) IZA Discussion Paper No. 1139

National Survey of Early Care and Education Project Team. (2016). How Far are Early Care and Education Arrangements from Children’s Homes? (OPRE Report No. 2016-10).

Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index (hereafter, CDC/ATSDR SVI or SVI) is a place-based index, database, and mapping application designed to identify and quantify communities experiencing social vulnerability. The Geospatial Research, Analysis & Services Program (GRASP) maintains the CDC/ATSDR SVI to help public health officials and local planners better prepare for and respond to emergency events with the goal of decreasing human suffering, economic loss, and health inequities.

The current CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index uses 16 U.S. Census variables from the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) to identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters. These variables are grouped into four themes that cover four major areas of social vulnerability and then combined into a single measure of overall social vulnerability.

For more information on how SVI is calculated please visit the  ASTDR website.