System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework
The System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework is designed to help leaders use data to promote greater equity at every step of the early childhood system. In using this Framework, leaders will better understand the experiences of children, families, or workforce members within their systems to begin identifying potential inequities and examine root causes that could be addressed. The Framework organizes 20 essential questions into six system steps. The steps align with points at which a child, family, or workforce member may face inequities and at which a leader could make actionable changes to improve quality and access to equitable early learning experiences.
The Framework organizes 20 essential questions across six preschool system steps.
Scroll through the Framework below to see which essential questions are associated with each step.
Click on an essential question to view the recommended metrics for that question.
* indicates recommended metrics aligned with the Education to Workforce (E-W) Indicator Framework. Preschool system leaders can use this compatible framework to understand the connection between preschool and K-12 systems and identify places along any system that may be contributing to disparities in experiences.
+ indicates recommended metrics aligned with the Multi-dimensional Definition of Access to Child Care and Early Education: “access means that parents, with reasonable effort and affordability, can enroll their child in an arrangement that supports the child’s development and meets the parents’ needs.” This multi-dimensional definition can help preschool system leaders develop and refine policies and practices that promote more equitable access for the families they serve.
Read the goal for how the step supports an equitable preschool system after scrolling through the metrics.
Access more detailed information by clicking on “View Deep Dive into Metrics.” This will open a PDF with additional information, including suggested measurements for each metric, a suggested level to collect the metric, and example data sources.
Explore the STEP Forward with Data Framework
Supply
Q1. Does existing supply meet the needs of families from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Preschool system has enough preschool openings for the number of children who want to attend preschool, especially those from focal populations.+
Percentage of children from focal populations who are on a waitlist for at least one preschool program.+
Percentage of families from focal populations who were able to enroll in their preferred preschool program.+
Percentage of children from focal populations enrolled in a program whose care is subsidized.+
Percentage of families from focal populations who report being able to afford to enroll their children in the preschool program of their choice.+
Percentage of families from focal populations who do not pay above a system-defined threshold of affordability.+
Percentage of children from focal populations who did not experience a change in teacher/provider during the program, school, or calendar year.+
Percentage of workforce members who are fluent in the language spoken by the children they serve.+
Percentage of program sites that support a language other than English.+
Percentage of program sites where children with a disability or developmental delay are enrolled in which workforce members have early childhood special education training or experience working with children with special needs.+
Percentage of workforce members who have early childhood education endorsements, certification, or training, or experience working with preschool-age children.+
Percentage of program sites that meet Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) state benchmarks of quality.+
Percentage of program sites that offer transportation services between child's home and preschool site.+
Percentage of available full-time slots (i.e., available six hours per day for five days per week).+
Percentage of programs that provide before and after school programming.+
Percentage of programs where classrooms demonstrate equitable sociocultural interactions.+
Percentage of children from focal populations enrolled in a program whose care is subsidized.+
Percentage of families from focal populations who report being able to afford to enroll their children in the preschool program of their choice.+
Percentage of families from focal populations who do not pay above a system-defined threshold of affordability.+
Percentage of children from focal populations who did not experience a change in teacher/provider during the program, school, or calendar year.+
Percentage of workforce members who are fluent in the language spoken by the children they serve.+
Percentage of program sites that support a language other than English.+
Percentage of program sites where children with a disability or developmental delay are enrolled in which workforce members have early childhood special education training or experience working with children with special needs.+
Percentage of workforce members who have early childhood education endorsements, certification, or training, or experience working with preschool-age children.+
Percentage of program sites that meet Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) state benchmarks of quality.+
Percentage of program sites that offer transportation services between child's home and preschool site.+
Percentage of available full-time slots (i.e., available six hours per day for five days per week).+
Percentage of programs that provide before and after school programming.+
Percentage of programs where classrooms demonstrate equitable sociocultural interactions.+
Outreach
Q2. Do outreach methods improve knowledge and understanding of program options among families from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of programs that use more than one outreach strategy to inform families from focal populations about preschool options.
Percentage of families from focal populations who report having knowledge and understanding of their preschool options.
Enrollment
Q3. Do eligibility processes allow families from focal populations to attend programs they want?
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Recommended metrics
Preschool systems leaders regularly conduct community assessments to understand children from focal populations’ eligibility to attend their preschool program of choice.
Preschool systems leaders make changes to their eligibility criteria based on community assessments to help families from focal populations attend their preferred choice of preschool program.
Q4. Do enrollment procedures help families from focal populations attend programs they want?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of programs that offer multiple ways for families to verify their child's eligibility for enrollment.
Percentage of programs that have a defined process dedicated to helping families from focal populations with preschool enrollment applications.
Percentage of program sites that offer at least two types of supportive enrollment resources to families, especially families from focal populations, to support enrollment in the programs families want to attend.
Percentage of families from focal populations who report no barriers to enrolling children in the program of their choice.
Percentage of families from focal populations who report no barriers to enrolling children in the program of their choice.
Q5. Are children from focal populations enrolled proportionate to or higher than their representation in the community?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool from focal populations.*
Q6. Are children from focal populations enrolled in programs rated as high-quality proportionate to their representation in the system?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of preschool-aged children from focal populations enrolled in high-quality preschool.
Q7. Do children from focal populations have consistent attendance?
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Recommended metrics
Average length of enrollment for children from focal populations.
Average number of days children from focal populations were present in preschool
Percentage of enrolled preschool children from focal populations who are present for more than 90 percent of their enrolled days, excluding children enrolled for less than three months.*
Learning Experiences
Q8. Are identities of children from focal populations and families reflected in programs?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of program sites where children from focal populations are exposed to staff in their program who reflect their own identities.
Percentage of program sites that use materials, projects, activities, curricula, and resources that reflect or celebrate the identities of children from focal populations and their communities.
Q9. Do workforce members receive training in supporting the needs of children from focal populations and families?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of workforce members who receive training in culturally responsive instruction, especially to understand a child’s developmental progress to inform instruction.
Percentage of workforce members who receive training on trauma-informed care or responsiveness.
Percentage of workforce members who receive training on reducing or eliminating bias in their work.
Q10. Do children from focal populations receive positive behavior supports?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of workforce members that demonstrate high-quality instructional practices and interactions with children.
Percentage of children who do not experience any of the following: in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, disciplinary use of restraint and seclusion, or expulsions.*
Percentage of families from focal populations who report that their children experience positive behavior supports.
Presence of program-level policies aimed at offering alternative approaches to negative discipline and promoting positive behavior supports.
Percentage of children from focal populations reporting positive feelings toward their program.*
Presence of program-level policies aimed at offering alternative approaches to negative discipline and promoting positive behavior supports.
Percentage of children from focal populations reporting positive feelings toward their program.*
Q11. Do children from focal populations have the learning accommodations they need?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of children from focal populations who are screened for learning accommodations.
Percentage of children from focal populations who have an identified need for a learning accommodation.
Percentage of children from focal populations who have a learning accommodation provided to them in an inclusive setting.
Percentage of families from focal populations who are satisfied with the learning accommodations provided to their children.
Percentage of children from focal populations with identified health or developmental concerns as identified by a developmental screening tool.*
Percentage of children from focal populations with identified concerns who are connected to services.*
Percentage of children from focal populations who can fully participate in learning activities.
Percentage of families from focal populations who use whole family services.
Percentage of families from focal populations who are satisfied with the learning accommodations provided to their children.
Percentage of children from focal populations with identified health or developmental concerns as identified by a developmental screening tool.*
Percentage of children from focal populations with identified concerns who are connected to services.*
Percentage of children from focal populations who can fully participate in learning activities.
Percentage of families from focal populations who use whole family services.
Q12. Does the program offer or connect families from focal populations with whole family services?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of programs that offer whole family services.
Percentage of programs offering health, mental health, and social services in-house, including staff or consultants providing infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) services.*
Percentage of programs that provide referrals to families from focal populations about whole family services.
Q13. Are multiple forms of evidence used to understand the developmental progress, strengths, and needs—across domains of development—of children from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Preschool system requires multiple forms of evidence to be used to understand a child’s development.
Percentage of programs that use multiple forms of evidence to understand a child’s development.
Percentage of workforce members who report that they utilize more than one form of evidence to inform their instruction.
Q14. Are facilities structured and maintained to support the well-being of children from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Preschool system makes planned improvements for facilities to ensure they meet basic health and safety requirements, and in which focal populations make up at least half of the student population.
Percentage of programs in facilities that have the infrastructure necessary to support student learning, and in which focal populations make up at least half of the student population.
Percentage of programs in facilities that ensure the safety and security of children and workforce members, and in which focal populations make up at least half of the student population.
Percentage of programs in facilities that meet children and workforce members’ health and hygienic needs, and in which focal populations make up at least half of the student population.
Percentage of programs in facilities that meet children and workforce members’ health and hygienic needs, and in which focal populations make up at least half of the student population.
Transitions
Q15. Do transition activities meet the needs of families from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of families from focal populations who report that their program offers transition supports that meet their needs.
Percentage of programs that minimize the number of transitions when supporting children with learning accommodations.
Q16. Are children from focal populations reaching developmental and learning milestones when transitioning to kindergarten?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of children from focal populations meeting benchmarks across all developmental domains (language/literacy; cognition; social emotional development; approaches to learning; and physical development).*
Administration
Q17. Are families from focal populations and workforce members engaged in shared leadership?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of preschool systems leadership and management that identify as members of focal populations.
Percentage of families from focal populations who report that they are consulted, involved, or collaborate, or are a co-creator in systems level changes, policies, or programmatic decisions.
Percentage of workforce members from focal populations who report that they are consulted, involved, collaborate, or are a co-creator in the preschool system.
Q18. Are there funding mechanisms to support equitable experiences for children, families, and workforce members?
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Recommended metrics
Percentage of system-level funding that is allocated to equity-focused activities targeted for children, families, and/or workforce members from focal populations.
Percentage of programs that have a funding mechanism for allocating funds to be spent on identified needs for children, families, and workforce members from focal populations.
Q19. Is there system-level guidance for how to support equitable experiences for children, families, and workforce members?
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Recommended metrics
Preschool system provides guidance on early learning standards, including how to uniquely support children and families from diverse backgrounds, including those from focal populations.
Preschool system provides guidance on the types of culturally responsive curricula that represent, reflect, and uniquely support children and families from focal populations.
Preschool system provides guidance or training on recommended culturally responsive assessments/screenings that represent, reflect, and uniquely support children and families from focal populations.
Preschool system provides guidance on professional development activities that represent, reflect, and uniquely support workforce members from diverse backgrounds, including those from focal populations.
Preschool system provides guidance or training on quality monitoring tools for classroom environment and/or child-adult interactions that represent, reflect, and uniquely support children and families from diverse backgrounds, including those from focal populations.
Preschool system leaders regularly evaluate the number of programs that implement early learning standards, curricula, assessments/screenings, professional development activities, and quality monitoring tools for classroom environment and/or child-adult interactions that meet stated guidelines.
Preschool system leaders regularly evaluate whether their guidance meets the needs of children and families from focal populations.
Percentage of families and workforce members reporting positive relationship quality with one another.
Preschool system provides guidance on professional development activities that represent, reflect, and uniquely support workforce members from diverse backgrounds, including those from focal populations.
Preschool system provides guidance or training on quality monitoring tools for classroom environment and/or child-adult interactions that represent, reflect, and uniquely support children and families from diverse backgrounds, including those from focal populations.
Preschool system leaders regularly evaluate the number of programs that implement early learning standards, curricula, assessments/screenings, professional development activities, and quality monitoring tools for classroom environment and/or child-adult interactions that meet stated guidelines.
Preschool system leaders regularly evaluate whether their guidance meets the needs of children and families from focal populations.
Percentage of families and workforce members reporting positive relationship quality with one another.
Q20. Are there mechanisms to support equitable experiences for workforce members from focal populations?
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Recommended metrics
Number of professional development opportunities the preschool system offers that are intentionally tailored to support the unique needs of workforce members from focal populations.
Number of career pathway supports the preschool system offers that are intentionally tailored to support the unique needs of workforce members from focal populations.
Workforce members from focal populations earn wages comparable to the overall population of preschool workforce members.
Workforce members from focal populations have retention rates comparable to the overall population of preschool workforce members.
Percentage of workforce members from focal populations who receive benefits comparable to that of the overall preschool workforce population.
Workforce members from focal populations have retention rates comparable to the overall population of preschool workforce members.
Percentage of workforce members from focal populations who receive benefits comparable to that of the overall preschool workforce population.
Children: 3- or 4-year-olds not yet enrolled in kindergarten.
Families: Individuals who live with or care for children.
Workforce members: Individuals who work within the preschool system at all levels and across all roles, including support staff, teachers, family child care providers, child care owners or directors, or school administrators. (Note: This term is used when referring to the whole group of individuals, whereas specific roles are called out when relevant to only certain roles).
Focal populations: Populations of children, families, and workforce members that have been shown in history and research to experience inequities in the preschool system. These populations should be identified by preschool system leaders, in partnership with their community.
Preschool: Early learning programs offered to 3- and 4- year-olds. In this Framework, we focus on those that are local, state, Tribal, or federally funded, including through state-funded, locally funded, and Tribal preschool and Head Start programs.
Preschool program: A type of preschool with a shared approach or curriculum, set of standards or regulations, funding stream, and/or administration. For example, families across sites know that Head Start is a free preschool option that also serves the family, whereas a citywide preschool program may share funding and administrative leads but could use differently approaches within each site.
Preschool site: The location at which a child receives preschool, including center-, school-, home-, or faith- based settings.
Preschool system: The set of preschool programs that are overseen by a common set of leaders. The preschool programs in the system could be one type of program (e.g., state public pre-K) or multiple programs (e.g., Head Start, subsidized family child care, and state-funded pre-K).
Preschool systems leaders: Those who oversee preschool programs and who can make systems-level decisions about how to improve preschool programs. Leaders may include state public pre-K administrators, Head Start State Collaboration Office directors, federal Head Start administrators, Head Start grantees overseeing large or multi-site preschool programs, Tribal early childhood administrators, state officers or administrators managing systems-wide early childhood initiatives, and city- or county-wide public preschool administrators.
We updated this page on March 6, 2026 to shift language from “preschool” systems to “early learning” and “early childhood” systems. While some resources still use the term “preschool,” the STEP Framework supports broader early childhood systems in addition to preschool settings. We also added a new resources page to make it easier to access materials.
The STEP Forward with Data Framework was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The content contained within this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Click HereSuggested Citation: Lin, V., Hackett, S.E., Richards, D., King, C., & Bredeson, M. (2024). System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework. Child Trends. https://doi.org/10.56417/7986y3601e