For the past several months, Excel by Eight has been undergoing a planning process to review and update our policy agenda to improve health and education outcomes for infants and toddlers. We kicked off our planning process in November 2022 with a daylong summit that convened members of the Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative, the group that helps us develop and implement our policy agenda. In February, we began the nine-month stakeholder input process that started with 26 one-on-one interviews followed by four surveys, 10 virtual focus groups, and seven in-person focus groups.
By the Numbers: The Excel by Eight Foundations Planning Process
- 192 responses to the parent and family survey (Families must currently have infants and toddlers.)
- 125 responses to the child care provider survey (Providers must be serving infants and toddlers.)
- 89 responses to the employer survey
- 17 focus groups
- Hispanic families – pregnant and new mothers (4 focus groups)
- Pregnant women and new moms living in the Delta (2 focus groups)
- Child care providers
- HealthySteps pediatricians
- Family advisors
- Marshallese families – pregnant and new mothers
- Family child care providers
- HealthySteps specialists
- Families enrolled in home visiting
- Families enrolled in HealthySteps
- Home visitors
- Birth workers (2 focus groups)
Our next steps are to integrate the findings into the work of our four working groups: Healthy Beginnings, Early Childhood Education, Maternal Health, and Supported Families/Home Visiting. We want to make sure that our goals and strategies are addressing what families say they want and need. The results will inform the Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative’s priorities for the next several years.
If you would like to get involved with the Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative, please contact us.