Using RAPID Surveys as a Tool to Empower Communities with Actionable Data

As the landscape of early childhood policymaking receives more attention, there’s one thing we know for sure: actionable data is more critical than ever. Enter the RAPID Survey Project, based in the Stanford Center on Early Childhood. While born out of the COVID-19 crisis, we celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this spring. What began as a response to an unprecedented global challenge has evolved into an indispensable tool for elected officials, policymakers, and communities—one that continues to capture the real-time experiences of families with children under age 6, while driving impactful local policy change.

In its early days, RAPID set out to help us understand the devastating effects of the pandemic on families and the early care and education workforce. Now, five years later, the data we’ve gathered show that the challenges families face go far beyond the pandemic itself. From financial hardship and limited access to quality child care to struggles with emotional well-being, RAPID data remains an essential window into the ongoing, everyday challenges that continue to affect families across the country. 

But just as importantly, the data also reveal the incredible strength, resilience, and resourcefulness of families. We hear from caregivers in their own words—not only about what’s hard, but also about what’s helping: the formal and informal supports they rely on, the strategies they use to support their needs, and the love and commitment that fuel their perseverance. These stories underscore not only the challenges, but also the courage and community that sustain families through difficult times.

As Dr. Joan Lombardi, Principal Advisor and Chair of the RAPID National Advisory Council, aptly put it during our anniversary celebration, “We set out to bear witness to families during the COVID crisis, and families are now facing a different kind of crisis; one that's causing people to feel a sense of unpredictability and instability that we know can have a profound impact on families, caregivers, and children."

What sets RAPID apart is its ability to not only capture the voices of parents, caregivers, and child care providers, but also to track the persistent struggles—and learn about key sources of support—that are often overlooked in broader conversations. The project has evolved into a vital resource for local, state, and national policymakers who need data that paint a clear picture of the challenges and solutions on the ground. 

And the demand for these data is growing. With states and communities taking on an increasingly larger role in shaping early childhood policy, the need for place-based insights is more urgent than ever. Whether addressing economic instability, barriers to child care, or the high rates of emotional distress among parents of young children, RAPID data provides the insights needed for state, counties, cities, and towns to make critical, informed policy decisions that will create healthy communities.

As Dr. Philip Fisher, Director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood and Lead Investigator for RAPID, has said, “We're coming together to set agendas and think about how to make national and state-level information actionable and get it into the hands of decision-makers.” RAPID’s flexible, evolving survey methodology ensures that it stays ahead of emerging issues, adapting in real-time to reflect the needs of families, child care providers, and communities.

Our survey tool doesn’t just collect data; it gives voice to those who need it most and who know best what is needed for young children and families. By focusing on core areas such as material hardship, emotional well-being, and access to healthcare and child care, and by constantly adapting to include topical modules on emerging issues, RAPID is an essential resource that evolves with the changing needs of families.

And it doesn’t stop there. The commitment to rigorous data analysis means that every piece of information we gather is not only accurate but actionable. Throughout the years we have relied on the input from our National Advisory Council, that includes developmental psychologists, parents, child care provider and workforce expertise, and communications professionals, to advise on the survey questions, data analysis, and writing and dissemination. The data are communicated so that RAPID findings are not just numbers, but powerful stories that resonate with those in positions to act on them.

Looking ahead, RAPID remains committed to the mission that has fueled us from the start: bearing witness to the lived experiences of families and caregivers while gathering robust data to inform policies and programs that support young children. We are dedicated to helping communities and policymakers use data to ensure that caregivers' economic and emotional well-being is well-supported so they can focus on providing the healthy, responsive caregiving that is essential to their young children’s development.

As we celebrate our five-year milestone, it’s clear that RAPID’s journey is far from over. With every survey, every data point, and every story, we’re not just documenting experiences, we’re helping to rewrite the narrative for a better future for each and every child.