Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement is the process by which those leading the ECIDS work involve the groups that contribute to and are served by the system. These parties will vary depending upon the scope and purpose of the ECIDS. Effective stakeholder engagement is essential to a successful ECIDS because it ensures that the system’s priorities, strategies, and execution respond to the expectations and needs of those it intends to serve. As a result, effective stakeholder engagement promotes broader ownership of the ECIDS and increases its perceived and actual value to users, which bolsters sustainability.
ECIDS stakeholders are defined as individuals and groups directly or indirectly affected by ECIDS in Nebraska. Stakeholders include but are not limited to developers of the system, users and consumers of the data, program administrators, teachers, parents, students, as well as state legislators and the governor. Stakeholders also include businesses and the community at large, who will be affected by the ECIDS. Integral stakeholder work groups include the Early Childhood Data Coalition, the ECIDS Core Team, and the Preschool Development Grant Nebraska Leadership Team.
The Nebraska ECIDS team developed an ECIDS stakeholder engagement plan that outlines how key players will be involved in the work in purposeful ways. It helps identify who should be engaged, how we can most effectively engage them, at what point(s) each stakeholder group should be involved, and the reasons why each group should be included in ECIDS development.