Analysis identifies gaps in Grays Harbor County early childhood services
Dan Hammock
Study released Friday will be used as a guide toward programs to address gaps in existing services
Contact: Dan Hammock, Communications Officer, dan.hammock@graysharbor.us, 360-500-4027
With input from hundreds of community members, providers and others, Grays Harbor County Public Health’s early childhood support services gap analysis was completed Friday.
As it was with Public Health’s behavioral health services gap analysis completed earlier this year, the early childhood support services analysis will be used as a roadmap for Public Health to follow in an effort to fill the service gaps identified.
“With the behavioral health gap analysis we immediately identified three gaps we could work toward filling – a mental health facility, Third Spaces where youth can gather, and a behavioral health triage model,” said Public Health Director Mike McNickle. “We will now use this latest analysis to find what gaps in early childhood support services we can actively work to fill in the county.”
Common themes in the current analysis include the need for smooth transitions of care, better access to child care, navigation support for families in need of resources, access to basic needs, recreational support for families, and more formal connections to available services.
Data was identified through community forums, focus groups and two surveys: one survey designed for providers drew an impressive 52 responses; another, aimed at community members with kids age birth to five years old drew 164 responses.
“I want to thank all the providers and community members who took the time to be an important part of this analysis,” said Public Health Healthy Families Manager Erin Schreiber. “Now that we have good, solid data, we can pinpoint those areas that need attention, those that fit within the parameters of what we can do, and work toward patching service gaps where possible.”
The full report is available linked at the top of our home page, healthygh.org.
Part of the analysis includes an interactive dashboard with important early childhood services information. That can be found at https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/hma.data.visualizations/viz/GraysHarborEarlyChildhoodDashboards/Population?publish=yes