KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) says it has received a US$83,000 grant from the Organisation of American States (OAS) to create a Child Care Education and Health Development Integration System (CCEHDIS) which facilitates the exchange of data within ECC’s five independent software applications created on 

separate databases.

ECC, in a release today, said the system will see the integration of the existing, ‘stand-alone’ databases and manage the vast amount of diverse yet interrelated data required to monitor the sector. 

 “It is anticipated that the system will provide enhanced multi-sectoral programming by allowing actual data to drive the coordination and improvement of existing sectoral development objectives. More importantly, CCEHDIS will provide a database focused on the integration and convergence of existing sector partnerships. The goal is to design a robust and secure IT environment to house government data within the fast growing technological space,” ECC sated in its release.

The CCEHDIS system is said to represent an advanced step in ECC’s data management capabilities with short- to long-term benefits.

 “These include an increased level of public access to information, identification of children at risk for health, nutrition and developmental delays, access to screening and diagnostic results, increased access to quality early childhood development programmes and services and facilitate online registration of ECIs.”