Building a Learning Culture Through Data and Evaluation

By Lucia Cazares, Evaluation Manager

The Research, Data & Evaluation (RDE) team was established in 2021 to strengthen how Children’s Council of San Francisco understands and demonstrates its impact. Since then, our role has expanded from defining an evaluation vision to strengthening data quality, integrating evaluation into program decisions and building organizational capacity. This work directly supports our Strategic Plan by laying the groundwork for Children’s Council to strengthen program delivery, deepen learning and grow as a reliable and trusted leader in early care and education (ECE) data and evaluation. 

Building an Evaluation Approach That Supports Program Teams 

Since 2024, our Research, Data & Evaluation (RDE) team has led a structured internal evaluation for all programs.  Our approach evaluates 3-4 programs at a time in “evaluation cycles,” allowing us to go deeper and make the process manageable for staff. This approach uses each program’s existing Theory of Change and key indicators as a foundation, helping to ensure that our evaluation cycles build on the work programs have already done to articulate their goals and intended outcomes. 

Overview of our evaluation process.

Each cycle includes co-designing evaluation plans, reviewing existing data, having collaborative conversations about early findings and turning those insights into next steps. This structure helps programs use data more consistently and build internal capacity for program evaluation within teams. 

For example, some teams began identifying which indicators matter most for their day-to-day work, while others used early findings to clarify program processes or adjust how data is collected. These are small but important signs of a learning culture beginning to take root. 

We know this is a long-term effort. Building an organization-wide learning culture involves shifting habits, strengthening data literacy and making time for reflection. At the same time, we are seeing promising signs that this investment is worthwhile: programs are increasingly enthusiastic about understanding their data, data quality is improving as teams refine their practices and staff confidence in engaging with evaluation is growing. These early shifts reinforce that the foundation we are building will now support deeper and more meaningful evaluation in the years ahead.  

Strengthening Our Focus on Outcomes and Impact 

As programs become more familiar with evaluation, we are gradually deepening the type of analysis we conduct. A key focus of each evaluation cycle is moving beyond descriptive data to examine short-term outcomes (such as immediate changes in knowledge, access or behavior) and longer-term impact (such as stability, career advancement or program effectiveness over time). 

This shift helps programs better understand not only what is happening, but how their work creates change and where future investments can make the greatest difference. By looking at both depth and breadth of impact, we are building a more comprehensive picture of how Children’s Council supports families and early educators throughout San Francisco. 

“Program staff have shared that clear agendas, structured meetings and ongoing communication help make the evaluation work feel manageable, even when the topics are new.”

Strengthening Our Data Infrastructure and Staff Capacity 

Evaluation is only as strong as the data behind it. Over the past years, RDE has partnered with program teams and IT to modernize and streamline data systems across the organization.

This includes efforts to: 

Program staff have shared that clear agendas, structured meetings and ongoing communication help make the evaluation work feel manageable, even when the topics are new. They also surfaced opportunities to improve, such as simplifying early instructions and involving more frontline staff earlier in the evaluation process. This feedback is shaping how we design the next evaluation cycle. 

These investments help build internal capacity for evaluation and create conditions for stronger, more reliable insights across the organization. 

Helping Programs Use Data for Decisions and Planning 

One of the most encouraging developments this year has been seeing teams use their evaluation findings in practical and meaningful ways.

Program leaders shared that their evaluation data is useful for: 

For example, one program plans to use its evaluation results to shape goals for the coming year, while another saw opportunities to improve workflow and strengthen communication with collaborative partners. These are early but important signals that evaluation is starting to play a more active role in how programs plan and make decisions. 

Lucia at the 2025 American Evaluation Association Conference.

Sharing Our Approach at a National Conference 

In November 2025, our RDE team presented this developing evaluation model at the 2025 American Evaluation Association Conference. During the session, we shared how our evaluation cycles work, what we are learning as we implement them and how programs are beginning to engage differently with data. Attendees asked questions about our phased approach and the role of program teams in shaping evaluation plans. 

Presenting at a national conference offered an opportunity to share our approach with a broader evaluation audience and to align our work with trends across the ECE and nonprofit evaluation fields.  

Looking Ahead  

As we prepare for the next evaluation cycle, we are integrating everything we’ve learned so far. Each cycle builds on the last, bringing us closer to a culture where teams can reflect openly, use data confidently and continuously strengthen the services we provide. 

These investments, across evaluation, data systems and staff capacity, are creating the conditions for evaluation to become a defining organizational strength, one that will help Children’s Council understand its impact more deeply, adapt more effectively and lead confidently in the ECE landscape. 

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