MCH Strategic Data is working with the CDC Foundation and Esri to relaunch its COVID-19 map while highlighting several significant enhancements. New data points such as staff and student screening, the percentage of students in remote learning, and increased data compilation capabilities will result in faster data updates and timely insight. MCH will continue to update information at the school district level on current teaching methods, sports participation, mask policies, parental choice for remote learning, and district policies regarding the handling of positive COVID-19 cases. The map features a time lapse illustrating the change in teaching methods and sports participation. The relaunch will ensure the data, which has not been updated since Feb. 1, 2021, remains updated and available for anyone to access online through June 2021.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact schools in the United States, MCH partnered with Esri, the global market leader in geographic information systems, to provide a free data resource for anyone interested in the rapid changes and impact of COVID-19 on school reopening plans and operations at the school district level. This resource, first launched in August 2020, quickly became a valuable tool utilized by hundreds of stakeholders nationwide, including researchers at universities such as Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and MIT; governmental agencies such as Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and The U.S. Department of Education; and was featured nationally in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and Forbes.
“This school year has been like no other and communities, families, and educators are looking to vital resources like the MCH dashboard to make informed decisions for their health,” said Este Geraghty, Esri chief medical officer and health solutions director. “As national vaccination efforts enable students’ return to classroom instruction, we are proud to support this source of critical information that can help parents navigate safely returning their kids to school, whether in-person or virtually.”
“With nationwide vaccination efforts well underway, school district operational plans are changing at an increasing rate. This has resulted in a nationwide effort to get children back into the classroom. We are thrilled the CDC Foundation has contracted MCH Strategic Data to continue to track this data and provide it as a resource, not only to the CDC, but to anyone who finds the information of value,” said Kelly Holder, chief information officer at MCH Strategic Data.
“The data MCH has provided throughout the pandemic is helping leaders throughout the nation create a roadmap to safely return our nation’s children to school, and we’re pleased to be able to provide support to bring this valuable information back online,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation.
