RAPID is an early childhood and family well-being survey based in the Stanford Center on Early Childhood that launched in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective is to collect essential information from households and families with young children and to provide actionable data to key stakeholders to inform immediate and long-term program and policy decisions.

RAPID and First Steps Kent have partnered to hear directly from Kent County’s families with young children about their experiences, needed supports, and what’s going well. The last survey was in November 2023.

The goals were:

• Gather essential and ongoing information from parents and caregivers
• Provide timely and relevant data to inform local policies and programs
• Complement existing data collection
• Build local capacity for rapid-cycle methods to enhance the impact of our partners’ work on behalf of children, families, and child care workforce