Collaborating to Transform Childcare Services
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A federal agency responsible for administering a nationwide childcare assistance program supports low-income families through funding distributed to states, territories, and tribal organizations. The agency faced challenges integrating data from diverse grantees, meeting stringent federal guidelines, adapting to evolving reporting requirements, and ensuring secure user access.
To address these issues, Sky Solutions designed and implemented a modern, cloud-based automated reporting platform that streamlined data collection, strengthened data governance, and significantly reduced administrative burdens.
Goal
The goal of this initiative was to streamline data management through a secure, cloud-based infrastructure, automate reporting workflows to improve efficiency and regulatory compliance, and enable data-driven decision-making through enhanced transparency and governance. The solution also aimed to improve user engagement through intuitive design while delivering a scalable, cost-effective system capable of supporting future program needs.
Challenge
The federal program office responsible for childcare assistance faced multiple operational and technical challenges. These included integrating information from a wide range of grantees while complying with strict federal requirements, responding quickly to frequent changes in reporting standards, and providing secure self-registration and Single Sign-On (SSO) for a diverse user population.
The organization required a resilient, secure, cloud-based infrastructure to support mission-critical applications, improve system reliability, and enhance overall service delivery
The organization required a resilient, secure, cloud-based infrastructure to support mission-critical applications, improve system reliability, and enhance overall service delivery
Solution
Sky Solutions partnered with the federal program office to design and deliver an automated childcare reporting system that streamlined data collection, review, and reporting processes across the program. The solution emphasized collaboration, interoperability, and the use of best-of-breed technologies to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.
The platform strengthened data governance and transparency, enabling stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions while maintaining federal compliance and reducing administrative overhead. The solution transformed how program data was managed and leveraged as a strategic asset.
The platform strengthened data governance and transparency, enabling stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions while maintaining federal compliance and reducing administrative overhead. The solution transformed how program data was managed and leveraged as a strategic asset.
Technologies/Methodologies
- Cloud (AWS, Azure, ServiceNow)
- Appian
- MariaDB
- Tableau
- Okta
- Jira and Confluence
- Agile Scrum
Outcome
Sky Solutions delivered a flexible and scalable solution designed to evolve with future program requirements. By applying Agile Scrum practices, the team accelerated delivery timelines and optimized the user experience, resulting in an intuitive system that simplified data submission and review.
Key outcomes included:
From 2021 through 2024, the team delivered over 3,000 user stories, achieving an average defect-free rate of 95% and an average sprint completion rate exceeding 95%.
Key outcomes included:
- Reduced operational and maintenance costs through cloud infrastructure
- A unified portal for program participants to submit federally approved forms, ensuring compliance
- A scalable architecture enabling rapid rollout of new features
- Increased user engagement and adoption through user-centered design
From 2021 through 2024, the team delivered over 3,000 user stories, achieving an average defect-free rate of 95% and an average sprint completion rate exceeding 95%.