Consider an online resource where you could search for the best after-school programs for your kids? It seems pretty obvious right? But so far the government hasn’t been able to build a comprehensive online database. That’s where NYU’s Wagner School comes in, they’ve developed a new website called CluedIn. CluedIn is a comprehensive, interactive web-based platform that matches parents and teachers to out-of-school resources around New York City while also capturing data on user preferences, reviews of services, and most searched topics.
Christine Hahn is an MPA student at NYU Wagner. She told Chris Dorobek that she and her team were honored to win the 2013 Fels Public Policy Challenge.
“The website is built to connect parents, teachers, high school students and organizations together. The idea came about after we noticed there was a lack of available resources in NYC. The services we planned include, after-school programs, evaluation forms and really anything to help a child’s learning,” said Hahn. “We realized there was a need for quiclky, easy to use way to access information on the resources that already exist.”
Why Hasn’t This Been Done Before?
“There have been a lot of attempts from different agencies. But one of the trappings of being such a huge city it is hard to keep up to date information in one place that can have a data capture component to it. It is much easier to create static lists but the problem there is that there are a lot of organizations that pop up and then in six months are either close or change. So it is difficult for any one agency to compile all the information,” said Hahn.
Helping the Smaller Programs
“Our sense is the government programs and the much bigger more successful non-profits have the time, money and capacity to advertise and establish a strong presence online, but there are a lot of smaller programs that are just as good but they don’t have the financial capacity to spread the word,” said Hahn.
Competition Process
“Competition made our program better. It forces you to think from every possible perspective not only stakeholders but local government officials too. We have to consider what questions they might ask. How do we present in a way they would understand it and relate to it,” said Hahn.
Related Links
- GovLoop’s Technology Hub
- New Report: Crafting A Comprehensive Digital Government Strategy
- Unlocking the Power of Government Analytics
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