Cost-Benefit and SROI Analysis
Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) are powerful tools that help maximize the impact of public investments. CEA determines the costs necessary to achieve specific outcomes, while CBA compares programmatic costs with their financial benefits. Social return on investment (SROI) analysis is a form of CBA which focuses on social benefits, such as improved health, environmental, or educational outcomes. CBA is a powerful tool to that allows funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to make the most efficient use of limited resources to make ositive change.
Our work in cost-benefit and SROI analysis includes:
- Estimating unit costs to provide services, including variable costs for different types of participants or different program models
- Evaluating program effects for participants compared to non-participants
- Determining cost-effectiveness metrics based on inputs and measurable outcomes
- Applying standardized outcome measures such as DALYs and QALYs to compare diverse programs
- Quantifying benefits, including direct program savings and benefits to society
- Determining social return on investment (SROI) and cost-benefit ratios to compare investment options
Program Examples
Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties Early Childhood Workforce Investments Analysis
The Gunnison-Hinsdale Early Childhood Council’s Elevate the Workforce program expands supports to the early childhood workforce in Gunnison County and Hinsdale County in Colorado through two initiatives. The first initiative provides paid sick leave to early childhood...
Palm Beach County Social Return On Investment (SROI) Analyses
BRC is working with the Children’s Services Council (CSC) of Palm Beach County to estimate the social return on investment (SROI) of the CSC’s programs. The analyses are based on the costs and social benefits of the CSC’s investments in early childhood education, professional development and quality improvement, family supports, and other programs. Benefits are calculated by reviewing the most recent literature on outcomes and economic benefits of each of the CSC’s program, adjusting for local costs. The resulting analyses will be used to help identify the most effective ways for the CSC to invest its funding and to communicate the value of the CSC’s programs to stakeholders.
Pay For Success Technical Support
BRC is working with the Sorensen Impact Center at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business to provide technical support for Pay For Success programs across the West. BRC’s role includes providing cost-benefit analysis, evaluation consultation, and research design support for communities and organizations considering Pay for Success programs in early childhood.
Latest News
Colorado Preschool Development Grant Cost Evaluation and Needs Assessment
Colorado’s Preschool Development Grant (PDG) provides $33.5 million to support Colorado’s vision that all children are ready for school when entering kindergarten. Colorado Shines Brighter, the state’s PDG B-5 initiative, works to maximize the number of high-quality early care and education options available to families, especially families identified as vulnerable and underserved such as those living in rural areas, families of infants and toddlers, and families of children with special needs.
Strengthening Colorado’s Early Childhood Workforce
BRC is partnering with the Butler Institute at the University of Denver to better understand the economic contribution of the child care sector, and to determine sustainable strategies for building a highly qualified workforce.
Presentation at the Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors Conference
Each year, the Annual Conference of the Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors hosts one of the nation’s most dynamic conversations about the feasibility, research, and policy implications of Pay for Success programs. The conference is organized by the Institute for Child Success, Ready Nation, and Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, with whom I partner as a Senior Research Fellow.
Presentation on Pay For Success at Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference
Last week I had the opportunity to present on the opportunities and challenges presented by Pay For Success programs in early childhood. Two early childhood PFS are already in progress in the U.S. – in Chicago and Utah — and another has just been launched in South Carolina.
Two Definitions of Child Care Quality
As I think about the conversations I heard about early childhood in the past year, I find people are usually speaking the same language. At conferences, in journals, and in legislative chambers, those of us who live within the early childhood realm generally agree...
Andrew Brodsky Partnering With Policy Innovation Lab On Pay For Success TA
I’m excited to be working with the Policy Innovation Lab at the University of Utah’s Sorensen Global Impact Investing Center to help develop Pay For Success programs across the Western U.S. The PIL works across sectors to develop innovative, data-driven...
The Five Warning Signs Of EAU (Evaluation As Usual)
Is your organization suffering from Evaluation As Usual (EAU)? Symptoms of EAU include overly enthusiastic language about successes, wish-washy discussion of potentially negative results, and a general lack of objective and critical data analysis and discussion....
EC State Advisory Councils Final Report Highlights Colorado and New York Cost-Effectiveness Models
The final report from the Early Childhood State Advisory Councils, released in May, documents the $92 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to 45 states to help build higher-quality early childhood systems. The funding touched the lives...
Cool New Cost Effectiveness Tool From Center For Cost-Benefit Studies
Apart from the words “free ice cream”, there’s nothing more exciting in my mailbox than an e-mail that says “new web-based cost-effectiveness tool.” Given the approximately 550$ billion we spend on K-12 education alone in this country, understanding the impact of...
What Programs Are Appropriate For Pay For Success?
In April I had the opportunity to participate in a panel on Pay For Success (PFS) programs at the annual Early Childhood Social Impact Performance Advisors Conference in San Diego. Jointly sponsored by the Institute for Child Success and ReadyNation, the conference...