Empowering Early Childhood Success

Who We Are

Early Childhood Insights is dedicated to providing expert consulting services to early childhood systems builders and the early childhood field to enhance the quality and accessibility of services for young children and their families. We empower our clients with research-based strategies, customized co-designed solutions, and hands-on support. We work collaboratively with various stakeholders and organizations to identify gaps in early childhood programs and develop strategic plans that promote comprehensive and coordinated approaches. We utilize our expertise to analyze data, facilitate training, and implement best practices at the local, state, and national levels. By fostering communication and collaboration among different sectors, we help create seamless systems that support children and families. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that all young children have access to high-quality early experiences that set a strong foundation for future success.

Our founder and primary consultant, Colleen Murphy, Ph.D., has 25 years of experience working with early childhood programs at the local, state, and national levels, including Head Start, Help Me Grow, MIECHV Home Visitation, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems, Child Care Licensing, and Early Intervention. She has also provided technical assistance to communities and states on topics such as early childhood system building, the collection, use, and visualization of data, measurement and evaluation strategies, home visiting, and developmental screening initiatives.

Previously, Murphy was the Vice President of Early Childhood Community Systems Building and the Vice President of Early Childhood Connector at Start Early. Her work contributed to the innovative and varied work happening across the country to create communities where young children and families thrive and learn by helping communities shift from programs to systems.

She served as the Early Childhood Project Director at the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ), where she transformed early childhood systems to ultimately improve health outcomes for young children nationwide by building and managing effective change strategies that align partners and engage participants.

As the Technical Assistance Specialist at Applied Engineering Management (AEM), she provided technical assistance (TA) to states across federal contracts. She collaborated with and supported private and federal technical assistance centers to support state grant implementation. Additionally, she developed content, tools, and resources across various contracts supporting the early childhood field, including conducting needs assessments, developing action plans, delivering virtual and on-site TA, and supporting states' data integration efforts.

During her 10 years working for the Utah Department of Health – Bureau of Child Development as the Early Childhood Utah program manager, she oversaw the administrative and programmatic activities for the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Initiative, the statewide Developmental Screening Initiative, the statewide expansion of Help Me Grow Utah, the State Advisory Council on Early Care and Education, Head Start Collaboration Office, and the Office of Home Visiting programs. She strengthened early childhood collaborations with programs at the state and community levels, such as Early Intervention Part B and Part C. Finally, she oversaw the development of Utah’s early childhood integrated data system.

Murphy holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in infant and early childhood with an emphasis on mental health, two Master of Science degrees in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine University, and a Master of Arts in infant and early childhood development with an emphasis in social-emotional development from Fielding Graduate University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science Business Management degree from Brigham Young University.