Hi, my name is Bruna Guglielmi and I’m part of the Cohort 26 from Sydney. We got a dataset on U.S. childcare prices for the final day of Dashboard Week. The dataset had 227 columns, all with abbreviation codes that made it a bit hard to figure out what each field represented. Reading through the documentation was essential to decode it all and decide which data points would be the most insightful for my dashboard.
Data Selection and Transformation
With such a large dataset, the first step was to determine what information to keep. My primary interest was in uncovering trends over time, particularly the differences in employment rates and earnings between men and women. I also wanted to see how these factors might correlate with birth rates in the U.S., so I added complementary data on birth rates by state. This allowed me to create a more holistic view of the societal and economic dynamics surrounding childcare.
The data transformation process included:
Selecting Relevant Fields: I focused on columns that related to time, employment rates, gender-specific earnings, and childcare costs. These would serve as the foundation for understanding shifts in work and family dynamics.
Adjusting Field Names: Given that many of the field names were difficult to understand, I made adjustments to create more intuitive labels, making it easier to work within Tableau.
Merging Additional Data: To add depth to the story, I incorporated U.S. birth rate data over time, allowing me to analyze if and how childcare costs and employment factors might relate to family planning decisions.
Child Care Prices and Economic Trends
Using Tableau, I brought these pieces together in a dashboard that tells a story of childcare prices, employment, and gender earnings over time and by state. The dashboard is organized around key insights:
Birth Rate Trends: A line chart shows the gradual decline in birth rates across the U.S., broken down by state for a more localized view.
Median Earnings by Gender: Bar and line visuals compare the earnings of men and women over time, providing a state-by-state breakdown.
Employment Rates: Another section highlights shifts in employment rates for men and women, showing how economic participation has changed in recent years.
Child Care Costs: The cost of childcare is displayed alongside these other factors, to show how the affordability of childcare may influence family and work decisions.
Final Thoughts
Creating this dashboard was a lot of fun, but fitting both the dashboard design and blog writing into the timeframe between 9:00 and 14:30 (presentation time) was definitely a challenge! I’ll add a link to the final dashboard here, so I hope you enjoy exploring it.