South Windsor County Evaluation Report

Executive Summary, 2000-01

This evaluation report is for the sixth year of the South Windsor County Even Start program (SWCES), the Fiscal Year period of July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001. The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) at the University of Vermont has worked with SWCES as local evaluators for the six years that the program has been in service to the South Windsor County area in southern Vermont. This evaluation report provides an overview of the national Even Start legislation, the SWCES program and evaluation methodology for SWCES.  The demographic profile of SWCES clientele are also discussed followed by the findings of evaluation activities and their implication towards best practices and program outcomes.  Results discussed include the standards of Equipped for the Future, the Early Childhood Progress survey, focus groups with SWCES families, and the SWCES Client Questionnaire. This report concludes with a summary and recommendations for future success of the program, based on the findings of this report as well as changes in Even Start legislation.

Back to top

 Evaluation Methods

Evaluation of SWCES focuses on process and outcomes, with recommendations for the future success of the program. Evaluation services are based needs and priority areas of SWCES as determined at the beginning of the fiscal year and based on evaluator recommendations from the previous year. Process evaluation components included:  analysis of client demographics, client focus groups and interviews, and staff focus groups/Advisory Council meetings.  This year, the evaluation team identified six strengths of SWCES, based on the findings of these methods and data from the past six years.  Outcome evaluation components included: measurement techniques for Equipped for the Future and the Early Childhood Progress Survey. The evaluation also examines the relationship between program delivery and outcomes of the program on clients.   Evaluation methods employed are both quantitative and qualitative and include survey instruments, focus groups, interviews, and observations.

Back to top

Client Demographics

In analyzing client demographics over the past five years and comparing this data to national reports, this program has been consistent in providing services to a population in need of these services. This past year, the program provided services for twenty-three families enrolled in the program, with a total of 36 eligible children.   Currently, fourteen families, thirty-three adults and twenty-one "target children", children from birth to age ten, have remained in the program.  Family successes this past year include 62% retention rate of families, four GED completions, one Bridge to College, earning child care certification and starting a successful registered in-home child care business, U.S. Citizenship, and employment in the community. 

Back to top

Major Strengths of South Windsor County Even Start

Through the past six years of data collection from both families, collaborators, and staff, the evaluation team has identified six major strengths of the SWCES program that have provided for high quality of services and high success rate among families in working towards, reaching their goals, and graduating.  These strengths include: home-based instruction, connecting families with available community resources, strong partnerships and collaboration, program activities and events, high retention rate of families, through these strengths, SWCES continues to work towards their seven program goals. These areas of strengths are consistent with areas from both Family Literacy Core Values and Quality Considerations as identified by RMC Research Corporation in the Revised Guide to Quality (2001).

Back to top

 Client Focus Groups

In response to the Even Start Client Questionnaire, administered in October 2000 and July 2001, several families discussed goals they have reached and continue to work towards this past year, as a result of their participation in SWCES.  Goals reached include:  the attainment of a GED, employment, earning a child care provider certification and starting a registered in-home child care business, purchasing a car or a home, and writing a resume to look for employment.  Goals in progress include:  the development of vocational skills to become employed, improving parenting skills to regain custody of children, receiving a drivers license, and becoming employed.  In order to work towards and meet these goals, participants identified several strengths of SWCES and areas in which the program has impacted their achievements. Because of these strengths, families identify improvements in literacy skills of both adults and children and parenting skills.   Furthermore, families stress the positive impact of SWCESs ability to connect them to needed resources or services in the community in order to attain their goals.

Back to top

Equipped for the Future

The SWCES program has successfully begun to integrate the Equipped for the Future (EFF) standards into their work with families as a component of the outcome evaluation. This past year, home visiting staff of SWCES piloted the use of the EFF Checklist beginning in July 2000, for home visits with one or several of their families.  Home visitors reported that they seldom used the Checklist directly with families, as they found it intimidating and confusing upon introduction.  Home visitors also stress that the focus of visits is typically on instruction or working through a family crisis, thus they do not like to overwhelm families with a lot of paperwork.  However, home visitors reported using the Checklist in conjunction with their current recording system after a visit is finished.  This has been a helpful reflection tool to document family progress and movement towards their goals.   Home visitors have also informally used EFF language with families during instruction to help families articulate their learning.   Further, this tool has been shared with collaborators to build common ground of understanding of SWCES services and how collaborators provide these services. 

 In a focus group with home visitors, the evaluators asked them to identify a family that exemplified one of the Role Maps this past year.  Evaluators also collected completed EFF checklists for these three families.  Both of these data sources were analyzed to provide a qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (EFF Checklist) assessment for three families, focusing on how skills they have developed through home visit and center based instruction, assisted them in working towards and achieving their goals.

Back to top

Early Childhood Progress Survey

The Early Childhood Progress survey provided a teacher report of SWCES youth who are enrolled in either preschool or a compulsory education program.  The teachers reported on youth school status and assessed them in six general areas in comparison to their classmates who are not in Even Start. Ninety four percent of teachers responded to this questionnaire.  Approximately three quarters of youth who are enrolled in a school program attend full time. Of teachers who responded, all of them reported that SWCES youth attend school at the same rate or better compared to non-Even Start youth. Thirty percent of youth had been referred to special education and 20% were on Individualized Educational Programs (IEP).  Further, teachers noted that half of the children were receiving special services.

 These six major areas in which teacher were asked to report include: academic performance, motivation to learn, parent involvement, relations with other students, classroom behavior, and self-confident.  Three trends were seen in the data.  The areas of academic performance and motivation to learn received high responses in the “same or above other children” category, suggesting that these are areas of strength in SWCES youth in comparison to their peers.  In the areas of classroom behavior and student relations, although the majority of teachers responded in the “same or above” category, almost half were given to the “below other children” category.  This suggests that this area is somewhat of a strength of SWCES youth, however it is an area that could use improvement.  In the areas of parent involvement and self-confidence, the majority of the responses were received in the “below other children” category, with almost half of responses given to “same or above”.  This suggests that SWCES youth and parents could improve in this area. 

Back to top

 Recommendations

The following recommendations relating to program improvement and program evaluation have been made for the sixth year of the SWCES program evaluation, based on this evaluation report.   In the area of program improvement, based on the findings of the Even Start Client Questionnaire, SWCES should continue to build on program strengths that families have identified as having assisted them toward attaining their goals.  These strengths include:  flexibility and commitment of home visitors, promoting parents to be advocates of their children; connecting families with other families; activities and playgroups; promotion of family learning outside of the program; and providing childcare services.  The program should also continue to have parents assist in the planning of events, as many had opinions and ideas on activities in which they would like to be involved.  Based on the strong response of one parent, the program should try to hold more activities and events in Windsor. The program should continue to grow on the path it is on, incorporating feedback from parents to best meet their needs. 

Based on the responses to the Early Childhood Progress survey, the evaluators recommend that home visitors continue to work with children towards more positive behavior, interpersonal skills, and self-confidence through early childhood education and PACT time.  Likewise, SWCES staff should continue to integrate parent involvement in their child’s education into parenting and adult education and PACT time.

The following recommendations pertain to activities of program evaluation.  These recommendations are based on the findings of this report and will allow the program to more effectively track and monitor family literacy and education as families progress through the program and after graduation of the program.   This will not only document and measure the effectiveness of the program but will enable the program to meet the needs of its participants and make appropriate changes for program sustainability.    

• Periodic staff focus groups

• Client focus groups and interviews

• Utilize State Program Indicators of Quality

• Track Even Start student development through the Early Childhood Progress Survey

• Utilize the EFF Checklist and EFF Standards

• Self-assessment of SWCES

• Collection of demographics in database

• Continue to improve communication

 New Strategies for Outcome Measurements

• Pilot pre and post family self-assessment

• Comparative analysis of process and outcome relationships

For more information about South Windsor County Even Start evaluation, please email Michele Cranwell or Fred Schmidt or call (802) 656-3021.

Back to top