Outcomes for Infants and Toddlers: Using Lessons Learned from EHS Research

1. Outcomes for Infants and Toddlers: Using Lessons Learned from EHS Research These slides tell the story of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project. The study demonstrates that the program is having a positive impact on Children And Parents These slides tell the story of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation project. The study demonstrates that the program is having a positive impact on Children And Parents

2. What are Performance Measures Activities? Data collection and aggregation activities that give staff members the opportunity to look at how their program is doing�. are they providing the services they intend to provide and how are children and families faring Goal is to support continuous program improvement efforts

3. Why Now? To provide a framework to support local programs engaging in work EHS Technical Work Group input from spring 2001 EHS evaluation findings Inform national research efforts

4. Starting Point Head Start Performance Measurement framework EHS evaluation findings Statement of the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers Input from many throughout this process

6. The Clayton Foundation Early Childhood Resource Institute

7. The Clayton Foundation Early Head Start

8. Values Quality Accountability Openness and Collaboration Self-reflection Individual Growth Follow-through Needs of Children, Families, and Staff

9. What is Continuous Improvement? A method of program self-evaluation that promotes a rapid system of feedback, creating an ongoing responsiveness to evolving needs.

10. The Continuous Improvement Team is a Clayton Foundation Early Childhood Resource Institute service that offers support, consultation, and technical assistance to ensure quality of our Early Head Start and Head Start programs.

12. Goals of Continuous Improvement: A collaborative relationship between evaluator and program versus the traditional adversarial relationship between evaluator and program Helps make evaluation meaningful and understandable Helps the program develop the capacity to monitor and assess its own performance

13. Goals of Continuous Improvement : Enables the program to detect problems and make mid-course corrections before the results of errors escalate Transforms evaluation from a threatening event to an ongoing supportive process �Inside Evaluator� understands the context and complexity of the program resulting in more meaningful data

15. Sample Outcomes 100% of infants and toddlers will receive a dental screening at 12 months and dental examinations at 24 and 36 months of age. 100% of classrooms will achieve a 6.0 or higher on each item of the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale.

17. Questions to consider when evaluating a computerized information system:

18. Questions to consider when evaluating a computerized information system:

19. Questions to consider when evaluating a computerized information system:

24. Home Visit CompletionFrom Oct 1998 to Nov 2001

25. Child Dental ScreeningsMonthly from Dec 1999 to Nov 2001

29. Outcome to Implementation

30. Outcome 85% of children will score within normal limits for their age level on self-regulation

31. The ASQ:Social Emotional

34. Individualization and Lesson Planning

35. Continuous Improvement The application of research findings to everyday experiences with children and families A belief system unique to the culture of the agency An ongoing systematic process A checklist generated to meet an outside standard Sticking a score into a file folder and forgetting about it A once a year review

36. Continuous Improvement Program areas working together in an integrated way Accountability, visibility & reflection Supportive and empowering Analytical, big picture thinking Program areas acting in isolation Stopping for fear of what you will find by looking inside Accusatory and vengeful Short-sighted, one-track thinking

37. Continuous Improvement A dynamic individual program process Responsive to changing program needs Knowing that you are �walking the talk� A �cookie cutter� model that can be applied across sites Arbitrary decision making Being surprised by what isn�t happening

38. Continuous Improvement Provides complementary information for the annual self-assessment Honest analysis THE annual self-assessment A business as usual approach

39. Program activities and outcomes are very closely linked, and a thorough approach to performance measure should reflect this understanding.

40. What questions should programs consider as they strive increase their capacity in this area? Have we explicitly articulated a program philosophy and �theory of change?� How do we create a team to take the lead in this area? What data are currently being collected to track implementation activities? What is being done with these data? How often does our agency examine trends in implementation activities?

41. More Questions to Consider: What information will we use to help us understand if we are meeting our goals? Where will the information come from? Who will be responsible for collecting this information, and how often? How will information be fed back into program activities so needed adjustment occurs as new understandings about our accomplishments is realized?

42. When outside expertise is needed, consider experts who are: Knowledgeable about unique challenges of performance measurement activities with an infant/toddler population Able to approach their work from program philosophy/theory of change Knowledgeable about evaluation and research methods Interested in working collaboratively with program staff Knowledgeable about the context and families being served by your programs

43. Developing an approach to performance measures that is based upon a continuous program improvement framework involves time, money, and often times external expertise.

44. Remember: Start where you are Think about capacity building in this area as a process Involve staff across multiple levels of the program in the activities you create Resources are available to support you in your efforts