ERIC Number: ED522680
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 75
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Linking Home-Based Child Care and State-Funded Preschool: The Community Connections Preschool Program (Illinois Action for Children). Evaluation Phase 1-Implementation Study
Forry, Nicole; Anderson, Rachel; Zaslow, Martha; Chrisler, Alison; Banghart, Patti; Kreader, J. Lee
National Center for Children in Poverty
The Community Connections preschool program (herein referred to as Community Connections) was developed to help prepare children in home-based child care for success in school and in life. It has three goals: (1) to make state prekindergarten classroom experiences available to children in home-based care, (2) to extend classroom learning experiences in the home-based care setting, and (3) to support infant and toddler development in participating providers' homes. Illinois Action for Children (herein referred to as IAFC) created the Community Connections program model in 2005 as Illinois was rapidly expanding its state prekindergarten program, which would ultimately change from serving exclusively at-risk children to become "Preschool for All." The Illinois State Board of Education has requested evidence that the Community Connections mixed model works before making funding available for it statewide. Education agencies in other states are expected to ask the same question. In Phase 1 of a two phase evaluation, IAFC asked Child Trends and the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) to conduct a study to examine model clarity, fidelity, and the implementation of Community Connections. Phase 2, to take place after implementation issues are identified and addressed, will be an outcomes study. This report describes the methodology and presents the findings of Phase 1 of the evaluation of the Community Connections model, the implementation study. A key conclusion from this implementation evaluation is that many components of the Community Connections Model are being well implemented. They are reported on consistently and perceived favorably across groups of respondents. Yet there are a few areas in which it would be beneficial for further work to be undertaken to document elements of the program model. There are also specific elements that are proving challenging to implement and where work by program developers to provide additional training and supports would be beneficial. Appended are: (1) IAFC Coordinator Interview Protocol; (2) Center Director Interview Protocol; (3) Center Teacher/Assistant Teacher Interview Protocol; (4) Home-Based Provider Interview Protocol; (5) Parent Interview Protocol; (6) CCAT-R Results:Caregiver and Child Language and Engagement; (7) CCAT-R Results:Health and Safety; (8) CCAT-R Results:Materials; (9) Home-Based Provider Visit Record; and (10) Center Visit Form. (Contains 12 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Preschool Education, Child Language, Toddlers, Child Care, Child Caregivers, Preschool Children, Financial Support, State Aid, Language Acquisition, Models, Program Effectiveness, Program Evaluation, Program Implementation, Interviews, Parents, Preschool Teachers, Child Health, Child Safety
National Center for Children in Poverty. 215 West 125th Street Third Floor, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 646-284-9600; Fax: 646-284-9623; e-mail: info@nccp.org; Web site: http://www.nccp.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Annie E. Casey Foundation; Illinois State Board of Education
Authoring Institution: National Center for Children in Poverty; Child Trends
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A