Final Project, Week 5 Head Start Program Evaluation Holly Conner March 24, 2010 MPA 6115

Evaluation Findings Parental Involvement – Head Start parents have a positive attitude toward parenting Spend more time with children Create stimulating home environment Reading to child daily – High impact seen in those enrolled during pregnancy and African Americans – Areas of improvement: Communication between staff and parents Increase in resources for increasing involvement at home Need for ongoing parental support groups and regular meeting with staff

Evaluation Findings Disability Recruitment – Average of 10% client population designated as disabled. – Recruitment methods include partnerships with: Disability service agencies (Medicare Part C) Pediatrician offices Community disability organizations – Early intervention needed to identify children in need

Evaluation Findings Disability Recruitment – Areas of Improvement New outreach and assessment programs Expansion of partnerships to include hospitals and additional pediatric practices

Evaluation Findings Testing and Assessment – Regular interval testing present at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, followed by every year until age 5. – Documented areas of concern and facilitated discussion with parents Developed plan of action to address concerns – Resistance by parents due to stigma of a delayed child – Areas of Improvement Partnerships with behavioral and educational specialist to increase support options to parents.

Evaluation Findings Nutritional Protocol – Nutritional guidelines established by federal government – Overall parental satisfaction – Areas of Improvement Increased variety within guidelines More fresh, less processed foods Cooking/nutrition lessons for parents Increased information on home nutrition

Presentation Methods Group presentation with Q&A – Slideshow Data charts Guideline examples Examples of existing documentation – Assessment forms – Nutritional regulations – Handouts

Learning Culture What is a learning culture? – “An organization that knows how to learn, with people who freely share what they know and are willing to change based on the acquisition of new knowledge” (Rosenberg, 2008) – Head Start can use the variety of backgrounds of all stakeholders as an advantage to sharing knowledge and adapting to change as needed.

Learning Culture Why is a learning culture needed? – “If organizations can sense and respond to emerging opportunities, there is a good chance they will endure. If they can sense and respond to each new opportunity with greater ingenuity and speed…there is a good chance they will bloom” (Conner & Clawson, 2002) – In order to address the continuingly changing needs of Head Start, stakeholders need to plan for the future today.

Learning Culture Involvement of all stakeholders is needed to facilitate continued learning and improvement – Findings indicate areas of expansion of current services to improve outreach potential – Sharing of ideas and resources will increase Head Start outreach and improve community impact – Change must be embraced, not challenged.

Final Thoughts Moving Forward – Noted areas of improvement should be explored to find how Head Start can expand services and improve parent/center relations – Evaluator will: Provide additional data to support findings Assist in determining improvement priority Direct administrators to known resources to aid in improvement plan Help create timeline for improvements and possible re- evaluation

References Conner, M.L., & Clawson, J.G. (2002). Creating a Learning Culture. Ageless Learner. Retrieved from tc600.html tc600.html Rosenberg, Marc. (2008, April-May). Building a Learning Culture. ELearning! Magazine. Retrieved from Learning_Culture.pdf Learning_Culture.pdf