A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Appendix B: Additional Data Tables

Exhibit B.8: Solutions to Implementation Barriers (1996-97)
(Referenced in Chapter 4)

Recruiting Eligible Families (160 projects, 27 percent)

Collaborate with other agencies and programs, especially Head Start, that provide services to eligible families Make personal contact with families, e.g., canvass neighborhoods; make cold calls and home visits to prospective parents; visit sites where families congregate Post flyers and posters; distribute brochures; Word-of-mouth; involve Even Start parents in recruitment Provide transportation and/or hold services in convenient location Implement incentives Get referrals from school district, school counselors; make presentations to PTA Use local media to advertise the program Expand program and schedule classes to accommodate to parents? schedules Involve community leaders in recruitment; work directly with churches, civic groups, and local government agencies Target specific group(s), e.g., teen mothers, Head Start families, welfare recipients Dedicate staff to recruiting and community outreach Improve screening; survey prospective families to determine needs

Recruiting Families Most in Need (65 projects, 11 percent)

Network with collaborating agencies, e.g., use Head Start waiting list Go door-to-door; do home visits Improve referral, screening and intake procedures Involve Even Start parents and community in recruitment Use point system to rank families in terms of need Improve marketing and promotion of the program Offer incentives for participation Make services more accessible to families, involve parents in scheduling, provide transportation and child care

Improving Retention and Motivation of Participants (203 projects, 34 percent)

Offer incentives, especially field trips, family nights, and cash, to reward good attendance and celebrate goal attainment Maximize personal contact with families; follow up on absences with home visits, letters, and phone calls Assist in meeting families? social service needs; provide counseling and case management by coordinating with other agencies Involve parents in program planning and as leaders, create parent advisory board Improve screening, spend more time on orientation, and establish participation guidelines and contracts Provide more home-based services and individualized tutoring Maximize flexibility of service delivery to accommodate working parents Provide guest speakers and motivational workshops Encourage peer support and "buddy" systems among parents Provide transportation; provide child care Make adult education component more job-oriented, e.g., provide bridge programs with community colleges; offer computer classes, career counseling Personalize curriculum according to participants? needs and interests; increase cultural relevancy of lessons Implement lending library of educational materials Publish program newsletter

Improving Attendance (202 projects, 33 percent)

Reward good attendance with field trips, family nights, meals, awards, announcements in program newsletter, raffles, etc. Maintain regular contact with families; follow-up on absenteeism with home visits, phone calls, and notes Establish and enforce strict attendance policy through parent contracts, clocking in participants, etc. Provide or subsidize transportation; provide child care Solicit parents? input in decision making, program planning, and overcoming barriers to attendance Work with other agencies to provide counseling and case management Offer flexible scheduling to accommodate working parents, e.g., hold evening and weekend adult education classes and give advance notice for special events Formulate individualized education plans, increase cultural relevancy of curriculum materials, and provide more home-based instruction and home study Focus adult education on job-related skills and experience, e.g., more computer training

Coordinating with Other Agencies (78 projects, 13 percent)

Participate in local inter-agency councils, community action teams, and collaborative consortia; have regular meetings and phone contact; form cooperative relationships with school system; hold monthly meeting with school principals and use Title I and classroom teachers; move program to school system department with better access to outside agencies; share in-kind resources, e.g., curriculum, staff, child care, evaluators Cross-train staff through joint staff development activities and inservices; develop release form to share information related to case management of families Promote the program through newsletters, introductory packets, service agency fairs, open houses, and presentations to potential collaborators Enlist state and local administrator(s) to facilitate collaboration; attend state conferences; obtain state grant

Obtaining Sufficient Financial Resources (99 projects, 16 percent)

Seek grants from federal and state agencies, private foundations, and corporations Coordinate with other social service agencies to provide services and obtain resources; establish community advisory board Solicit monetary and in-kind contributions from local businesses, schools, and collaborating agencies Market the program to the community; hold fundraisers; hire PR person Reduce service intensity and limit the number of participants served

Understanding or Meeting National Evaluation Requirements (45 projects, 7 percent)

Attend national evaluation conference and regional workshops and conferences Call contractor-maintained technical assistance helpline Provide staff training; consult an evaluator Modify local record system to meet reporting requirements of national evaluation and collect evaluation data on an ongoing basis Study ESIS manual and other how-to materials Share information with other Even Start program directors

Understanding or Meeting Local Evaluation Requirements (28 projects, 5 percent)

Consult with qualified local evaluator Set up computer tracking system to document testing and update participant records Network with other Even Start program directors and share assessment tools Review evaluation plan with state coordinator; work with state funding agencies to streamline reporting requirements Train staff in evaluation

Hiring and Retaining Qualified Staff (72 projects, 12 percent)

Advertise openings in local newspaper; recruit from school personnel departments and local colleges; expand search radius Increase salaries and benefits Provide extensive training and inservice opportunities Restructure staff assignments; cross-train Recruit model Even Start parents Clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations up-front Hire staff who want to work part-time Involve staff in program planning

Obtaining Adequate Facilities, Space, or Equipment (124 projects, 21 percent)

Hold classes in public schools, libraries, community centers, churches, apartment complexes, YWCA, and community colleges Share space with other programs; relocate to larger facility; open new facility Restructure service delivery to fit times when facilities are available, e.g., evenings, weekends, the summer; consolidate sites with low enrollment Use mobile education units Apply for grants to fund capital expenditures Modify existing space Develop partnerships with the business community, the local housing authority Split services across multiple sites Provide more home-based services

Arranging or Providing Adequate Transportation (132 projects, 22 percent)

Encourage student car pooling; reimburse parents for gas mileage; provide transportation stipends Share vehicles and transportation costs with other social service programs and agencies Use public transportation; purchase bus passes; negotiate with public transportation officials to modify bus routes Contract-out transportation services, e.g., with taxi company Purchase or rent van(s); have staff members earn commercial driver?s license; hire a driver Make arrangements with school district for families to ride public school bus Have staff and volunteers use their own cars to transport families Redesign transportation routes and/or relocate classes Provide more home-based services Create a staff position dedicated to solving transportation issues Help Even Start parents obtain driver?s licenses Network with churches, community colleges, and other groups to use their vehicles Expand Community Loan program to help families purchase cars

Meeting Social Service Needs of Families (62 projects, 10 percent)

Refer families to other social service agencies in the community and forge collaborative partnerships; participate in inter-agency council; develop a consortium of social service agencies; develop a directory of local social services and use a computer system to facilitate communication among agencies and programs Extend assessment period to assist families with access to needed social services; establish a case management system; hire a qualified person to deal with families? social service and mental health needs Hold staff inservices on how to address various problems of Even Start families, e.g., substance abuse, domestic violence, basic needs, and on how to make referrals Develop support groups for Even Start parents; invite representatives from social service agencies to speak at parent meetings Develop a resource directory of local social services and make available to staff and families; use computer system to link up with other social service agencies for referrals and intake

Finding Quality Child Care (91 projects, 15 percent)

Provide on-site child care and train staff and volunteers as child care workers; acquire a larger facility Collaborate with other programs and social service agencies that provide child care; forge partnerships with schools and community colleges to provide child care, e.g., use high school day care center; work out cooperative arrangement with high school child development classes Develop resource list of licensed local child care providers Subcontract out child care to existing providers; work with day care centers that accept public aid payments; provide families with child care stipends or help them with applications for child care assistance Work out a plan for Even Start parents to share in caring for each other?s children; provide workshops on child care as part of parenting education; work with CBO to get homes licensed; hold parent workshops on how to select a child care provider Apply for grant to fund child care Develop a network of local child care providers to train others in child care Provide more home-based services; allow parents to bring infants to class and/or be flexible about the minimum age for entry into Even Start preschool

Understanding and Working Within the Federal Guidelines (22 projects, 4 percent)

Attend Even Start national and regional conferences Keep in contact with state coordinator Assign more staff to evaluation and allocate more time to complete the forms Consult with other Even Start projects Meet frequently with independent evaluator to keep abreast of program guidelines Obtain sufficient financial resources Maintain contact with federal grant representative Study national evaluation materials and use as guidelines Obtain copy of the federal regulations Gain experience in using the ESIS Serve on Welfare-to-Work Committee Consult legal counsel about immigration reform

Understanding or Working Within the State Guidelines (13 projects, 2 percent)

Keep in contact with state coordinator; ask for technical assistance from state staff when needed, e.g., in identifying collaborative partners and alternative funding sources; in writing grants Work with ADE and Even Start Coordinator Meet frequently with independent evaluator to keep abreast of guidelines Attend all state directors? meetings and conferences; work closely with the state Department of Public Instruction; create an Even Start discussion group for providers to address concerns

Working Within the Confines of the Local Model (20 projects, 3 percent)

Streamline program model: combine multiple sites into one; reduce number of collaborative partners to make better use of existing community resources; modify ECE class size Work on relationships with collaborative partners, especially Head Start Modify curriculum and teaching methods to reflect focus on literacy; provide ongoing staff inservice training in literacy Revise participant eligibility/screening, e.g., institute TB testing and criminal record checks Keep in direct contact with state coordinator Attend workshop and focus on PACT Take more active role on advisory committee Hold problem-solving meetings with Even Start staff and school principals Change scheduling to accommodate participants Institute home visiting model

Finding Adult, Parenting, or Early Childhood Education Services Locally (24 projects, 4 percent)

Develop a coalition of local services providers and agencies; collaborate with other social services programs to fill in gaps in provision of the core components Provide services directly through Even Start Collaborate with local community colleges and adult education schools Recruit qualified staff and provide full-time salary and benefits to encourage them to stay Have staff wear multiple "hats," e.g., decrease caseload of home visitors so that they can provide ABE, GED, and ESL instruction in one home visit Seek state preschool funding to provide ECE Collaborate with school district adult education program Get input from primary school teachers

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[ Exhibits B-6 and B-7 ]

[ Exhibit B-9 ]