Accessing affordable child care is a common challenge for parents; it is especially difficult for those with low incomes who need education or training to gain knowledge and skills that can lead to higher paying jobs. Ideally, parents seeking job-related education or training would be able to access child care assistance as part of enrolling in occupational programs, but access varies across states, localities, and training providers. Accessing care for education and training can depend on numerous factors—from local policies and funding to the availability of child care that meets parents…
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The Sustainability Framework and Assessment Tool was developed at the Center for Public Health Systems Science (CPHSS), a public health research center at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The Center’s work in the area of sustainability began in 2003 with Project LEaP, a rigorous process evaluation examining the effects of funding reductions on eight state tobacco control programs. Recognizing that sustainability is a significant challenge for not only public health, but also social service and clinical care programs, in 2010 CPHSS began…
Report, Other
This publication introduces an assessment and planning tool to help nonprofits evaluate their parent engagement efforts and chart a path toward deeper partnerships with parents and caregivers. The tool spans just eight pages, with accompanying text outlining how to use it, how to assess its results and what real-world strategies and programs are already in play — and working — to boost parent engagement. (Author Abstract)
This federally funded report discusses the evolution of evidence building in the United States and the vision for evidence-based policymaking, and presents the findings of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking. The Commission was provided just over a year to study and develop a strategy for strengthening government’s evidence-building and policymaking efforts. During the Commission’s fact-finding phase, numerous experts, researchers, government leaders, public and private organizations, and members of the public offered their perspectives on the Commission’s charge. Based on this…
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Journal Article Communities across the United States, in both urban and rural areas, are seeking ways to promote well-being for their citizens in sustainable ways. This paper provides a descriptive case study of one rural community that used an inquiry-based approach to ask, “How can we engage our citizens to improve child and family well-being in our community?” The group also wondered “What if Brookings had one place for families to access all family resources that support well-being?” “What if all families had a place where their needs were heard?” and “What if all resources for families looked at the…
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Journal Article This study reports the results of a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) needs assessment of programs, services, and support systems for fathers in the City of Detroit, Michigan. The goal of this needs assessment was to assess the availability of parenting support services to men through multiple perspectives. To enact a CBPR approach, the research team collected qualitative data through interviews with service providers and community dialogues with fathers and consulted a community advisory board for further guidance on the research efforts. The research team engaged in member…
This report summarizes the final findings of an evaluation of five community-based initiatives in Washington State that were intended to prevent child maltreatment and exposure to toxic stress, mitigate their effects, and improve a wide array of child and youth development outcomes. The evaluation was conducted in two phases. During the first phase (2013–2014), the evaluation team assessed the contexts in which the sites were operating, the strategies the sites used to increase their collective community capacity to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and the impact of their…
This executive summary highlights the findings of a study that evaluated five community-based initiatives in Washington State intended to prevent child maltreatment and exposure to toxic stress, mitigate their effects, and improve a wide array of child and youth development outcomes. The evaluation was conducted in two phases. During the first phase (2013–2014), the evaluation team assessed the contexts in which the sites were operating, the strategies the sites used to increase their collective community capacity to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and the impact of their…
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Journal Article The Incredible Years (IY) Parent and Child Series are evidence-based interventions that increase knowledge and mastery of parenting, mood regulation, and interpersonal problem solving strategies for caregivers while developing similar social and emotional skills in their children. Rogers, Bobich, and Heppell (2016) use a case study approach to examine the effectiveness of adaptations of the IY program for delivery in a transitional housing shelter. They describe strategies for modifying IY to meet the needs of a vulnerable population within the context of the shelter and the broader welfare…
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Journal Article The commentaries by Williams (2016) and Gartenberg and Lang (2016) on the case of Cathy and her mother Ms. Z (Rogers, Bobich, & Heppell, 2016) explore the similarities between children who have been homeless and those in the foster system, and highlight the importance of trauma-focused treatment to address their mental health needs. A further consideration of the challenges to obtaining such treatment due to system barriers, stigma, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma is applied to the case of Cathy. This illustrates the importance of an array of mental health treatment…
