Coffin Corner

From: ACF OPRE News [oprenews@acf.hhs.gov]
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 7:57 AM
To: Coffin, Bill (ACF)
Subject: ACF OPRE News (November 8, 2010)

Recently Released Reports

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) recently released a few reports.

Findings from the I am Moving, I am Learning Implementation Evaluation

OPRE recently released a final report entitled "Efforts to Meet Children's Physical Activity and Nutritional Needs: Findings from the I am Moving, I am Learning Implementation Evaluation." This report includes findings from the implementation evaluation of Head Start programs that participated in the I Am Moving, I Am Learning trainings in Region III in spring of 2006. The study was conducted under a contract to Mathematica Policy Research.  An interim report can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/eval_move_learn/index.html . The final report can be found at:  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/eval_move_learn/index.html

Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care

The Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care contract was funded in 2007, through a contract to Mathematica Policy Research, to (1) systematically gather information from the existing research and development initiatives, (2) synthesize the available evidence on home-based care, and (3) propose options for designing and evaluating quality initiatives. ACF/OPRE has posted the following study reports: a literature review, a compilation of brief descriptions of 96 home-based care quality initiatives, a compendium of 23 more detailed descriptions of quality initiatives, a report on design options for home-based child care and evaluations, and a brief on key project findings. The reports can be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/cc/supporting_quality/index.html

Benefit-Cost Findings for Three Programs in the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Project

OPRE released a new report: "Benefit-Cost Findings for Three Programs in the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Project." The project is being conducted by MDRC. The report presents an analysis of the financial benefits and costs of three diverse programs designed to increase employment stability and career advancement among current and former welfare recipients. The analysis focuses on three programs that operated in Corpus Christi and Fort Worth, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Riverside County, California. These programs were selected because they increased individuals' employment and earnings.  The report can be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/employ_retention/index.html

A Year in Head Start:  Children, Families and Programs

As part of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), OPRE published a report on findings from the FACES 2006 Cohort.  The report presents findings on outcomes for 3- and 4-year-old children and their families who completed one year in the Head Start program (fall 2006-spring 2007) and on measures of classroom quality based on observations conducted in Head Start classrooms in spring 2007.  The study is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research. The report can be found at:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html

Supporting Healthy Marriage - Early Lessons from the Implementation of a Relationship and Marriage Skills Program for Low-Income Married Couples

OPRE released a report from the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) Demonstration Evaluation.  This project is being conducted by MDRC. This report presents lessons from the early operational experience of the eight demonstration programs across the country providing SHM services, which include healthy marriage and relationship education skills sessions and support services to over 6,000 low-income, married couples with children.   The report can be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/strengthen/support_hlthymarr/index.html

The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2009

OPRE released "The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2009."  This databook presents tables containing key TANF policies for each state as of July 2009, as well as longitudinal tables describing various state policies for select years between 1996 and 2009.  Because TANF is a block grant program, this state information is necessary to understand the diverse nature of the program in the different geographic areas.  Questions are included about initial eligibility, benefits, requirements, and ongoing eligibility. The State Welfare Rules Project is conducted by the Urban Institute. The report can found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/state_tanf/index.html

New Grants and Contracts

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) recently awarded the following grants and contracts.

Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration and Evaluation Project (STEDEP)

OPRE awarded a seven-year contract to MDRC to examine strategies aimed at successfully transitioning individuals from short-term subsidized employment to unsubsidized employment in the regular labor market. These strategies will build upon approaches that have demonstrated empirical effectiveness in previous studies, test new and innovative interventions designed to demonstrate promising program components, and adapt to current policy environments at the federal, state, and local levels. The goal of this demonstration and evaluation is to increase knowledge about the efficacy of programs aimed at helping target populations secure and maintain unsubsidized employment.

Proven and Promising Responsible Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Initiatives - Evidence Review

OPRE awarded a contract to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. for a one-year project to 1) identify, compile and catalog the evidence on proven as well as promising responsible fatherhood and family strengthening programs and strategies, 2) summarize and synthesize the information for the practice field and 3) document the quality of the evidence.  Products will be designed to be useful to the practice field as resources to aid in the development or refinement of comprehensive responsible fatherhood and family strengthening service models.

Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Evaluation Design

OPRE awarded a contract to Abt Associates Inc. to design an implementation, systems and outcome evaluation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) to serve TANF recipients and other low-income individuals.  This contract will also provide coordination among multiple evaluation activities addressing the HPOG program and provide support for demonstration program management and data collection activities.  The evaluation design activities will be completed in 18 months.  The coordination and support functions will continue through four years.  

Evaluation of Tribal Health Professions Opportunities Grants (ETHPOG)

OPRE awarded a contract to The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) for a four year project to provide a comprehensive process and output/outcome evaluation of the Health Profession Opportunity Grants for Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Tribal College or Universities. The project will evaluate how program implementation, including any adaptations specifically for Tribal populations.   

Understanding the Child-Only TANF Caseload

OPRE and ASPE awarded a grant to Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago for a one-year project to 1) document differences in state policies that affect child-only TANF cases, 2) describe characteristics and dynamics of such cases, and 3) address the programmatic and policy context in which these cases exist.  The project will provide a broad overview of policies, demographic trends, and program challenges, nationwide and in four focal jurisdictions – California, Florida, Illinois, and New York – that account for 40% of all child-only cases. 

National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE)

OPRE awarded a contract to the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago in partnership with other research organizations and institutions of higher education to implement the National Survey of Early Care and Education through September 29, 2014. NSECE will gather national data on utilization and availability of early care and education (including school-age care) and provide unique information to understand the extent to which families' needs and preferences coordinate well with providers' offerings and constraints. The experiences of low-income families are of special interest to the study as they are the focus of a significant component of Early Care and Education (ECE) and School Age care (SA) public policy. The NSECE includes three component surveys: a Formal Provider Survey to be conducted with directors of ECE/SA providers including center-based child care, Head Start, pre-K and regulated or registered family child care homes; a Household Survey to be conducted with a parent or guardian of a child or children under age 13; and, a Family, Friend, Neighbor and Nanny (FFNN) Survey to be conducted with individuals who care in a home-based setting for children under age 13 who are not their own. The study also includes a survey of the ECE/SA workforce to be implemented at the same time as the Formal and FFNN provider surveys. The contract includes an option for States to contribute to the study to augment samples in order to conduct state-level estimates.

 

Study of Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce

ACF OPRE has awarded a contract to the National Academy of Sciences to establish a panel of independent experts to develop a study of the nation's Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) workforce.  The primary objective is to provide an adequate description of the ECCE workforce outlining the parameters that define the population and the supports provided for early childhood teachers and caregivers. The task order will consist of the appointment of a planning committee, with reports to be made available to research, policy, and practice communities. The National Academy of Sciences will also convene a planning meeting that will organize and convene a 2-day workshop to examine key topics in the ECCE workforce.

Measurement Development: Quality of Family-Provider Relationships in Early Care and Education

In collaboration with the Office of Head Start, OPRE has awarded a contract to develop a measure that will assess the quality of family-provider relationships in early care and education.  The goal of the project is to develop a measure that will be applicable to the full range of early care and education settings and providers (i.e., center-based, home-based, family/friend/neighbor, etc.) and a diverse array of families with children aged birth to five, and that can be useful in program evaluation for both accountability and program improvement.  The contract was awarded to Westat, with Child Trends as the main subcontractor.  

Development of a Measure of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT)

In collaboration with the Office of Head Start, OPRE has awarded a new contract, Development of a Measure of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.  The goal of this project is to develop a new measure that will assess the quality of child care settings, specifically the quality of caregiver-child interactions for infants and toddlers in non-parental care. 

Child Care Research Partnerships

The Child Care Research Partnership grants support research on child care policy issues conducted by state agencies, researchers and other organizations in partnership.  Partnerships must include the State agency that administers the Child Care and Development Fund, and at least one member must be a research group.  Two grants were awarded for 2010:

·         The University of Chicago:  Determinants of Subsidy Stability and Continuity of Child Care in Illinois and New York, Principal Investigator Julia Henly

·         Child Trends:  Early Care and Education Choices, Quality and Continuity, for Low-Income Families A Maryland-Minnesota Research Partnership, Principal Investigator Kathryn Tout

Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation (DOHVE)

OPRE awarded a contract to MDRC for a five-year project to 1) develop study design, methodology, analysis plans, and resource estimates for the Congressionally mandated national evaluation of the new federal home maternal, infant and early childhood visiting program, 2) provide technical assistance to grantees on (a) research and evaluation related to the promising programs specified in the legislation and (b) benchmarks, data systems and continuous quality improvement, and 3) design and/or pilot test at least one measurement tool to capture relevant benchmark domains for which measurement may not yet be fully developed.  The project is being led by ACF in collaboration with HRSA.

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