STG International A member of the National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network...

STG InternationalA member of the National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network

Paducah Head Start

Community Assessment

Presented by:Frances Smith, Director

Developed By: Anne BlackburnKentucky Trainer Level 5 70054 Expiration Date: 6/11/2012

Material was taken from the eclkc website and the The Five Steps to Community Assessment Book.


What is the key to a high quality Community Assessment?


Decisions Informed by Community Assessment


CA Process


Establish the CA team

Organize the CA process including

time frames

Gather internal and

external data

Review data

Quality of data

Related to key

questions

Quantity of data

Multiple sources

Analyze data

(pick the data apart for meaning)

Impact

Significance

Relevance

Trend

Synthesize data

(discuss how findings from the

analysis work together)

Draw conclusions

(resist making decisions)

Preliminary decisions and recommendations

Community Assessment Process

FILTER INFORMATION THRU1. Regulatory and contractual requirements2. Agency & funding source priorities3. Financial considerations

Design the data collection to answer key questions in

1305)

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4STEP 5


Establish the CA team

Organize the CA process including

time frames

Gather internal and

external data

Review data

Quality of data

Related to key

questions

Quantity of data

Multiple sources

Analyze data

(pick the data apart for meaning)

Impact

Significance

Relevance

Trend

Synthesize data

(discuss how findings from the

analysis work together)

Draw conclusions

(resist making decisions)

Preliminary decisions and recommendations

Community Assessment Process

FILTER INFORMATION THRU1. Regulatory and contractual requirements2. Agency & funding source priorities3. Financial considerations

Design the data collection to answer key questions in

1305)

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4STEP 5


Suggested Outline for the Community Assessment

• Abstract

• Service area map

• Introduction – STEP 1(agency & program information – “State of the Grantee”)

• Methodology – STEP 2(methods used for data gathering & analyzing data)

• Service Area – STEP 3 - Describe the basic geographic, economic and demographic features of the service

area of the HS-EHS program. The service area may be one county, many counties within a state, or a combination.

Report


Report Outline (continued)

• Racial and Ethnic Composition, Culture, and Language(s)– Provide data on racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic composition of the service area in

general and public schools in particular, and compare it with that of the HS-EHS children and staff

– Discuss needs and characteristics of specific racial, ethnic and cultural groups and their implications for HS-EHS program design and service delivery

• Community Resources to Meet the Needs of Head Start – Early Head Start Eligible Children and Families

– List relevant resources which are used or may be used directly and indirectly by Head Start-Early Head Start eligible children and families

– Identify problems in resource availability or accessibility– Gather data from internal and external sources

• Information on Children with Disabilities– Present data on the number of Head Start – Early Head Start and other children with

disabilities by category and services currently available to them.



Review and Analyze Data – STEP 4• Identify the most significant strengths and needs of HS-EHS

eligible children and their families.• Present an estimate of the number of HS-EHS eligible children

by geographic location• Describe trends suggested by numbers• Include an interpretation of what the numbers mean in terms

of results and benefits for families• Discuss the reasons for selecting program options, center, and

or family child care home locations, and recruitment areas



Make Decisions – STEP 5– Based on information from all aspects of the CA

process, identify and prioritize issues and problems to be addressed by the Head Start-Early Head Start program

– Refer to data that pertains to eligible families– This is the section to propose any changes in service

area, program option, based on the findings from the CA


Page Estimate for a Community Assessment Report

(one page) Abstract(one page) Map(one page) Table of Contents(2 pages) Introduction(1-2 pages) Methodology(5-7 pages) Service Area(4-10 pp) Families in the Service Area(2-3 pages) Community Resources to Meet Needs of

eligible Children & Families(15-20 pp) Data Analysis(1-3 pages) Conclusions(1-2 pages) Proposed Changes


Suggestions for Shortening the Document

• Be brief:– Purpose of a community assessment – Composition of the CA team– Process used to gather data– Businesses and industries in the service area

• Use maps & illustrations strategically

• Use charts & tables to make points and comparisons– Explain in a short narrative

• Be selective about the data you use *

• Write clearly and make your points

• Archive information not used in the CA Report ** You may need it at another time!


Suggested Layout for a CA Report

• Electronic document• Maps and charts embedded in the document• 1-2 page table of contents• Full page state/county with a few major cities

reference map of grantee service area – one per state.

• Summary Abstract


Still rough going…

• Predicting where eligible families will be next year

• Describing program design & program options

• Assessing entire service area• Incorporating enrollment into the

big picture• Drawing objective conclusions

from the findings



Effective Use of Data

• Give numbers – How many– What percentage or portion of total– Compare data sets– Written conclusions about what you’ve just stated with

numbers or illustrations• If using a sample, say so

– Is it significant– Is it representative

• Cite data source(s)


Target Data to Collect

Finding meaningful Census data:

– Ethnicity and language of families compared to general population

– What are patterns? Factors that affect family movement such as job or educational opportunities, affordable housing, children entering a certain grade in public schools, etc?


Meaningful Rural Data

Rural compared to urban• In U.S., 20% of population is rural• 11% of physicians practice in rural areas• 10% of specialists practice in rural areas• Areas designated “health specialist shortage

areas”• Doctors/dentists refusing Medicaid or uninsured

patients• Availability of critical care & extended-hour clinics


Relevant Information - Census Maps and Quick Facts

http://www.library.wisc.edu/guides/govdocs/census/aff.htm

Boundaries and

Features


Data subsets may be hard to pull out of a larger set because…

• Data not kept in a database • No records kept• No method to use• No one knows how to do it• Not exactly sure what you

want to know


Where the CA Mines Are…

Introduction • Confused with summary findings and abstract

Methodology• CA process methodology • Describing methods used to analyze data• Pulling out data on eligible families• System used to prioritize

Data Analysis• Deriving meaning from Census & national or state studies

that is relevant to population served• Bogging down in all of the data for service area or the state • Connecting enrollment with certain findings

Conclusions• Confused with findings, recommendations, and decisions• Questioning center locations and program options


Suggestions for Improvement of CAs

• Focus data collection on information needed to make key decisions

• CA process outline awkward for CA report

• Accept community assessment as a priority – 45 CFR 1305.3


Revisiting the CA Process and Product

5 Steps to Community Assessment workbook is designed to assist programs to develop and use a team approach to plan and organize the task, to collect and analyze relevant data, to discuss the results as a team, and to draw conclusions that can inform program decisions. This can be found at the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center website, http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov

The CA Report is the end product.


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