FCS 598Internship

Janna Robnett

Purpose of My Internship with the CYFAR Idaho Project (Children, Youth, and Families At Risk)

1. To develop a knowledge of procedures and tools for evaluating a community program

2. Administer procedures and tools for evaluating community programs

3. To know a variety of strategies for communicating results of evaluation

4. To develop skills checklists of mastery of various 4-H units

CYFAR Project(Children, Youth, Families At Risk)

CYFAR is an evidenced-based program for at-risk youth and families

CYFAR is funded from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

CYFAR Project Sites in Idaho Five Year Grant Cycle

Potlatch/Latah County, 2nd year

Bonners Ferry/Boundary County, 2nd year

Farmway Village/ Caldwell and Canyon County, 2nd year

Plummer/Benewah County, 5th year

Burley/Cassia County, 5th year

Overview of Idaho’s CYFAR Program Content

Based on “Learning By Doing”

After school programs include activities to teach and promote a healthy lifestyle that includes good eating habits and physical activities

Children will have time for and help with homework

Science, math, cooking, art and multicultural learning experiences will be fundamental to the activities

Children will learn to give back to their community

Learning by DoingArts at Farmway Village

Site Activities

1. Three family events each year plus National program, “Lights on Afterschool”

2. Children design and carry out community project

3. On-going staff training in content areas

4. Parents input throughout school year via face to face with staff and surveys

5. Parents encouraged and trained to volunteer in program

6. Community collaboration developed through meetings and updates on positive impact of program

7. Development of afterschool CYFAR advisory board with various groups and parents as members

Internship Purposes

Learning About and

Using Evaluation Tools

Expected Child OutcomesIncreased communication skills

Increased self-responsibility skills

Increase in healthy lifestyle choices and physical activity

Indicators of Success

Evidence as measured by a pre/post Life Skills Evaluation Survey

and the Common Measures Survey

Evaluation Tools

1. The Life Skills Evaluation Tool

2. The Common Measures Tool

1. Pencil and Paper Surveys

Pre and Post Life Skills Survey of All Children in the Program at

the Start and End of Each School Year

Clickers are hand-held devices programed to work with an online evaluation software program

The CYFERnet Evaluation Team at the University of Arizona receives the data and sends feedback to the local and national CYFAR directors

2. iClickers, More Than Just Another Computer

Internship Purpose III

Strategies for Communicating Results

Reviewed previous reports

Assisting in composing 2011-12 report

General Results from CYFAR 2010-2011

Evaluation type: data from observation, monthly activity schedules, and reported attendance rates collected on an-

ongoing basis throughout the school year.

Short Term

1. Staff trained on the experiential learning model

2. Staff trained in use of 4-H curricula and outside resources in the content area of science/technology, healthy life styles, arts, and culture

3. Sites offered a variety of programming on the four content areas

Short term results continued…

4. Appropriate life skills development, ages and stages for child development and learning styles and using iClickers

5. Increased involvement of families in afterschool program

6. Increased awareness of program among school district personnel, community organizations, and local governmental organizations

Questions?

What I Learned

Strategies to support children to be effective survey takers

Strategies for scheduling time for surey takersStrategies for transferring childern’s survey to

national software programStrategies to assure that best practices for human

assurances in research have been met when working with children

Knowing How to Use Evaluation Tools

Knowing How to Use Evaluation Tools cont…

Strategies for minimizing distractions in the testing environment

Strategies for assuring children independently respond, without bias from test administrators

Challenges of developing tests/assessments for children that are scored easily and reliable

Assessments/tests are age appropriate, but may not be understood by all children of that age

Time respond for some children is shorter/longer than for others

Use multiple approaches to questionnaire may be necessary to address learning styles

Using the Tools with Children

With the children, respecting their learning levels and developmental characteristics matters.

Children respond to novel ways to “take a test.”

School-age children like to share about themselves and their opinions.

Reporting Strategies

Importance of making sure reports are written with facts that are communicated across all cooperating partners.

Formats for sharing results with others.

Strategies for analyzing data across a team.

Strategies for cooperatively writing a final report with colleagues.

Learning By Doing Robotics Project

Questions?