WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND PARENTS TO PROMOTE FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY

National Conference of State Legislators

Human Services and Education Chairs

October 2, 2015

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WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND PARENTS TO PROMOTE FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY

EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE’S COMMUNITY

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• Local poverty rates exceed 80%

• 36% of residents are foreign-born

• 30% of residents are not proficient in English

• 75% lack any form of post-secondary education

• 97% of families in our two-generation program receive some form of public assistance

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The return on investment for children and their parents has the

potential to be tremendous.

• Every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education

saves at least $7 in social costs later and increases

children’s economic and educational outcomes. (Ascend at

the Aspen Institute)

• A parent’s level of educational attainment is the best

predictor of a child’s success. (Julian, T. & Kominski, R.

2011, September)

• College graduates earn over 60% more than high school

graduates in their lifetime. (Baum & Ma, 2007)4

CONTEXTUALIZED LEARNING FOR PARENTS

• We seek to bolster the impact of early childhood education and reduce “third grade fade” by enhancing supports for families.

• Parents attend classes in the same building as their children.

• Staff encourage and support parents to advocate for child’s education.

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A CONTINUUM OF SUPPORT

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Family Educational Assessment

Early Childhood Education

Afterschool Youth

Development College Prep

College Enrollment and

Persistence

Family Educational Assessment

Adult Education (ESOL; HSE; Financial Coaching)/

Employment Services

College Prep, Enrollment and Persistence/

Sustained Employment

Child Development Focus in Adult

Education

Wraparound Services for Families

Promote Social Capital

KEY SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS

• Adult Education Partner: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)

• Financial Education Partner: Community Financial Resources

• External Task Force: Comprised of key stakeholders, Board Members, evaluation and education experts

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STRATEGIC EXPERIMENTATION

• Formative Evaluation: NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development– Collaboration on logic model and theory of change

– Collaboration on data system development

• Annie E. Casey Foundation funded national evaluation project: James Bell Associates and Metis Associates

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WHAT WE’RE MEASURING

• Customized database that allows staff to track parent and child outcomes concurrently.

• Baseline survey that functions as the primary intake and ongoing assessment tool for families.

• Document progress and correlations between parents and children.

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ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

• 331 adults, 53% of families, have enrolled in the program.

• Five parents have graduated from college.

• 35 parents are currently enrolled in college.

• 27 parents are currently interested in applying to college and exploring the option with a college advisor.

• 131 parents are currently taking ESOL classes.

• 32 parents are currently enrolled in our in-house employment services.

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LEARNING AND RESULTS

• Early childhood students average 96% on year-end

measures of learning and development.

• Our rate of retention for parents is 70%, the national

average ranges between 15% and 50%.

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BRAIDING FUNDING

• Programming is supported through Head Start, Child Care,

Pre-Kindergarten, WIOA and Literacy Zone funds.

• Seed funds from JPMorgan Chase and Annie E. Casey

Foundation.

• Educational Alliance demonstrates that revenue streams can

be connected to improve services to families.

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LEARNING AND RESULTS

Evaluation data suggest that as a result of the program, even participants in the early stages of their education are engaging in behaviors that may positively impact their children’s educational success such as frequent reading to their children, helping them with homework, and stronger communication with their teachers.

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LEARNING AND RESULTS

“Before I never read bedtime stories to my kids and I never borrowed books from the library for them. Now the teachers tell us how to help our kids, and I read to my daughter for 30 minutes every day and play games with her.”

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TWO GENERATIONS OF SUCCESS

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