Conducting a Community Needs Assessment

1
Conducting a Community Needs Assessment

• Educational Consultation and Development, Inc.
• Leslie Babinski, Jane Morrow, Ann Harman and
  Becky Blair

2
Why Conduct a Needs Assessment?

• Do we really know as much as we think we know?
• What if we are wrong?
• How valid does ourknowledge seem tothe outside
  world?
• Can a needs assessment open upconversations with
  the board andstaff?

3
Next Steps

• Convene a committee
• Executive Director
• Evaluator
• Staff Member
• Board Chair
• Board Member
• Outside person

4
Who do we ask and what do we ask?

• All gaps in services?
• Only what Smart Start could provide?
• How services should be delivered?
• How current services are viewed?
• Likelihood of participation?

• Parents?
• Early Care Educators?
• Service providers?
• Community at large?
• Qualitative?
• Quantitative?
• Both?

5
Needs of Assessment of Parents and Child Care
Providers

• Interviews with key community leaders
• Focus groups with parents
• Survey of parents
• Survey of child care providers

6
Key Community Leaders

• Phone interviews with key community leaders
• 12 interviews with agency directors
• YMCA
• County library
• Public schools
• City parks and recreation department
• Community churches
• 6 interviews with child care providers
• Large child care centers
• Small child care homes

• Interviews
• Questions about the needs of families with young
  children
• Questions about the needs of child care providers
• 30 to 60 minutes long
• Audio-taped

7
Key Community Leaders

• Primary Challenges for Families
• Child care issues
• Quality
• Availability
• Affordability
• Transportation issues
• Lack of reliable transportation
• Rural area
• Family finances
• Specific Needs of Families
• Information on developmental and parenting issues
  such as ADHD, literacy and parenting skills
• Health care access and information
• Additional recreational opportunities

8
Key Community Leaders

• Primary Challenges for Child Care Providers
• Challenges in meeting the licensing requirements
• Limited finances and rising operating costs
• Time for continuing education
• Helpful Resources from Smart Start
• Personalized technical support
• Personal support from a consultant
• Hands-on demonstrations
• Assistance in starting a new child care home
• Specific classes or programs
• Special Education 101
• Infant/Toddler Safety Zone
• Smart Start Newsletter

9
Conducting Focus Groups

• Methods
• Schedule meeting space
• Advertise focus group flier in English and
  Spanish
• Offer 20 Wal-Mart gift cards for participation
• Offer snacks and activities for children
• A variety of locations
• County libraries
• Apartments and low income housing
• Even Start classroom
• Recreation centers

10
Overview of Parent Focus Groups
9 Focus Groups 51 Parents Total 44 Women, 7 Men
11
Focus Groups with Parents

• Focus Group Questions
• Challenges in raising young children
• Types of support available
• Type of support families need
• Important Issues for
• Families
• Child care issues
• Transportation issues
• Family finances

12
Focus Groups with Parents

• Primary Challenges for Families
• Childrens developmental or health concerns
• Affordable, quality child care
• Limited recreational opportunities
• Financial challenges
• Barriers to Accessing Services
• High cost of programs
• Inconvenient time or place
• Lack of transportation
• Too far from home

13
Parent Survey Content

• Four part survey
• Topics of interest to parents of young children
• Activities of interest for families with young
  children
• Barriers to participation
• Demographic information

14
Parent Survey Distribution Methodology

• Needed to track where surveys were coming from
• Required coding and carefully matching surveys to
  the specific distribution contact
• Two types of survey return methods
• Individual stamped return envelopes for parents
• Large postage-paid return envelopes for
  organization contacts

15
Parent Surveys Distributed and Returned

• 3,703 parent surveys distribute through 146
  contacts (organizations and individuals)
• 121 surveys across 6 organizations returned as
  undeliverable
• 486 surveys returned from the 3,582 distributed
  14 return rate
• 33 responses received from outside ASSP
  five-county service area these responses not
  included in the analyses

16
Parent Survey Respondents
Overall, parents who responded to the survey were
better educated than the general population in
North Carolina.
Parents from all five counties responded to the
survey.
17
Parent Survey Findings

• Topics of Interest to Families
• Child safety, first aid and CPR
• Early learning and school readiness
• Nutrition and health eating
• Behavior management and discipline
• Activities of Interest to Families
• Playgrounds for young children
• Summer activities
• Arts and crafts and/or music activities

18
Parent Survey Findings

• Barriers to Participation
• Dont know what is available
• Cant afford to pay for activities
• Activities are too far away

19
Child Care Provider Survey Content

• Four part survey
• Issues and challenges for child care providers
• Topics of interest for child care providers
• Barriers to continuing education
• Demographic information

20
Child Care Provider Survey Distribution
Methodology

• Needed to track where surveys were coming from
• Required coding and carefully matching surveys to
  the specific child care center
• Individual stamped return envelopes for child
  care center employees

21
Child Care Provider Surveys Distributed and
Returned

• Surveys sent to every in-home and center-based
  child care listed on the NC Department of Child
  Development website in the five-county ASSP
  service area
• 434 child care provider surveys distribute
  through 153 organizations and individuals
• 12 surveys were returned as undeliverable
• 108 surveys returned from the 422 distributed
  25 return rate
• 3 responses received from an online version of
  the survey

22
Child Care Provider Survey Respondents
Child care providers from all five counties
responded to the survey.
The majority of child care providers had an
associates or bachelors degree.
23
Child Care Provider Survey Findings

• Primary Challenges for Child Care Providers
• Low pay for child care staff
• Difficulty finding substitute teachers
• Conflicting advice from consultants
• Most Popular Topics for Child Care Providers
• Behavior management and discipline
• Early learning and school readiness
• Stress management

24
Child Care Provider Survey Findings

• Difference in Levels of Interest
• Pasquotank County
• Computer technology and behavior management
• Child care centers
• How to earn more stars
• One or two star facilities
• Money/business management and budgeting

25
Recommendations for Smart Start

• 1. Increase Awareness of Services
• More effective advertising
• Target specific groups
• 2. Provide Opportunities for Parents to Interact
• Recreational activities
• Play groups
• Developmental and health issues

26
Recommendations for Smart Start

• 3. Increase Collaboration with other Agencies
• Increase ease of access for families
• Leverage resources
• 4. Provide Information for Parents at a
  Convenient Time and Place
• Health and safety
• School readiness
• Stress management
• Healthy eating

27
Recommendations for Smart Start

• 5. Tailor the Method of Communication to Parents
• Use printed materials
• Use online, web-based or email
• 6. Reach out to Child Care Providers
• Value of personalized, on-site assistance
• Demonstration and modeling

28
Recommendations for Smart Start

• 7. Workshops for Providers at Convenient Time and
  Place
• One-time workshops
• Evenings
• 8. Provide Incentive and Support for College
• Financial support needed
• Barriers time and money

29
Recommendations for Smart Start

• 9. Offer Workshops on Topics of Interest
• Behavior management and discipline
• School readiness
• Stress management
• 10. Consider Different Types of Challenges for
  Child Care Facilities
• Home-based care vs. child care centers
• 1 or 2 star programs vs. 4 and 5 star programs

30
Albemarle Smart Start Partnership

• How we make use of the information
• Board presentation by contractor
• Staff presentation by evaluator
• Strategic Planning
• Development of a new activity
• Refinement of service delivery
• Refinement of strategies within existing programs
• Other potential activities

31
What would you do with this information?

• I am a new mother and I do not know what you
  offer. I know you exist and that kids can start
  preschool. I believe I received some info in a
  packet when my daughter was first born, but it
  didn't seem to apply to my needs at that time.
• Help me determine if my 4year old is behind
  academically. If she might have a learning
  disability.
• I wish that I was sure that my child was "on
  target" with learning at his daycare. My husband
  and I spend a lot of time encouraging his
  academics as well as playing but "preschool"
  isn't actually taught in his daycare until he is
  4 years old. I would like to know his teachers
  encourage early learning also.

32
Conducting your own Needs Assessment

• Determine the goals of your needs assessment
• Validate your current programs
• Open up conversations with staff and board
• Consider offering new programs and services
• Determine key stakeholders
• Community leaders
• Parents
• Child care providers
• Other service providers
• School system

33
Conducting your own Needs Assessment

• Select areas that will be covered
• Child care
• Recreational activities (playgrounds)
• Special services
• Transportation
• Determine how information will be shared and
  utilized
• Public access to the report
• Use data for decision making and strategic
  planning
• Share information with other agencies
• Shelf life of the findings

34
Summary

• Community needs assessment provides valuable
  information
• Can be costly and time consuming
• Need to reach the correct target market
• Need a plan to use the information
• Questions?
• lbabinski_at_edconsultation.org
• aeharman_at_nc.rr.com
• jmorrow_at_albemarlessp.org