Ounce of Prevention Fund Community Assessment
(7/1/2009 - 6/30/2011)
CURL collaborated with the Ounce of Prevention Fund. The Ounce of Prevention Fund/The Ounce is an organization whose mission is to give children in poverty the best chance for success in school and life by advocating for and providing the highest quality of care and education from birth to age five in partnership with childhood education centers across Illinois.
The CURL Research Team evaluated The Ounce’s Community Assessment Projects which inform strategic decisions made at the Ounce and its delegate agencies. The community assessment reports, which are created every three years and updated annually, allow the centers to remain in compliance with HeadStart performance standards. The findings from these assessments guide program designs and external partnerships while ensuring that the centers are meeting the needs of their service areas.
The Community Assessment Project required the evaluation team to collect and triangulate various pieces of information from families, participating centers, and public databases. CURL has a tremendous amount of experience on the community assessment process, particularly as it relates to the early childhood education context. The evaluation partnership between the Ounce and CURL staff allowed the Ounce to lead an internal dialogue on strategic directions for the overall organization and each of its sites.
Research Team
D. Van Zytveld, CURL
M. Guzman, CURL
M. Wilcox, Ounce of Prevention Fund
M. Koehler, CURL Graduate Fellow
V. Anguiano, CURL Undergraduate Fellow
S. Sarkar, CURL Undergraduate Fellow
M. Corzo, CURL Undergraduate Fellow
Community Partner