Way to Grow’s Great by Eight program is a parent-centric program that uses home visits to increase parent knowledge and engagement for their child’s development, which will lead to improved child success in school and life. Organizations Generation Next and Greater Twin Cities United Way partnered with Way to Grow to provide services to families with children ages 3 to 8 through Great by Eight. The program targets children most at risk for low academic achievement in the Minneapolis metro area.
Study Goals:
The final implementation study examined parent’s perceptions of the Great by Eight program components and quality. The final impact study examined the impact of home visits on Kindergarten Readiness and Third Grade School Competencies.
Research Questions:
The study included implementation and impact (confirmatory and exploratory) questions. The research questions were:
- Implementation Questions:
- What topics, presented by family educators during home visits, are perceived by parents to have the greatest impact on their knowledge concerning their children’s school-related and health-related outcomes?
- From the parents’ perspective, what program delivery features of Great by Eight are most important for program effectiveness?
- How well do family educators relate to participating parents and their families?
- What aspects of the parent-family educator relationship need improvement?
- What is the home visit dosage currently received by parents participating in the Great by Eight program?
- How does the actual dosage compare to the dosage recommended in the program guidelines?
- Impact Questions:
- Are Great by Eight children more prepared:
- For kindergarten than non-program children?
- To test proficient on the third grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) than non-program children?
- Do parents show increased engagement with their children’s development, learning, and schooling?
- Do child development and growth progress achieve appropriate milestones and in conjunction with preparation and success for formal schooling?
- Do Great by Eight health components improve and sustain health-promoting behaviors?
- Do Great by Eight parents and children access resources and navigate health and education systems?
- What populations are most likely to benefit from Great by Eight programming?
- Which program components impact its outcomes?
Findings:
The evaluation found the following:
- Results from the parent survey indicate that parents had a high overall level of reported learning and perceived usefulness of the Great by Eight program and its components.
- Great by Eight had a positive program impact on third grade reading with its students scoring significantly higher than comparison group third grade students.
- Children whose parents were involved in Great by Eight achieved appropriate milestones.
- Great by Eight program’s 4-year-olds had:
- Statistically significant increases in literacy skills on the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessments.
- Met expectations for child development and growth milestones in preparation for success in formal schooling at each fall to winter and winter to springtime point.
- The Great by Eight’s home visiting dosage had a positive effect on:
- Parents’ accessing health, medical, and educational resources.
- Children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development.
For more information, download the full report and report brief.
Full report
Further information
Program/Intervention
Great by Eight Program
Implementing Organization
Way to Grow
Intermediary(s)
Greater Twin Cities United Way
AmeriCorps Program(s)
Social Innovation Fund
Level of Evidence
Moderate
Researcher/Evaluator
Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI)
Published Year
2018
Study Site Location (State)
Minnesota