eNotes
August 10, 2018In this Issue:
- Research and Evaluation Capacity Building Source: Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE)
- Building Evidence on Effective Programs (Video series) Source: Child Trends & Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Vital Signs: Zika-Associated Birth Defects & Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Supporting Children and Parents Affected by the Trauma of Separation Source: Child Trends & the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
1. Research and Evaluation Capacity Building
This annotated bibliography from OPRE (June 2018) is a resource guide for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies, as well as, state agencies, researchers, and technical assistance providers in child care and other human services. It contains a concise list of selected publications and user-friendly tools to support states, territories, and tribes who wish to build research and evaluation capacity. Here are the areas covered:
- comprehensive resources on program evaluation
- logic models
- evaluation design and planning
- building organizational research and evaluation capacity
- working with evaluators
- working with administrative data
2. Building Evidence on Effective Programs (Video series)
Strategic use of data and establishing evidence for program effectiveness supports your agency to achieve its mission. This video series from Child Trends and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (June 2018) outlines the process and steps needed to become an evidence based program to better serve the needs of your community.
3. Vital Signs: Zika-Associated Birth Defects & Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities
A recent CDC report (August 2018) states that 1 in 7 of the 1,450 children under age 1, reported to the USZPIR and born to mothers with lab evidence confirming possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy in the U.S., were identified during infancy or early childhood as having a Zika-associated birth defect, a neurodevelopmental abnormality possibly associated with congenital Zika virus infection, or both. Of the Zika-associated birth defects, 6% include brain and eye abnormalities, a large increase from previous statistics. The report also states that it is crucial for health care providers caring for children to have access to information concerning maternal exposure to Zika during pregnancy. For additional information on babies affected by Zika in the U.S., view the video and fact sheet on the CDC's Vital Signs page.
4. Supporting Children and Parents Affected by the Trauma of Separation
In response to the more than 2,300 children who were separated from their families at the U.S. border, Child Trends and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families released a joint publication (June 2018) to provide guidance to child care professionals and policymakers helping immigrant children and parents traumatized by the event. The brief includes topics from recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma to assisting families in culturally responsive ways and promoting resilience.