HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN A FOCUS GROUP
As part of this project, our team will be conducting short focus groups with a variety of individuals who interact with PDG systems of support for families with young children. If you choose to participate in a focus group, you will be asked to take part in a 1-hour discussion about your experiences navigating services for children and families in Minnesota. If you identify as one of the following and are interested in participating, please find the section that best describes you and sign up using one of the provided registration links. As a thank you for participating in a focus group, you will receive a $40 gift card.
Parents and Caregivers with Young Children
This includes parents or primary caregivers (e.g. grandparents or other family) for children under age 5. We ask that only 1 adult per household participate.
Parents and caregivers can also register for focus groups in the following languages:
Direct Service Providers
This includes childcare providers and teachers in any type of childcare setting (e.g., center- or school-based, Head Start, and family childcare programs) health care providers (e.g., doulas, obstetricians, pediatricians, public health nurses), social workers, home visitors, paraprofessionals, therapists and other mental health providers, dentists, staff at community organizations, and others who work directly with children and families;
Administrative Staff in Family- or Child- Serving Systems and Programs
This includes, but not limited to, directors, administrators, coordinators, and other specialists who coordinate or manage services for children and families, but do not necessarily provide those services.
Recruit for the focus groups
Please help us reach as many people as possible with the evaluation. The following language can be used as a script or email. We encourage you to pass this along to your colleagues, those you serve in your work, and others in your network who are affected by PDG.
Focus Group Invitation
The State of Minnesota is partnering with The Improve Group and Child Trends to evaluate the implementation of the state’s Preschool Development Grant (PDG). As part of this study, the project team will conduct short, 1-hour virtual focus groups with individuals who have experience using or providing services for Minnesotan families.
We would like you to participate if you are part of a family with young children, identify as a community leader, provider (or administrator) in child- or family-serving systems and programs in Minnesota (e.g., a childcare provider, pediatrician, home visitor, family service coordinators, or program administrator), the project team would like to hear about your experiences! Please visit https://www.theimprovegroup.com/pdg-evaluation to read more about the study and sign up for a focus group (webpages in Spanish, Hmong, Amharic, and Somali). If you choose to participate, you will receive a $40 gift card as a thank you.
WHAT WILL THE STUDY EXPLORE?
What is the Preschool Development Grant?
The overarching goal of the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) is to improve systems of support for families with young children, and particularly those who may experience racial, geographic, or economic inequities.
What are the Goals of the Evaluation?
To understand the extent to which PDG activities are successfully achieving those goals, the Minnesota Department of Education contracted with The Improve Group, Child Trends, and School Readiness Consulting to explore:
To what extent have PDG activities been implemented successfully over time, and what facilitates or creates barriers to successful implementation?
To what extent are PDG activities incorporating strategies that leverage community assets, improve equity, and build community capacity?
How and to what extent have community members been engaged in the design and implementation of PDG activities?
What are the experiences of Minnesotan families, childcare providers, and other child- and family-serving professionals with PDG activities?
What are the plans for sustaining and improving the PDG activities in the future?
You can find more information on these questions and the purpose of this study in the project Request for Proposals.
WHY THIS STUDY?
The state would like to better understand how PDG activities are being implemented and the ways in which they can continue to offer supports to pregnant families and families with children age five and younger.
WHAT WILL CHANGE?
The data we collect will be used to provide insights about the experiences of different people affected by the Preschool Development Grant and the system it is trying to impact. The data will lead to recommendations to the state about how to continue to remove barriers so families with young children can access life-changing early childhood programs.
WHEN WILL THE STUDY OCCUR?
December 2020 through December 2022. Focus groups are scheduled for late August 2021 through October 2021.
Timeslots for focus group sessions are noted above. Please click the respective link to register.
CONTACT
For questions or to participate, you can contact: