GEORGIA CCDF EVALUATION PROJECT

Georgia Department Of Early Care And Learning, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of GCEP is to gauge the effectiveness of select policies, programs, and services outlined in the State Plan, as developed by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), the lead agency for CCDF in Georgia, and its partners. DECAL will use the CCDBG Implementation Research and Evaluation Planning Grant to create a research agenda to help ensure that Georgia's low-income families (eligible for subsidized childcare) have access to high-quality early care and education services. GCEP includes two phases, the first of which is funded by this current grant opportunity. (Phase II may be funded by subsequent grant opportunities). Phase I focuses on four objectives to: 1) develop a coherent research agenda for Georgia's CCDF plan; 2) use administrative data to conduct preliminary research and data analyses on select CCDF goals; 3) implement specific process evaluations of key CCDF initiatives; and 4) plan for a large-scale, rigorous CCDF evaluation that will measure the impact of CCDF policies and programs on access to high quality child care. These objectives align with ACF priorities of this grant program to: 1) plan policy-relevant research based on evaluation of policies in response to the CCDBG Act of 2014; 2) build capacity in research and evaluation; and 3) address issues of current relevance to CCDF decision makers. Phase I evaluation activities focus on initiatives related to three DECAL CCDF goals embedded in Georgia's 2016-2018 CCDF State Plan. Georgia's three CCDF goals are: 1) Reduce the cost of higher quality care for children and families receiving subsidies; 2) Raise the quality of teachers working with specific populations; 3) Implement new, innovative initiatives that build on other successful Georgia early education programs. Each of these state goals has specific initiatives designed to ensure that the goals are met. The evaluation activities will focus on how successful the initiatives are in accomplishing these goals. The proposed project will work to identify the best methods to evaluate how effective Georgia's new CCDF initiatives are in meeting critical CCDF program priorities and Georgia's overarching goal of increasing access to high-quality childcare for children receiving childcare subsidies.