 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Elena Alcala, MPH, Elizabeth A. Casey, MS, MPH, and Gloria Cardona, MA. Policy Division, SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 650-859-6075, elena.alcala@sri.com
Two guiding principles of the statewide evaluation of First 5 California are to (1) build lasting service delivery and evaluation infrastructures and (2) build the capacity of the State and County Commissions and community programs to collect and use data for program refinement, policy-making, and reporting. To address these principles, individualized technical assistance is provided to commissions and community programs. Technical assistance is provided by cadres of "coaches" who are trained thoroughly in the conceptual framework, procedures, and needs of the statewide evaluation and are very familiar with the strategic plans, programs, and contexts of the County Commissions to which they are assigned.
The role of the coach is to support the statewide evaluation and to build the capacity of County Commissions and community-based programs to participate fully in the statewide evaluation. The consistent, high-intensity, and individualized technical assistance provided by coaches is key to supporting the development of high-quality and useful data collection processes. Coaches work with County Commissions to address the unique needs of each site and provide assistance through on-site activities during site visits, as well as via telephone, fax, and e-mail contact. Coaches facilitate ongoing communication between state-, county-, and program-level evaluation activities and needs, and support County Commissions in evaluation-related tasks.
This paper discusses the role of technical assistance coaches, as well as the amounts, types, and topics of technical assistance that County Commissions receive. It also highlights successes and challenges experienced in developing a statewide evaluation technical assistance infrastructure.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Evaluation, Infrastructure
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: First 5 California State Commission
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: consultant