Child Trends Incorporated

IMPROVING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN BY CONDUCTING RESEARCH AND PROVIDING SCIENCE-BASED INFORMATION.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CHILD TRENDS CONDUCTED A HOME VISITING WORKFORCE STUDY FOR FIRST 5 CALIFORNIA WHICH HELPED THE STATE UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE OF THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE, INCLUDING CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTING WORKFORCE AND EFFICACY OF WORKFORCE PREPARATION PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS THE PROJECTED NEEDS. WITH THIS INFORMATION, CALIFORNIA CAN CONTINUE TO REFINE THEIR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPORTING THE PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE. THE STUDY PROVIDED CALIFORNIA WITH INFORMATION ON EXISTING COMPETENCY MODELS AND HOW THESE COMPETENCIES COULD FORM THE BASIS OF A CREDENTIALING SYSTEM, FINDINGS ON THE WELL-BEING AND MENTAL HEALTH OF THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE, AND INFORMATION ABOUT WAYS THE WORKFORCE COULD BE FURTHER SUPPORTED AND TRAINED TO MEET THE STRENGTHS AND NEEDS OF CALIFORNIA FAMILIES. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS WERE PROVIDED TO THE STATE TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO ENSURE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. HOME VISITING IMPLEMENTATION QUALITY PROJECT IS SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A PRACTICE-READY MEASURE THAT CAN BE USED BY MIECHV AWARDEES TO MONITOR AND SUPPORT THEIR LOCAL IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES (LIAS). TO ACHIEVE THIS AIM, THE PROJECT WILL ASSESS THE EXISTING LITERATURE AND AVAILABLE MEASURES TO INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK THAT INCLUDES KEY ELEMENTS OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM QUALITY. THIS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK WILL, IN TURN, INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BODY OF RESEARCH TO ASSESS PROGRAM QUALITY AND USE OF A MEASURE OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM QUALITY TO STRENGTHEN OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. CHILD TRENDS SERVES A PARTNER FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER ON PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (NCPFCE). AS A SUBGRANTEE, CHILD TRENDS IS LEADING: 1) TTA CONTENT DEVELOPMENT; 2) TTA CONTENT DISSEMINATION (CO-LEAD); 2) TTA CONTENT MANAGEMENT; 3) PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION; 4) NCPFCE COMMUNICATIONS; 5) DISASTER RECOVERY AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE EVENTS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PROJECT'S YEAR 1 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENT; 6) IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION. CHILD TRENDS WILL ALSO PROVIDE A CADRE OF TRAINERS TO SUPPORT TTA IMPLEMENTATION AND DELIVERY.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FAMILY FORMATION HISPANICS REPRESENT THE LARGEST AND ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING MINORITY POPULATION SUBGROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES. HISPANICS ALSO HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST POVERTY RATES. TO HELP PROGRAMS AND POLICIES BETTER SERVE LOW-INCOME HISPANIC CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, CHILD TRENDS AND ABT ASSOCIATES TOGETHER WITH UNIVERSITY PARTNERS, LAUNCHED THE NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER ON HISPANIC CHILDREN & FAMILIES (CENTER). THE CENTER WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2013 BY A FIVE-YEAR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF PLANNING, RESEARCH & EVALUATION, AN OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. THE CENTER IS A HUB, CONDUCTING, TRANSLATING, AND PROVIDING RESEARCH-BASED INFORMATION ACROSS THREE PRIORITY AREAS POVERTY REDUCTION AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY, HEALTHY MARRIAGE AND RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD, AND EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION. THE CENTER HAS THREE PRIMARY GOALS: 1) ADVANCE A CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH AGENDA, 2) BUILD RESEARCH CAPACITY, AND 3) IMPLEMENT AN INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION APPROACH. IN 2018, CHILD TRENDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER (NORC), UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK (UMD), UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, GREENSBORO (UNCG), AND DUKE UNIVERSITY, WAS AWARDED AN ADDITIONAL 5-YEAR PROJECT TO BUILD ON WORK WE BEGAN IN 2013 WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER ON HISPANIC CHILDREN & FAMILIES. THE CENTER HAS THREE PRIMARY GOALS: 1) ADVANCE A RIGOROUS RESEARCH AGENDA; 2) BUILD RESEARCH CAPACITY; AND 3) DISSEMINATE WORK TO AN INCREASING AUDIENCE OF STAKEHOLDERS. OUR FOCUS WILL BE LOW-INCOME HISPANIC CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. CHILD TRENDS, WITH OUR PARTNERS AT IDENTITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND (UMD), ARE RIGOROUSLY EVALUATING EL CAMINO, AN INNOVATIVE GOAL SETTING, SEXUAL RISK REDUCTION INTERVENTION DEVELOPED FOR AND WITH LATINX TEENS. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF EL CAMINO IS TO AVOID AND REDUCE RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS, PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY, AND REDUCE SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIS) BY ALIGNING TEENS' BEHAVIORS WITH THEIR FUTURE GOALS, MEANINGFULLY CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR OPTIMAL HEALTH. THIS STUDY IS BUILDING UPON OUR FORMATIVE RESEARCH, SPANNING FIVE YEARS, AND PROMISING PRELIMINARY FINDINGS, TO DETERMINE IF A TEEN-FOCUSED, GOAL-SETTING MODEL CAN YIELD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SEXUAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS AMONG LATINX TEENS. IN THIS PROJECT, THE STUDY TEAM WILL COMPLETE THREE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: 1) IMPLEMENT EL CAMINO IN SCHOOLS WITH HIGH LATINX POPULATIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY TEEN PREGNANCY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD; 2) CONDUCT A RIGOROUS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL MIXED METHODS DESIGN EVALUATION OF EL CAMINO; AND 3) DISSEMINATE FINDINGS TO OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS INTERESTED IN IMPLEMENTING SIMILAR EFFORTS. CHILD TRENDS, CHAPIN HALL, AND HEALTHY TEEN NETWORK ARE PARTNERING TO MAKE RESEARCH AND RESOURCES EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS IN THE SYSTEMS THAT SERVE THE MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH POPULATIONS THROUGH A CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON PROMOTING ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND PREVENTING PREGNANCY AMONG VULNERABLE YOUTH (THE CENTER). ALTHOUGH THE TEEN PREGNANCY RATE IN THE GENERAL POPULATION IS DECREASING, RESEARCH INDICATES THAT YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE, YOUTH WITH JUVENILE JUSTICE EXPERIENCE, YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND OPPORTUNITY YOUTH (YOUTH WHO ARE NOT WORKING AND NOT IN SCHOOL, ALSO REFERRED TO AS DISCONNECTED YOUTH) ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE VULNERABLE TO EXPERIENCE A TEEN PREGNANCY THAN THEIR PEERS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCY AMONG VULNERABLE YOUTH, PROFESSIONALS MUST ADDRESS RISK FOR PREGNANCY AND PROMOTE PROTECTIVE FACTORS TO HELP YOUTH ACHIEVE OPTIMAL HEATH. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS A GAP IN RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONALS IN SYSTEMS THAT WORK WITH VULNERABLE YOUTH. WORKING WITH A RESEARCH ALLIANCE OF RESEARCHERS, PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK IN SYSTEMS WITH YOUTH (INCLUDING PRACTICE AND POLICY EXPERTS), YOUTH THAT REPRESENT THE FOUR AREAS OF VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED FOR THIS CENTER, COLLABORATORS, AND OFFICE OF POPULATION AFFAIRS (OPA), THE CENTER WILL DEVELOP EVIDENCE-INFORMED RESEARCH-TO-PRACTICE RESOURCES ROOTED IN THE LITERATURE ON IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH. THE CENTER'S MAIN OBJECTIVES INCLUDE GATHERING, SYNTHESIZING, AND DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ABOUT EFFECTIVE AND PROMISING ADOLESCENT HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREGNANCY PREVENTION POLICIES AND PRACTICES THROUGH A DIVERSE RANGE OF TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE APPROACHES; EQUIPPING PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK IN SYSTEMS THAT SERVE VULNERABLE YOUTH WITH CONSISTENT AND ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES TO ADDRESS PREGNANCY PREVENTION AND BROADER HEALTHCARE NEEDS; AND FACILITATING A DIALOGUE ON OPTIMAL HEALTH AND TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND PROFESSIONALS. TO DO SO, THE CENTER WILL ASSESS NEEDS, PRIORITIZE, TRANSLATE RESEARCH, AND DISSEMINATE RESOURCES USING METHODS ROOTED IN EVIDENCE AND IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH. THE CENTER'S ACTIVITIES WILL BE GUIDED BY THE BRIDGE FRAMEWORK TO TRANSLATE RESEARCH TO PRACTICE IN YOUTH SERVICES AND HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN, WHICH USES AN ITERATIVE PROCESS THAT CENTERS ON RESEARCH-TO-PRACTICE GAPS, NEEDS, RIGOROUS RESEARCH, UTILITY, TESTING, TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND EVALUATION.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENTBE CALM (COOL, ATTENTIVE, LOGICAL, AND MATURE) RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING AN HMRE (HEALTHY MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION) PROGRAM FOR YOUTH IN RURAL NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM, BE CALM RELATIONSHIPS, BUILDS FROM THE BE CALM MINDFULNESS-BASED SELF-REGULATION PROGRAM WE HAVE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED IN SEVERAL NORTH CAROLINA MIDDLE SCHOOLS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS AS WELL AS A BROAD PORTFOLIO OF HMRE RESEARCH AND EVALUATION AND RELATED PROGRAM SERVICES AT CHILD TRENDS. ADOLESCENTS ARE AT A FORMATIVE STAGE IN LEARNING ABOUT AND EXPERIENCING INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH SET THE STAGE FOR RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AND STABILITY INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD AND BEYOND. THEIR NEED FOR HMRE EDUCATION IS EVIDENCED IN UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ABOUT MARRIAGE, INACCURATE BELIEFS AND ANXIETY ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, AND HEAVY RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS (MORE SO NOW THAN EVER). IN ADDITION, APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF YOUNG ADULTS ARE INVOLVED IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE. WE ARE FOCUSING ON RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA DUE TO THE ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE OF THIS GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND UNMET NEEDS RELATED TO HIGHER THAN AVERAGE DIVORCE AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCY RATES.DURING THE GRANT PLANNING PERIOD, OUR TEAM WILL ADAPT THE BE CALM (COOL, ATTENTIVE, LOGICAL, AND MATURE) PROGRAM TO EXPLICITLY PROMOTE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP SKILLS AND PREPARATION FOR YOUNG ADULTHOOD AND MARRIAGE, MAKE NEEDED ADAPTATIONS FOR 9TH GRADERS, AND ENSURE A STRONG RACIAL EQUITY LENS FOR YOUTH FROM SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. REFINEMENTS WILL BE MADE BY OUR IMPLEMENTATION TEAM, INCLUDING THE BE CALM PROGRAM CO-DEVELOPERS, WITH CONSULTATION FROM EXPERTS ON RACIAL EQUITY AND INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE AND A PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY BOARD, INCLUDING LOCAL EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY AGENCIES. OUR SKILLS-BASED, EVIDENCE-INFORMED CURRICULUM SPECIFICALLY TARGETS COMMUNICATION SKILLS, CONFLICT RESOLUTION/MANAGEMENT AND PROBLEM-SOLVING, STRESS AND ANGER MANAGEMENT, AND THE BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE. WE THEREFORE EXPECT THE BE CALM RELATIONSHIPS PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THESE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP SKILLS AMONG YOUTH IN RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS. A PROGRAM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ONGOING CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT DELIVERY WITH FIDELITY AND ENGAGEMENT OF YOUTH WITH A RANGE OF STRENGTHS AND NEEDS. SEVERAL IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS WILL BE DEVELOPED, INCLUDING A COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE AND GUIDELINES FOR FACILITATOR CERTIFICATION. A DESCRIPTIVE EVALUATION WILL BE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN PARTICIPANTS' ATTITUDES, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND BEHAVIORS AND TO INFORM FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION.ACROSS THE FIVE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD, A MINIMUM OF 720 9TH GRADERS ATTENDING NORTH CAROLINA RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND ENROLLED IN THE ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUALIZED DETERMINATION (AVID) ELECTIVE WILL COMPLETE AT LEAST 90% OF THE 16 SESSIONS (12 HOURS TOTAL) ACROSS ONE SEMESTER. THE AVID PROGRAM PROVIDES CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND SUSTAINABILITY, WITH MUTUAL GOALS RELATED TO SUPPORTING YOUTH'S SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER READINESS. OUR DELIVERY MODEL ALSO INCLUDES ENGAGING SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS CONTRACTED WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SERVE AS BE CALM PROGRAM SPECIALISTS WHO WILL SUPPORT AVID TEACHERS IN THE CURRICULUM DELIVERY. THE CHILD TRENDS TEAM WILL PARTNER WITH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM.