The Providers Advancing School Outcomes (PASO) program is an innovative, community-based model that aims to ensure school readiness of Latino children. PASO trains and supports childcare providers who are family, friends, and neighbors (FFN) of preschool-aged children in the area’s low-income, Hispanic communities.
 
Study Goals:
The evaluation includes a feasibility analysis, implementation study, and impact study. The evaluation explored the impacts of PASO on FFN care and children’s development. It also analyzed if PASO was implemented with fidelity to the program model.
 
Research Questions:
The evaluation included both implementation and impact questions. The research questions were:
  • Implementation Questions:
    • Does the program provide trained instructors/coaches (Tías)?
    • Does the program have a high-quality professional development curriculum and credentialing process?
    • Does the program recruit and retain the expected number of providers?
    • Do the Tías conduct the expected number of training sessions, in-home visits, and provider observations?
    • Is training and coaching provided at the expected level of quality?
  • Impact Questions:
    • Does participation in PASO improve the quality of care given by FFN providers who completed the program?
    • Do children served by PASO-trained providers show improvement in development areas related to being school ready?
    • Does the program increase the number of credentialed FFN providers in the communities it serves?
Findings:
The evaluation found the following:
  • The PASO program successfully provided professional development training sessions and in-home coaching to FFN providers in low-income, Latino communities.
  • Providers’ comfort level, skill level, and quality of care all increased after participating in the PASO program.
  • There was a statistically significant, positive improvement for children whose providers participated in the PASO program. This translates to the child moving from the sixth to the 17th percentile on the DP-3 measure of child development.
For more information, download the full report and report brief.
 

Full report

Full Report
PASO_Final_Impact_Evaluation_Report_2014_17_Final_508.pdf
MHUW PASO Report Brief_Rr1018_20180828_CNCS_Report_Brief_MHUW_Colorado_Statewide_Parent_508.pdf

Further information

Program/Intervention
Providers Advancing School Outcomes (PASO)
Implementing Organization
Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition
Intermediary(s)

Mile High United Way

AmeriCorps Program(s)
Social Innovation Fund
Age(s) Studied
0-5 (Early childhood)
Study Type(s)
Impact
Implementation
Study Design(s)
Quasi-Experimental (QED)
Level of Evidence
Moderate
Researcher/Evaluator
Augenblick, Palaich, and Associate (APA)
Published Year
2017
Study Site Location (State)
Colorado