Prevent Child Abuse California (PCA CA) implemented the Child Welfare System Improvement (CWSI) AmeriCorps program in 14 sites throughout the state. Each year, 60 AmeriCorps members fulfill their national service in this program as “Family Support Aides.” The program provides primary prevention services to families who are at a high risk for child abuse and neglect.

Study Goals:

The First 5 Service Corps (F5SC) deploys AmeriCorps members to help prepare children for kindergarten. The Reading Corps program focuses on helping children become developmentally ready to learn and better-prepared to succeed in school. Prevent Child Abuse California (PCA CA) administers F5SC.

Study Goals:

The goal of the evaluation was to study the impact of Reading Corps members in high-quality and literacy-rich preschool programs.

Research Questions:

The research question was:

The Napa County Office of Education’s (NCOE) CalSERVES AmeriCorps Volunteer Infrastructure Programs (VIP and VIP-SE) support AmeriCorps members who work with 140 community organizations across California. AmeriCorps members work as teams to provide infrastructure support for volunteer programs at service organizations.

Opportunity Works was a three-year effort led by Jobs for the Future (JFF) to help young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or meaningfully employed access postsecondary and career pathways.

Based on the Back on Track framework, seven cities across the country provided supportive, enhanced preparation and postsecondary/career bridging.

Year Up is a training program for urban young adults between ages 18 and 24. The program provides six months of full-time training in the IT and financial service sectors, followed by six-month internships at major firms. The full-time program provides extensive support and puts a heavy emphasis on the development of professional and technical skills.

Year Up is one of nine programs in the federally sponsored Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) evaluation.

Study Goals:

Genesys Works is a national program that provides professional job skills training and internships to low-income high school students. In 2012, Genesys Works received funding to expand its program to the San Francisco Bay Area, with a goal of enrolling 700 participants during a five-year period.

Study Goals:

The evaluation includes three components:

The Big Lift is a preschool to third grade collective impact initiative in San Mateo County, California. The initiative is a partnership of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the County of San Mateo with the support of dozens of community organizations and school districts.

The Big Lift aims to boost children’s reading proficiency in San Mateo County by third grade. The initiative employs four different types of activities, called “pillars.” These pillars include: