Evaluation

Overview
Evaluation is a cornerstone principle of First 5. Through its evaluation, the Commission communicates its commitment to monitor the effectiveness of its efforts as well as to hold itself accountable as a steward of First 5 funds.

First 5 Sonoma County’s evaluation is designed to:

inform learning and decision making,
guide program development, implementation, and continuous improvement,
document grantee and Commission effectiveness, and
support transparency and accountability to the community regarding the use of First 5 funds.

All aspects of the evaluation are guided by the Evaluation Committee, which consists of two Commissioners and two representatives of a Community Advisory Committee.

Pathways to Results
The First 5 Sonoma County Pathways to Results communicates the desired results of the Commission’s Strategic Plan. It identifies:

Program Result Indicators” – specific and measurable results that grantee projects are expected to achieve, and
“Community Indicators” – specific indicators of the health and well-being of the broader community that can reasonably be expected to improve as a result of the aggregate impact of First 5 Sonoma County’s and other complementary efforts.

First 5 Sonoma County: Pathways to Results

Program Evaluation Reports
On a regular basis First 5 Sonoma County conducts formal evaluations of selected funded programs. These evaluations identify the outcomes achieved and identify areas for improvement. They are designed by First 5’s evaluation consultant, LaFrance Associates, in consultation with First 5 staff and the First 5 Evaluation Committee.

The Consultation Project October 2007

Families First Home Visiting (FFHV) Presented March 28, 2007

Families Learning and Growing (FLAGship) Interim Evaluations Findings

Kindergarten Transition Program (KTP) Evaluation Results January 2008

Northern California Center For Well Being (NCCWB) Raising Healthy Active Kids Program

Teachers Acquiring Language Learner Knowledge (TALLK), 2006-07

Sonoma Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program, 2007

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