Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: During the 2013-2014 program year, the Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA) - NYC project was implemented at two agencies - Ingersoll Community Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and Hudson Guild, located in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Participants were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group using a table of random numbers generated in advance. Treatment group participants received 8 weeks of the PASTA program, while the control group attended a nutrition program. The groups were then reversed and the treatment group received the nutrition program while the control group received the PASTA program. The nutrition class served as an ideal control because parenting behaviors or skills were not taught throughout the class, making it possible to isolate the effect of attending a PASTA class on improving parenting behaviors. 18 participants completed both the pre and post tests for the project during the 2014 program year. 83% of the participants attended the Ingersoll Community Center site. 89% of the participants were female, 11% refused to answer the question regarding gender. 70% identified as a grandparent, 15% reported being a relative of the child in care, 10% indicated they were a great-grandparent and %5 stated that the children they cared for were adopted. The participants were 80% African American or Black; 10%; Hispanic; and 10% Other. The largest age group of the children in care by relative caregivers were 10+ (34%); 26% were between 6-9 years old; 17% were in 13 - 24 months; 14% were ages 2-5 years; 6% were under 6 months; and 3% 7 - 12 months. In regard to living arrangements, 33% lived alone with the child(ren); 33% of participants co-parent with children's own parent(s); 28% live with a spouse or partner and children; 6% were classified as other. The majority (44%) have cared for the child for more than 5 years; 39% cared for the child(ren) for more than 2 years; 5% provided kinship care for 13 months to 2 years; 6% for less than 6 months; and 6% refused to answer. Changes/Problems: As was mentioned in the year two report, in an effort to retain more of the participants who attended the initial orientation meeting for the PASTA-NYC project, we incorporated a program that participants in the control group could take while they waited for their turn to participate in the PASTA workshop series. This was an attempt to keep the group fully engaged throughout the time the research project was being implemented at each site. This modification led to a larger number of participants completing the program in year 2. However, during year three the numbers were much lower than they were in year two. It is possible that this may of been due to the extremely harsh winter we had in 2014. There were several days when it snowed and the temperature was well below freezing. Given the health conditions faced by many of our program participants, this may have been a factor in the lower attendance for year three. In the future, we will aim for a larger starting group of program participants as a criteria to begin implementation at a new project site, in order to compensate for recruitment/retention issues. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? During year three the PASTA-NYC research project was used as a training tool during two inservices with approximately forty (per inservice) Cornell University Cooperative Extension NYS professional staff and family & youth development agency staff from throughout New York State, as well as in a undergraduate class at Cornell University. Emphasis was on the research design of the project in each instance. Many Cooperative Extension staff have limited experience in conducting projects with experimental designs. At our annual Parenting Education Inservice in January, 2014, I made a presentation to Extension educators about the design treatment and control test evaluation design, explaining how and why the research design evolved, in an effort to encourage other colleagues to consider developing controlled studies of other parenting education projects. In September, 2014, i shared updated information about our project for year two and also attended a think tank session with eight Extension colleagues who are attempting to developing a control-treatment study. In addition, the design model for the PASTA-NYC research project was presented to Cornell undergraduates in a Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) class within the College of Human Ecology, taught by Professor Maureen Waller in Fall, 2014 semester. The students designed their own research projects, based on the PASTA project model, as well as other research designs. These professional development and classroom instruction opportunites to share info about PASTA-NYC and our approach to research help current and further educators and/or researchers strengthen their skills, understanding and comfort with developing and conducting research that has practical application to the needs of their respective community settings. It is very rewarding to know that this project has been meaningful for other current and future professionals in the field. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Thus far the results have been disseminated primarily among our partner agencies and potential partners, in order to provide them with information about the impact of the project to date and to support recruitment of new research program partners. Research briefs about the project results are also posted on the Cornell University, College of Human Ecology, Parenting in Context Website. This information is available to the general public via the following website link: http://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/outreach/parenting/programs/parentingasecondtimearound.cfm What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During project year three the Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA) - NYC project was implemented in the communities of Fort Greene, Brooklyn at the Ingersoll Community Center and in Chelsea, Manhattan at the Hudson Guild. Both sites are located next to New York City Public Housing Authority developments. Analysis of data for year three, which used a treatment and control test evaluation design that consisted of administering two identical surveys to each group during the first and last session of the first round of the PASTA workshop and nutrition (control group) workshops, indicated that three of the twenty three pre/post survey measures showed significant improvements, for the treatment group compared to the control group. Participants who attended the PASTA-NYC program reported an increased understanding of legal rights as a kinship caregiver, increased understanding of the different types of custody and care arrangements that are available to caregivers, and increased awareness of who a caregiver's pre-teen/teen is with and what they are doing when the caregiver is not at home. The effect of participation in the control group is very small and near zero for each measure. A p-value generated from a paired t-test was used as a statistical measure to determine whether a change in a given survey question between the control and treatment group was significant. A p-value of .10 or less was considered statistically significant, and means that we can be 90% sure that the treatment-to-control changes in participant responses are not due to chance. These results indicate that 3 out of 23 measures of parenting attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge improved significantly between the control and treatment groups, highlighting significant positive effects for caregivers' participation in the PASTA-NYC program. We also conducted an analysis of the data from years two and three of the PASTA-NYC programs. We did not conduct a combined analysis of data from all three years of the project, because the project design was modified after year one to include the nutrition workshop series for the control group in an effort to increase retention of participants, which would have affected the validity of the findings. Based on the analysis of data from PASTA-NYC year two and three program participants who completed the program and completed both a pre- and a post-test survey, nine of the twenty-three measures tested showed significant improvements, compared to the control group. The participants reported increases in caregiver: awareness of the resources available; comfort asking for help from community resources; perception of a good network of supports available; time caring for themselves ; beliefs that they can find answers to what is troubling their child(ren); dropping rules that are not meeting child(ren)'s needs; speaking positively about the child(ren)'s biological parents when the child is present; understanding of legal rights and understanding of the different types of custody and care arrangements that are available. The effect of participation in the control group is very small and near zero for each measure. The accomplishments to date are clearly in line with our goals and objectives and we are well positioned to build upon the research base that we have begun to develop related to the positive impact of the PASTA-NYC program on the parenting attitudes, behavior and knowledge of kinship caregivers in New York City.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: During the 2012 - 2013 program year, the PASTA project was implemented at two agencies - Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults (JSPOA) and the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID). Individuals were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. The treatment group received the PASTA project for 8 weeks, while the control group participated in a nutrition project. Afterwards, the groups were reversed with the treatment group attending the nutrition sessions and the control group attending the PASTA workshop. Data were gathered from 64 participants who completed a pre-test survey given at the first session of their class. 63%o the participants attended the class at BCID and a majority of the participants in the program were female (92%). The majority of the participants were grandparents (67%) and 40% were white; 30% were Hispanic/Latino; 17% were African American or Black; 7% were "Other"; 3% Asian and 3% American Indian. The largest group of children being cared for were aged 10 and older (32%); 22% were between 6 - 9 years; 21% between 2 - 5 years; 11% were between 13 - 24 months; 6% were under 6 months; 4% were between 7 - 12 months. In terms of their present living situation, 325 were co-parent with children's own parent(s); 28% lived along with the child(ren); 22% live with spouse or partner and the children; 11% reported "Other" and 7% refused to respond. Changes/Problems: In the first year of the PASTA program, many individuals who were randomly assigned to the control did not return after 8 weeks when it was time for them to take the PASTA workshops. To address this issue, during the 2012 - 13 program year (year two),a nutrition workshop seriesfor the control groupwas added to the research project design, so that while the treatment group was involved in the PASTA sessions, the control group participants were in the nutrition sessions. During the initial orientation session, all program participants were randomly assigned to either the PASTA sessions or the nutrition sessions. Each program consisted of eight sessions. After the initial 8 weeks, the groups were reversed, thus all participants received both programs and everyone was engaged for the duration of the program. This approach resulted in an improvement in program attendance, especially for individuals who were randomly assigned to the control group and previouslyhad to wait eight weeks (with no program activity)before attending PASTA.Immediate engagement of the entire group has resulted in an increase in overall program attendance. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We have identified two new project sites for project implementation during the final program year.Wewill also strengthen our website to include information about the project and seek opportunities towrite and present info about this research project to colleagues and other professional and communityorganizations focused on related issues. In addition, focus group dataobtained by conducting group surveys with participants in the first year of the PASTA project will be analyzed to gain more information regarding program impact.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As previously mentioned, we have successfully continued with implementation of the PASTA project. Analysis of PASTA data for year two indicated statistically significant increases related to participants': awareness of resources; comfort asking for help from community resources; ability to cope with stress; and understanding of custody and care arrangements available. During the BCID closing ceremony, which was held at Borough Hall in Brooklyn, one participant demonstrated her appreciation of the PASTA program when she stated that, "It is needed for not only grandparent caregivers, but grandparents in general." The sole male participant commented on the changes he has made as a result of the program, stating that "Luis (project's key facilitator), my grandson thanks you, because he has not been beaten since. It is getting better and it feels good. ...". These remarks highlight the positive changes participants are making due to the PASTA program.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In collaboration with the NYC Department for the Aging, the Presbyterian Senior Services agency in the Bronx and Antioch Church Harlem, CUCE-NYC implemented the Parenting the Second Time Around, known as PASTA, curriculum in two settings with a total of thirty seven grandparents and other kinship caregivers. A Switching Replications quasi experimental design was used to conduct the program. At each project site, the participants were randomly divided into two groups, group A and group B. Each group participated in the eight week PASTA workshop series. Group A participated for the first 8 weeks, followed by Group B, with pre and post tests administered during three waves of measurement. After both groups completed participation in the PASTA workshops, a closing ceremony was held at each of the two sites during which a cash incentive and certificate of completion was provided to each participant. PARTICIPANTS: Rachel E. Dunifon, - Associate Professor, Department of Analysis and Management, Denyse Variano, M.S. - Senior Association Resource Educator, Parenting Education Program Leader, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Orange County, Giovana Montalvo Baer, LMSW, M.S. - Director, Grandparent Resource Center, NYC Department for the Aging Helen Flowers, M.S. - Assistant Director, Grandparent Resource Center, NYC Department for the Aging June Mead, Ph.D. - Senior Research Associate, CYFAR Project Director and Program Evaluator, Jennifer Tiffany, Ph.D., NYS Cooperative Extension Assistant Director for Outreach, Katherine Martinez - Director of Social Services, Presbyterian Senior Services Sharon Adkins - Pastor, Antioch Baptist Church Luis Almeyda, Cornell University Cooperative Extension NYC Extension Specialist, Lead PASTA workshop facilitator, Gina Ferrari - Project Intern, Hunter College, School of Social Work, MSW candidate. Two days of training on the PASTA curriculum were provided by Denyse Variano, one of the original authors and trainers of the PASTA curriculum, for Ms. Montalvo Baer, Ms. Flowers, Mr. Almeyda, Ms. Ferrari, as well as the PI in preparation for implementation of the curriculum in New York City TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for this project is grandparents or other relatives who were raising their kin such as grandchlldren, nieces, nephews, or younger siblings. Also the child's parent could not live in the household. There were no set requirements regarding ethnicity, race, educational or economic level. Outreach was done primarily in low income communities in the Bronx and Manhattan. The efforts to deliver science-based knowledge to the group were conveyed through the implementation of the PASTA curriculum in an informal group setting. Group discussion was encouraged as a strategy to engage the program participants and provide opportunities for the group members to learn from the experience shared and discussed within the group. Participants indicated that they appreciated the group dialogue and the workshop facilitators reflected that this type of exchange was essential to the success of the workshop series. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: During year two of the PASTA Project there will be a change in the methodology that will also result in a change in program content. The PASTA NYC project is currently designed to reach forty participants from a community based agency/ organization or vicinity to participate in a series of eight workshops that address issues related to grandparents, and other relative caregivers, who are raising their grandchildren. The group of 40 are randomly divided into two groups called A and B. Under the program design used in year one of the project, group A received the eight week workshop series first and then group B received the same workshop series after group A completed the training. We plan to continue with the same methodology, however, we will add an eight week nutrition workshop series for group B to attend while group A is completing the PASTA workshops. Once group A completes the PASTA training they will complete the nutrition workshops while group B takes the PASTA training. These changes were made with project advisement by faculty member Rachel Dunifon, and Jennifer Tiffany, Assistant Director for Outreach with NYS Cooperative Extension, in an effort to retain more of our initial program participants by engaging them throughout the entire time the research project is being conducted at the agency. We found that almost half of the people in the group that was required to wait for eight weeks before they received the PASTA workshop series did not return to participate in the PASTA workshops when it was time for them to do so. It is our hope that we will have a better retention rate by engaging both groups throughout the research process.
Impacts
A sound working relationship has been established with the NYC Department for the Aging, commonly referred to as DFTA. The agency staff identified well established community based partners as the initial sites for launching the project. The first site was the Presbyterian Senior Services agency,know as PSS, which is located in the Bronx. PSS has a development specifically designed to house grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are raising their grandchildren, which enhanced recruitment efforts. Distribution of weekly Metrocards to support transportation for those who lived offsite and the anticipation of a stipend, helped to encourage consistent participation. Analysis of the PASTA pre/post tests showed a statistically significant change in participant behaviors in response to the following statements: - "I know how to meet the emotional needs of the child(ren) in my care" - "I take the time to care for myself as a caregiver" - "I know how to guide the behavior of the child(ren) in my care" - "When I am with the child(ren) in my care, I only speak positively about their biological parents." These responses reflect a positive change in participant knowledge and behavior. These statistically significant changes in behavior may indicate that the PASTA program is beneficial to the participants. Other data collected and observations made during the training highlight the participants' feelings about the PASTA program. During the graduation ceremony there was a particularly memorable moment between a participant and her daughter. The participant and her daughter had been having difficulty communicating with one another prior to the workshops. This participant utilized the communication tools and exercises provided by PASTA to improve the relationship with her granddaughter's mother. The participant's daughter attended the graduation and gave a speech remarking about how much this workshop had helped to strengthen the relationship between her and her mother. Information gathered in the PASTA surveys reflect how the participants felt about the workshops. One participant wrote: "You should always pay attention to your grandchildren's needs and always show your love and affection. This is because when they see this love they strive to do better. Some of them come from places where love wasn't given that much so showing love is important." Another participant remarked: "I learned by listening to other caregivers talk about their experiences in caring for their grandchildren and it gave me a better picture of how I am dealing with my great grand and the things that I could do to improve and make better in my caring for her". These statements are just a few of the examples of the positive feedback the PASTA program received from its participants. These outcomes are significant in that they indicate there is an increased awareness among the participants of how to effectively interact with the children they are caring for. Thus strengthening the chances of a healthier home environment for these families and potentially reducing the number of youth who may be placed in foster care, or other alternative living arrangements which may be more costly.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|