Taking Steps Towards Evidence-Based Programming

Imagine this. You’re a parent trying to provide for your children, but you are struggling every day to survive. Your home is not safe, you are in debt and can’t afford the basics needed to take care of your kids. You need a plan – a vision and goals. You need Warren Village.

 

Warren Village is a nonprofit focused on transforming parent’s lives and improving children’s futures. They do this by providing safe and affordable housing, parent services and early education and childcare. Warren Village leadership knew services providing were having an impact on the families they served, however, there was an opportunity to work towards building evidence and using data to tell the story.

 

Warren Village partnered with ResultsLab to launch an Impact Accelerator to refine the organization’s vision, mission and gain alignment on desired outcomes for driving change. Through facilitated sessions, ResultsLab consultants strengthened their program model, providing a detailed plan on “what you will do to get impact” including the quantity, quality and content needed to realize outcomes. Once outcomes and program components were defined, the ResultsLab team created a solid measurement strategy, learning agenda and measurement plan that aligned to organizational values and goals. Consultants conducted a data audit to identify gaps in what was currently being collected and worked to streamline and only include data that will be used. Consultants developed data system requirements, identified the right data system for the Warren Village team and worked to implement and operationalize this solution. This work enhanced organizational structure, knowledge sharing and created a culture of learning focused on program quality and continuous improvement.

“Through ResultsLab’s Impact Accelerator, we were able to strategically think through how we were delivering our programs and really optimize the process in a way that worked for our team and our community.”  – Elyse Montgomery, Director of Family Services – Warren Village

 

To strengthen this work and provide the tools needed to replicate Family Service programming in new locations while ensuring quality and consistency, Warren Village invested in a Family Services Playbook. The Playbook documented the program model in a very specific and detailed way, including how services are delivered, key implementation drivers to deliver the program with quality and highlights staff competencies and training needed to ensure the desired experience for their parents and children.

 

The Result

An organization that has created a culture of learning that embraces data for decisions, stronger outcomes and to build a foundation towards providing evidence-based programming. Ultimately, a better experience for Warren Village parents and children and a more engaged and informed team.