Baby face qualitative Evaluation

 
Baby FACE 
Wilder Research, January 2015 
 
Qualitative Evaluation 
7 
material needs and the books contributed to parents reading to their children and children’s pre-
literacy skills (discussed further in the impacts section of this report).
They bring incentives because that really helps, like first aid kits, bug sprays, things we can’t 
get, like coffee (laughs); it’s like a little treat that we get. 
Free books. We actually got a book case; that was surprising for me. We used to just stack 
books in the corner. 
She brings handouts, but also dish soap, cleaning solution, pencils, aftershave, body sprays. It 
helped. 
Most of the things they provided were things we needed. Laundry soap, diapers.
Personal relationships, trust, and rapport 
Thirteen sites (13 parent educators and 5 supervisors) noted how personal rapport, relationships, 
and trust contributed to their ability to successfully recruit families and implement the program. 
Some parent educators had experience working with families previously in other jobs, and those 
previously established relationships helped them enroll families. Many of the communities are 
small and close knit, so personal relationships parent educators had with others also helped them 
connect with families with young children. If a personal relationship wasn’t established prior to 
joining, the rapport and trust parent educators built with families over the course of home visits 
helped keep families engaged.
A lot of the families being served under Baby FACE, I had worked with them on [another program], 
so I wasn’t a stranger coming to them, talking about what they needed to do, asking them 
questions, telling them about resources. It came easier to them, because I was previously known to 
them, not a complete stranger coming to them. It was easier for them to talk about these things. 
I already had a connection with them. They were willing to sign up, because they were used to me. 
[The other parent educator] had not grown up here, had lived on a couple other reservations, so 
she had a tougher time getting people to enroll with her. 
Building a strong, good, trusting relationship with the family. They invite me in and offer me coffee, 
juice, or water. We discuss how things are going, how many times they use the books, if they are 
doing the activity, getting to know the parents, building a strong relationship with my clients.
The successes that I see are the relationships I have with my parents. I have a trusting relationship 
with them. And then seeing the growth in the children. The attachment that I have with the families. 
The energy level and interest and knowledge that the parent educators have with their parents. 
Then the relationships that they have with their parents. That is the strongest to keep them in the 
program. 
I think the main reason some of these people, the families, stayed with it was the professionalism 
of our parent educators. Their rapport with the families. The way they assist the families. They go 
through much more than the program says. They have real relationships with the families. I think 
the families really appreciate this, and that is why they stay.

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