Baby face qualitative Evaluation

 
Baby FACE 
Wilder Research, January 2015 
 
Qualitative Evaluation 
45 
There are . . . siblings who have kids . . . and they live in the same house. I [visit] both at the same 
time. They each hear what to do with the other’s child. And that way they are being raised as a 
family. 
Parents from seven sites shared that the program positively impacted their personal, as well as 
their child’s socialization. Through exercising, talking about struggles, and discussing how to 
improve care for their children, parents were able to have meaningful connections with other 
participants. Additionally, parents referenced general benefits their children experienced from 
the program from interacting with others.
I (parent) like the one at the park to exercise, that’s hard for me to do, it’s a nice break to meet 
other parents, you know you’re not the only one in this program.
You learn from other parents, you’re not the only one struggling with things, you learn you knew 
them in high school, or you talk about joining track. [This is] nice because parents are from all 
different walks, they’re talking to your kids, like a big group taking care of each other, putting 
families together, we are all one whether you like it or not, we can all help each other.
People talk about how to better themselves in life, if you have difficulty, you talk about it and it 
makes you feel better. It’s almost like this [focus group] but everybody talks.
My kids interact with people they would not normally talk to.
Fun to see them (children) grow-up with each other. Playing around.
My daughter really enjoyed the program because…she met quite a few [people] here. 
Relationship with school 
In general, supervisors observed more impacts on parents’ feelings toward school than parent 
educators. Parent educators tended to report that they were simply housed in the school or that 
parents were already familiar with the school because their older children attended. Ten parent 
educators and five supervisors across 11 sites did note that parents in Baby FACE had increased 
familiarity with the school, which may ultimately ease the transition to kindergarten.
There is more acceptance of coming into the schools. When we have a book fair, etc., they will 
bring their kids down to get them used to the school, whereas before, they wouldn’t show up.
I think the view of the school is that it is a place they can turn to for help. That it is a place that has 
a genuine concern for them and for their children. For them to be responsible community members. 
That the school values their input and their well-being. That school is not a place that takes away 
your children, is not an organization that you need to stay away from. 
I think they are more comfortable with the school setting. A lot of Native people have not had a 
good experience with schools, particularly public schools, so they have just laid back. So it has 
been good for them to experience it as a welcoming place for learning. 
We are getting to know more parents. Before, parents, for some reason, were afraid to come into 
the school building and be visited. But now, there is more openness between the parents and the 
people who are working here. We are becoming like a family. We are not strangers anymore.

---