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Evaluation

Goals:

Friends of the Children NY targets three primary goals for our Achievers:

1) Graduate from high school with a plan for the future
2) Avoid the juvenile justice system
3) Delay parenthood until adulthood

We have strong metrics in place to measure the progress of our Achievers. We work with each Achiever to create an annual Growth Plan in conjunction with their Friend and our Clinical and Education Director. The strategy is shared with the teachers and caregivers who become part of the implementation process. Progress is monitored using our Efforts to Outcomes database.

 

Longitudinal Study:

As the Friends of the Children was identified as a “promising best practice,” the National Institute of Child Health and Development, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provided a grant in 2007 to the Oregon Social Learning Center to conduct a randomized longitudinal controlled study on our model.  The goals of the study are to understand the long-term effects of our unique model on the outcomes of high-risk youth and to uncover the processes and interventions that cause these effects. We are currently in the fourth year of the study.  Read more about it here: NIH Longitudinal Study Press Release.

 

Third-Party Evaluations:

Since Friends of the Children NY began in 2001, we have continually collected data.  Evidence in school and at home indicates that participation in the FriendsNY program is having a positive impact in the lives of our children.  Our third-party evaluations show that our program  is:

  • “…An invaluable presence in the lives of the children and families that they serve. Children report doing better in school since having a Friend, and teacher ratings of student progress, particularly in the area of attendance support this claim.”
  • Teachers tell us student behavior also improved. As one teacher said:  “Children felt they didn’t want to disappoint their Friend so they behaved better. This change in behavior was not only visible in the students, but it also improved the overall environment of their classrooms.”
  • Parents appreciate Friends’ impact, as exemplified by one parent telling our evaluator: “For him to have a person who gives him the attention he’s looking for, it’s great. It’s like they have someone special just for them, and they get to share a lot with them. They become part of your family because they’re involved with a great deal of things with the child.”

Download a PDF version of the complete Friends NY 2009 Evaluation.

Download a PDF version of the complete Friends NY 2006 Evaluation.

Download a PDF version of the complete Friends NY 2003 Evaluation.