Assessing Readiness
Legacy for Children™: Is It Right for Your Agency?
Expectations for Implementation
Agencies can participate in ongoing:
- Webinars that include topics which correspond with projected themes as groups develop over time
- Group TA calls that focus on building resources and support between sites
- Individual site TA calls that offer opportunities for individualized check-in and support
- Opportunities for “TA-as-needed” will be available through email, phone, and a group web-based discussion forum
Readiness Guide
The following questions can be used as a guide to help determine your readiness. These questions can also help you determine potential resources and barriers for starting Legacy in your community.
- Does your program serve low-income mothers of young children (birth to three years)?
- Is there a need in your community for a program to build supportive connections between mothers?
- What are the existing parenting programs in your community?
- Is there a need to strengthen parent-child relationships while supporting mothers to make their own choices for their families?
- Do you have staff who could attend a three-day pre-implementation training and are willing to be trained to deliver the Legacy for Children™ program?
- Do you have funding to support staff who could implement the program weekly for three years?
- Is your agency committed to delivering an evidence-based program and only making changes to the program in consultation with the Legacy for Children™ team at UCLA?
- This commitment must be shared by you, your leadership team, managers, potential implementers, and other program staff.
- Does your agency have existing supports to address the common attendance barrier for parents of transportation?
- Does your agency have existing supports (stipend, agency provided childcare, etc.) to address the common attendance barrier of childcare for siblings and mother-only sessions?
- Do the Legacy goals support elements of your agency's strategic plan?
Criteria for Success
Enrolling Families:
- A large enough recruitment pool of children/infants within a two month of age range (ideal group size is 7-10 families; 15-20 families per group should be recruited to achieve this size)
- Families should be low income/low-resourced (e.g., Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF] or Head Start eligible)
- Mothers should have primary, physical custody of the child
Personnel/Staffing
Sufficient staffing and staff time should be available to prepare and implement weekly two-hour groups.
Group Leader Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree, preferably in the field of social science (e.g., child development, psychology, education, sociology) or equivalent experience
- Experience working with children for a minimum of two years and with mothers from low-income households
- Good interpersonal skills
- Openness to learning new strategies related to child development, early intervention, and parenting
Group Supervisor Qualifications:
- Knowledge of early child development, the agency's human resources operations, employee policies, and a firm understanding of the agency's procedures for scheduling facilities and procurement of material goods
- Experience working with the families and children served by your agency, facilitating groups of mothers on parenting topics, and supervising staff involved in early intervention programs
Space
- A child-friendly and attractive space for mothers and babies
- One room for childcare and one for mother meetings
- Consistent access during the days and times your intervention is scheduled
- Privacy, so participants feel that they can share openly
- Storage space for materials and supplies
Supplies
- Discretionary fund or ability to procure supplies as needed
- Office and art supplies, developmentally appropriate books and toys
- Food items (e.g., incentives, activities, and rewards)
- Equipment (e.g., computer, access to copy machine, video-camera and camera)