Introduction
This document is the executive summary of the final report from the National Impact Evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). The “impact” evaluation was confined to an assessment of the effects of CCDP on participating parents, children, and families in 21 of the “Cohort 1” CCDP projects. A separate “process” evaluation provides an assessment of the implementation and costs of CCDP projects, and the services offered to and received by participants.
Two earlier reports about the first cohort of CCDP projects, Comprehensive Child Development Program—A National Family Support Demonstration: First Annual Report and Comprehensive Child Development Program—A National Family Support Demonstration: Interim Report to Congress, were released by the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) in December 1991 and in May 1994, respectively. The 1991 report was descriptive in nature, focusing on the characteristics of CCDP, of individual projects, and of program participants. The 1994 report to Congress described the implementation of CCDP and its short-term effects on participating families about two years after enrollment in the program.
The current evaluation has been completed, and the data base from the study has been documented and delivered to ACYF for use by the research community. The data base includes copies of all questionnaires and data collection measures used in the evaluation. In addition, Abt Associates Inc. is conducting an evaluation of the second cohort of CCDP grantees. This related study, for which Abt Associates is conducting both a process study and an impact evaluation, was funded in 1993 and is due to be completed in 1998.