Evaluating and sustaining peer support groups for mothers in Detroit
The overall mission of Children of the Rising Sun (CRS) is to strengthen early childhood educational opportunities and services to improve the quality of life for Detroit families. In many cases, the mothers of children in the early learning program have little support, either from community or from social services. The Mom Circles program within CRS’s early childhood education program aims to improve behavioral health, wellness, resiliency, and self-care activities among caregivers of children aged 0-5 who are enrolled at CRS by creating a peer-to-peer support group. Improving the health and wellness of mothers has been shown to improve the health and wellness of their children as well.
CHRT will assist CRM in evaluating the nine-month pilot program, which concluded in June 2024, and implementing a Year Two evaluation plan. Specifically, CHRT will:
- Develop organizational capacity, staffing, trainings and/or materials necessary for sustaining the program beyond grant funding and support expansion to other early childhood programs and communities within Michigan
- Enhance evaluation of the current pilot and disseminate findings to promote the program and inform Year Two implementation
- Conduct a six-month follow up with participants from the pilot program to measure longer term impact
- Refine and implement the Year Two evaluation plan
- Develop and implement an evaluation capacity building plan for the Mom Circles program
- Develop and disseminate evaluation learnings from Year Two
- Wrap up the and finalize transition of evaluation functions fully to Mom Circles staff