Kaleidoscope Play & Learn program designated a Promising Practice
Child Care Resources’ Kaleidoscope Play & Learn program was recently awarded Promising Practice designation by the University of Washington’s Evidence-Based Practice Institute. Kaleidoscope Play & Learn earned the designation by building the program on sound theory and foundational research and by producing evidence through evaluation that shows consistent, positive results for program participants.
Kaleidoscope Play & Learn is a program of weekly, facilitated play groups for young children and their Family, Friend and Neighbor caregivers and their parents. In the groups, families learn about child development and what they can do to support their children’s learning at home and in their neighborhoods.
“Kaleidoscope’s success and Promising Practice status is the result of the good-thinking and vision of dozens of community partners and funders and thousands of families who helped us shape and develop the program over the last 10 years,” said Lisa Conley, Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Program Coordinator. “It’s been an incredible and inspiring process to work with such committed and innovative people who were willing to try new ideas, learn and try again until we found what works best for children and families.”
From the outset, Kaleidoscope Play & Learn has measured its impact on the families it serves. ORS Impact has been our evaluation partner from the start.
“It has been amazing to see Kaleidoscope Play & Learn go from an idea that was being experimented with to meet the needs of underserved families and communities around Seattle to where it is today -- a program that can be implemented with confidence that makes a real difference to children and their caregivers,” noted Sarah Stachowiak, ORS Impact CEO and one of the founding members of Kaleidoscope’s evaluation team.
Tanya Laskelle, Family Support Services Director at Center for Human Services, has also been part of the team since the beginning. Tanya started as a group facilitator and now manages the Center for Human Services’ nine weekly Kaleidoscope groups. She hears from families about the positive impact the program has on their lives and the lives of their children.
“We receive such overwhelming feedback from our participants that Kaleidoscope Play & Learn is such a good fit for them because it impacts the entire family,” Tanya observed. “The program meets families where they’re at. It takes them on a journey that connects them with resources, ideas and experiences that lead to their child’s school readiness and build parents’ and caregivers’ confidence.”
To learn more about Kaleidoscope Play & Learn, click here.