Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The OUNCE Research Project
I talked about this before, but this really is a great training opportunity and I wanted to share it once again with all of you, with a bit more information:
What is the OUNCE Research Project (ORP)?
The ORP is a study about how using The OUNCE Scale affects the professional development of child care providers and parents’ knowledge and understanding of their infants and toddlers.
What is the OUNCE Scale?
It is a resource for assessing infant and toddler development. It provides guidelines and standards for observing and understanding infant and toddler growth and behavior. It provides information for parents and caregivers to enhance everyday interactions with their infants and toddlers.
Who will participate in the OUNCE project?
About 120 licensed family and center-based childcare providers will participate in OUNCE. Additionally, about 250 parents and children will participate.
What will I be asked to do?
- You will be randomly assigned to be in one of two groups. One group will receive OUNCE materials and training in the fall of 2006. The trainings will be a series of four evening class sessions spaced over a five month period. You will use the OUNCE Scale with at least two children in your care (age 2 ½ or younger in October 2006) and their parent(s) from fall 2006-fall 2007. You will also receive follow-up support from your OUNCE trainer.
- The second group will receive vouchers for free OUNCE materials and training of the data collection period, after fall of 2007.
- Whether you are in the first or second group, you will participate in three research visits from the fall of 2006 through the fall of 2007. Each visit will consist of an 0n-site observation, an interview, and questionnaires. You will receive $10 for the first visit, $15 for the second, and $20 for the third.
- The University of Minnesota is overseeing the evaluation.
Additional Information: - Research Project is for one year, with no expectations or requirements after the one year.
The individuals who are a part of the Research do not pay for the trainings. This an approved DHS grant. - All of the OUNCE Resources are provided FREE to the Research individuals for the entire year.
- These include the Assessment and Observation records and planning logs.
- The first 12 months the study will follow/focus on just one child.
- The second 6 months of the project will add just one more child for that six month period to follow/focus.
- Centers can send two staff.
- Family Child Care Providers can send one per license.
- 12 Individuals (6 research participants for each of two groups located at each site.) are needed to make this a go. (12 at the Windom site and 12 at the Willmar site)
- Individuals need to be licensed caregivers.
- The training is open to all caregivers, but at their own cost.
This is an exciting project….and we hope that you will consider being a part of this project.
If you are in the southwestern area of Minnesota and are interested…please contact: Jennifer Cleveland at jestu001@umn.edu or 612-692-5519, or call Sue Bruss at 1-877-777-1232.
