There are pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) as listed below:

AVANCE has developed a Pre-Implementation Organizational Assessment for organizations interested in implementing the AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) in order to measure organizational readiness. Based on AVANCE's experience implementing the PCEP in new communities, several preliminary guidelines have been devised to help determine if an organization is equipped to provide the program. AVANCE welcomes the opportunity to discuss with prospective providers PCEP components and implementation, including delivery options and ways to integrate the PCEP within an organization's existing services, and to explore potential partnerships. AVANCE has also developed a toolkit including implementation guidelines, curriculum samples, and impact data to guide prospective partners in determining if the PCEP is a good fit for their organization/school district. For organizations interested in bringing the PCEP to their community, contact the program representative (contact information at the bottom of this page).

There is formal support available for implementation of AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) as listed below:

Every site is assigned a Trainer from the AVANCE National Office who is available on an ongoing basis to answer questions, provide guidance and coaching, and assist with program implementation and delivery. Communication between program staff and the assigned AVANCE trainer is paramount to not only ensure fidelity to the program, but also to make sure program staff have a substantial level of training and mentorship to be able to deliver the program confidently and provide the quality of service to families for which AVANCE is known. In addition, AVANCE shares resources from its portfolio of national partners, including Ascend at the Aspen Institute , Sesame Workshop, and WGBH (PBS's largest producer of children's educational programming), with program sites.

Formal support for implementation provided by the AVANCE National Office includes the following:

• Monthly peer-networking phone conferences with Parent Educators and other program staff
• Hands-on training, including assistance with setting up classrooms and preparing lesson plans for parents and children
• On-site observation during which program staff shadow the AVANCE trainer and participate in role-playing exercises
• Monitoring to ensure program fidelity, conducted twice a year for new sites and once a year for existing sites. AVANCE sends out monitoring forms prior to the visit so that staff can conduct a self-assessment. If deficiencies are found during the monitoring visit, AVANCE works with program staff to create a corrective action plan and provides assistance to help sites meet AVANCE program standards.
• Online meetings are also available to do refresher sessions throughout the year on a variety of topics
• Help desk tickets are available for program staff to submit questions or concerns at any time, which are reviewed and responded to daily
• AVANCE provides an end-of-year evaluation to each site. Assistance is provided to ensure AVANCE has all the intake, pretest, and posttest data to be able to provide the site a comprehensive report at the end of the program year.

There are fidelity measures for AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) as listed below:

On-site monitoring visits are conducted by National Office staff to assess fidelity of all components of the PCEP based on the Program Standards and Operations Manual. Monitoring forms are used to evaluate the classroom set-up and environment, program staff, and fidelity to the model (including the delivery of the following core components: parenting education, toy-making, community resources, home visiting, and early childhood education). Reports are provided to sites within 30 days of the visit with a summary of findings, including any recommendations and action items that need to be addressed.

For more information, please contact the Training Contact above.

There are implementation guides or manuals for AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) as listed below:

The following guides/manuals are available to PCEP sites & staff:

• Program Standards and Operations Manual
• Training guides for each PCEP position explain in detail key components of the program model, philosophy, and vision; guidelines regarding program delivery; duties and responsibilities for each position
• Parent Educator
• Home Educator
• Toy-making Instructor
• Supervisor of Children's Services
• Early Childhood Educator
• Data Collection and Management Protocol describes the purpose and implementation of the evaluation tools used with participants (intake, pre/post AVANCE Parent Questionnaire, home visiting observation form, exit interview); process and procedure of data collection and reporting; and guidance on best practices for implementing these measurements in a low-literacy, group setting

For more information, please contact the Training Contact above.

Research has been conducted on how to implement AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) as listed below:

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has conducted phase one of a two-phase study examining implementation and adaptation of the Parent-Child Education Program for communities that are both ethnically and geographically diverse (e.g., African-American community in Brooklyn, NY; Latino (non-Mexican origin [community in Newark, NJ); and Native American community in Cloquet, MN. Historically, the AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program was designed for and delivered in low-income Mexican-American communities; however, preliminary research from NIEER shows the program is adaptable for more diverse communities.