A 'SafeStart' for Children

Infants and toddlers in the SafeStart program often have tough beginnings—neglected or abused, or born to parents struggling with drug and alcohol addictions or mental health issues. But at SafeStart, a center-based Early Head Start and Children and Youth Services program, the children receive educational, health and nutritional care while their parents work to address their issues.

To build stronger relationships and to better assess needs and services, Lehigh County Children and Youth Services reached out to Lehigh University for help in developing a survey for parents and other caregivers, as well as the caseworkers who work with them. The project, “Preventative Health Care for Children: Early Head Start in the Lehigh Valley,” was among Lehigh’s 2014 Mountaintop initiatives.

“You want to make sure they’re offering services that are needed and that are salient for the families,” says graduate student Jamie Whitenack, who worked with fellow graduate student Laura Spearot in addressing Children and Youth’s concerns. The two, who are both pursuing doctorates in school psychology, advised other team members, Kristen Schmidt ’15 and Sara Dreszer ’15, in the work.

Interviews with SafeStart families and caseworkers were among the first steps in the survey development. The students will analyze and code the responses to determine the main issues that the survey will ultimately need to address.

Patricia H. Manz, associate professor of School Psychology at Lehigh, and L. Brook Sawyer, assistant professor of Instructional Technology and Teacher Education, mentored the team.

Questions posed to parents included: Do you feel respected in your interactions with your caseworker? Does your caseworker respond to you promptly? How has your experience with Children and Youth Services changed your role as a parent? Caseworkers were asked: What approach do you use when working with families? What do you like most about your role?

“We wanted answers but we also wanted to promote discussion,” says Spearot, who was struck by the multitude of issues some families face as well as the challenges for caseworkers in providing support.

Families seemed empowered by the interviews, knowing that their concerns about their children and their community were being heard, Spearot and Whitenack say. Caseworkers were eager to get the word out that they were there to support families, not penalize them.

The students say they benefited too from the experience. Says Spearot: “It helped us to be better community engagers.”