Read 365! – Program Evaluation Proposal
Project Initiation Checklist
Prepared By:
Rashawna Chapman
Ellyn Cowan
Sara Einhorn
Jessica White
Project Title
Read 365!
Beginning with
Books
Project
Objectives
Date Prepared:
3-3-14
To:
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Launch a public awareness and action campaign
Serve as a community-wide resource to inform the public about
early literacy and urge everyone to get involved in the campaign in
some way
Respectfully offer information, materials, and skill development to
parents and other adults to encourage them to read to children for 20
minutes a day
Recruit volunteers for and promote community literacy partner
programs
Get books into the hands of children
In a way that:
 Increases adults’ awareness of the importance of reading to young
children every day
 Involves children in the literacy effort
 Directs parents/caregivers to community literacy programs to enable
parents and other adults to promote the literacy development of
children in their care
 Results in parents/caregivers reading to their children for 20 minutes
a day
So that:
 Significantly more children of low-income communities in
Allegheny County will become capable and enthusiastic lifelong
readers
 More children in Allegheny County will read at grade level
 The adult literacy rate will increase
Background
Conceptual
Scope or
Project Scope
What aspects of the project are in the conceptual scope?
“The opportunity to own and experience new, high-quality children’s
books, that are both culturally and developmentally appropriate, fosters in
both young children and the adults who care for them mutually enjoyable
literacy experiences and a love of books.”
What aspects of the project are in the project scope?
There is an issue with literacy and access to books in this target population.
(cite literature)
13% Illiteracy rate in state of PA
10% illiteracy rate in AC
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/stateestimates.aspx
Put in stats on reading at grade level
Places to cite: Early Literacy Initiative; Public Library Association,
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD);
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
http://www.gplc.org/faqs.cfm
1.
What is the illiteracy rate in Pittsburgh and Allegheny
County?
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy indicates that 13 percent of adults are
in the lowest of four literacy levels, called Below Basic. Those adults struggle with
everyday tasks such as understanding the instructions on a medicine bottle or
adding up the amounts on a bank deposit slip. 13 percent of the adult population
2.
of Allegheny County equates to 135,000 adults.
What is the cause of
illiteracy?
There are
many causes. Over the years our students have shared the following reasons for
their low literacy with us: 1) dropping out of school at a young age because a
parent had a terminal illness; 2) undiagnosed learning disabilities; 3) belonging to a
family that moved from town to town many times, and schooling was
inconsistent; 4) vision and/or hearing problems; 5) growing up in a foreign country
where school was not universally available; 6) lack of a role model in one's life for
education and literacy; 7) low expectations for education in some communities and
in some homes.
Background
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Literacy problems cycle through generations
Justification
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Project Aims
Reading to children every day is the surest way to help them become
enthusiastic readers and capable learners for their whole lives
Reading together for as little as 20 minutes a day teaches children
important language skills well before they enter school
Children who grow up with reading gain the skills and confidence to
become strong students and grow into educated, successful adults
The first five years of life are crucial to fostering the skills and habits of
literacy
Early literacy is the best way to make a difference in the lives of
children
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Current Issues
Organization
Project Sponsor
Beginning with Books
Project administrators:
Board of Directors:
READ 365! Funders: The Heinz Endowments, The Grable Foundation,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Allegheny County school board directors:
Project Leads

Rashawna Chapman, Graduate School of Public & International
Affairs, University of Pittsburgh will act as a Program Evaluator

Ellyn Cowan, Department of Behavioral & Community Health
Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
will act as a Program Evaluator

Sara Einhorn, Department of Behavioral & Community Health
Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
will act as a Program Evaluator

Jessica White, MS, MLS (ASCP)CM, DrPH Student, Department of
Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of
Pittsburgh will act as a Program Evaluator
Evaluation
Start / End Date
July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015
Program
Evaluation
Goals
Project
Deliverables
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Needs assessment? (reach?)
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Determine the extent to which Allegheny County children are being
“touched” by READ 365! (Process evaluation)
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Inform the possible revision of the existing program and outreach
efforts
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Determine if the program has had an effect on the children
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Detailed analysis of the evaluations
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Evaluation matrix
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Budget
Outcome
Indicator
Marketing and educational materials distributed to
partner organizations and interested parents
Number of materials printed and distributed as
indicated in electronic purchasing orders and
distribution records
Number of advertisements placed in buses as
indicated by advertisement contract with Port
Authority
Number of TV stations and times the
advertisements are run as indicated by TV station
commercial logs
Number of materials viewed and downloaded as
indicated by electronic view and download counts
on the program website
Number of community volunteers placed at local
literacy programs as indicated by volunteers
placements logs and program logs
Number of the materials distributed to parents and
caregivers as indicated by the percent decrease in
program materials at partner organizations
Percentage of 365! Advertisement viewers who
shared knowledge about literacy with a friend or
family member as measured by phone interview
asking, “Have you seen 365! Advertisements?
Have you shared this information about childhood
literacy with a friend?”
Number of parents and caregivers who read to
their children at least 20 minutes a day, every day
as measured by phone interview.
Out of scope of evaluation
Suggestion: check performance on reading section
of the standardized tests
Out of scope of evaluation
Suggestion:
Placed advertisements in buses
Contracted with local TV stations for ad spots to
be run weekly
Parents and caregivers accessed literacy materials
on Read 365! Website
Community volunteers recruited for local literacy
programs
Parents and caregivers accessed literacy materials
at partner organizations
Parents and caregivers discussed with other
parents, caregivers and children the importance of
early reading habits
Parents and caregivers read to children at least 20
minutes a day every day
Literacy levels significantly increase among lowincome community members
Increase in the number of children in Allegheny
County that read at grade level
Consideration