Westside Future Fund: Early Childhood Needs Assessment
Overview
The Westside Future Fund (WFF) is a catalyst for coordinating and moving ahead revitalization efforts in four neighborhoods located in the Westside area of Atlanta. With the goal of increasing access to early childhood opportunities, WFF engaged School Readiness Consulting to assess the current conditions and projected needs for building a strong system to support young children and their families. SRC conducted a needs assessment that addressed the issues of supply, demand, accessibility and cost of care in order to inform planning and implementation of early childhood programs. A central aspect of the assessment process was SRC’s engagement with a broad range of stakeholders to capture their insights on early learning opportunities and needs within the community. Based on this data, SRC developed a set of recommendations around expansion and quality improvement, and options for developing a plan to provide affordable, high quality early childhood programming on the Westside of Atlanta.
Our Process
A comprehensive needs assessment of early childhood programming was conducted on the historic Westside of Atlanta--in the focal neighborhoods of English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights and Atlanta University Center. To guide the strategic work of the WFF, four research areas emerged as critical to gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the existing need in the Westside community.
Cultural Context … explored the characteristics, prevailing wisdom, and shared experiences of the community.
Supply and Demand … examined the current supply of programs in the focal neighborhoods, analyzed demand by families, and identified specific areas where there may be a gap in access to services.
Cost of Care … developed a realistic and complete picture of the cost of care in the Westside area and how it is impacting family choice and program capacity.
Workforce Capacity and Program Quality … obtained a deeper understanding of the available resources and existing barriers to accessing professional development and program quality improvement supports.
The assessment included a mix of both quantitative data analysis to understand the numbers behind the early childhood landscape and existing need on the Westside, and qualitative data analysis to illuminate strengths and gaps in understanding with stories obtained directly from key stakeholders on the Westside. To ensure the work was driven by the values, assets and needs of the community, our team collected information from families, early childhood programs, state agencies, policymakers and other community leaders through focus groups, interviews and profiles of programs and community organizations. Insights gained from the needs assessment were used to inform the development of actionable strategies to advance early childhood programming.
The Outcome
The resulting report provided an overview of key findings from the assessment and resulting recommendations to drive a robust local agenda focused on boosting early learning opportunities and creating systemic change for all young children and their families on the Westside.
Related Work
SRC Contributors
Jennifer Caldwell
Senior Director
Nicole Sharpe
Senior Director
Lindsey Allard Agnamba
Founder and CEO
BreAnna Davis Tribble
Managing Associate
