Center for Families

Director: Susan Kontos, professor, Department of Child Development and Family Sciences

Assistant: Demetra Evangelou, visiting lecturer, Department of Child Development and Family Sciences

Staff: Candace Olmstead, graduate student, Department of Child Development and Family Sciences

Funding: Tippecanoe County First Steps/Step Ahead Council
October 2001-March 2002, $5,000

Term of Project: October 2001-October 2002

Description: The purpose of this research was to accurately and systematically assess the child care needs of families in Tippecanoe County in order to design services and inform policymakers to better serve the needs of families and children.

Outcomes: The following activities were completed during this project:

• Met with Tippecanoe County Educare Committee
• Reviewed and summarized existing child care data in Tippecanoe County
• Reviewed and summarized existing demographic data in order to establish trends and estimate future need
• Compiled a description of all child care services in Tippecanoe County
• Implemented a brief survey that was distributed to parents, employers, and child care providers in Tippecanoe County
• Interviewed key community members and local child care experts to determine perceived child care needs and trends
• Analyzed and summarized all needs assessment data and wrote a comprehensive final report