Evaluation Results

The Relief Nursery has been found to be very effective in strengthening families and keeping children safe.  Long-term evaluations from Oregon have demonstrated the following: 

  • 90% of Relief Nursery children are developmentally on target and the remaining 10% are receiving early special education services
  • 95% of high-risk families have no substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect after 12 months
  • 98% of Relief Nursery children do not require foster care.

The Relief Nursery has been recognized in countless ways over the years for its innovative model of services and public-private partnerships that produce strong outcomes for children and families.  Highlights include the following:

  • The Relief Nursery was one of the six original crisis nursery demonstration projects for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • The U.S. Office of Child Abuse and Neglect designated the Relief Nursery as an Innovative Program of Noteworthy Aspects (2004).
  • Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith Wiley highlight the Relief Nursery as a successful program for providing training for parents of high-risk preschools in their landmark book, Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence. (1997).
  • The Relief Nursery was listed one of the five "Oregon Programs Proven to Work" in a cost-effectiveness study by the Portland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Citizens Crime Commission. 

 

Although Relief Nursery of Central Texas is a relatively new organization and therefore does not have longitudinal data, we have already seen anecdotal evidence and short-term indicators of success.  More specifically, to date we have seen:

  • An overall increase in family resiliency as evidenced by positive percent changes across family protective factors in families that have completed at least six months of service. This includes but is not limited to:
    •  83.3% showing an increase in family functioning and nurturing/attachment.
    • 94.3 overall percent change in parents reporting they know how to help their children learn.
  • A 27% decrease in child abuse risk as determined by a pre-test/post-test assessment using the Child Abuse Potential Inventory.
  • 100% of caregivers who have participated for at least six months have not had a substantiated case of child abuse and neglect.

Our process outcomes to date serve as an indicator of future success including: 

  • High success rate in collaborating with community agencies.
  • High rate of referral and enrollment.
  • High success rate in securing multiple in-kind donations from local businesses and individuals.
  • The development of solid evaluation protocols to track long-term outcomes.