Selected Research Projects
For information on these and other Innovation Lab research projects contact Monica Barczak, Director of Innovation Lab, at (918) 382-3265.
Early Development Instrument (EDI)
Building Financial Capability
One of CAP’s key strategic goals is that the families we serve progress toward family economic success. A critical piece of being economically successful is the ability to cover monthly expenses on a regular basis, track spending, plan and save for the future, select and manage financial products, and gain and exercise financial knowledge. We call this “financial capability.”
Based on work being led by the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), the Innovation Lab has developed a framework for a financial capability offering that we hope to pilot test in the coming months. The framework rests on the hypothesis that most families fall somewhere along a financial capability continuum that increases in the level of financial knowledge and engagement with services, beginning with pre-banking and moving to basic banking, advanced banking, and affluent banking. We believe that with the right approach, we can help families increase their financial knowledge and make increasingly better choices about which products best help them conduct transactions, access credit, develop savings, and build assets.
Drawing from an array of innovative practices being tested around the country, we will seek to engage our families in creative and fun ways that help them practice successful financial behaviors in addition to increasing their knowledge and understanding. We know that one size does not fit all. We are conducting extensive research into their current and past experiences with financial products and services to develop a variety of offerings that meets families where they are.
Collaboration with UCLA on the Early Development Instrument (EDI)
CAP puts great value on data-driven decision making. We also are committed to participating in and building successful coalitions. These two values come together in the Lab’s work on the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The EDI is a tool that measures five domains known to affect school readiness: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; and communication skills and general knowledge. Data on these domains are collected from kindergarten teachers and combined with other health, economic, and related data to generate maps that show community needs and service gaps on a highly local basis. The EDI does not assess children; it assesses our systems that support children.
CAP’s close working relationship with the Tulsa, Union, and Sand Springs Public School Districts has resulted in a community-wide effort to collect EDI data. The Lab worked with CAP’s Early Childhood Programs to administer the EDI in 80 kindergarten classrooms in these three districts. Results are expected to be available in the fall of 2011. Over the coming months, the Lab will work with the Tulsa Area United Way to develop a strategy for sharing results and developing community-driven solutions and action plans. As the tool is population-based, it gives communities the ability to analyze and improve services and allows communities and schools to take greater ownership of early childhood issues and outcomes.
Summer Food Programs -- Raising Awareness
Many CAP early childhood classrooms operate year-round. Children in those classrooms eat breakfast, lunch, and a snack during the school day. Children who are in traditional-calendar classrooms and older siblings in traditional schools, however, do not have this benefit when school closes for the summer. The Summer Food Service Program attempts to fill this gap. Under this federally-funded program, the Tulsa Public School district prepares and distributes food to dozens of locations (such as schools, churches, summer camps) where any child under age 18 can eat. Each site determines which meals it will serve, the days and hours of operation, and the number of weeks the program will run. Keeping track of what’s available can be very confusing for parents.
In response, Innovation Lab has assembled a group to develop customized maps showing where and when meals will be available for families living in certain neighborhoods. This summer we are focusing on the Kendall Whittier area and east Tulsa near Disney, Skelly, and Reed early childhood sites. In addition, we are working to match volunteers with sites that may be willing to open their facility to serve meals and existing meal sites who are only able to operate for a limited duration because of lack of staff. Our goal is to ensure all vulnerable children have access to nutritious meals throughout the entire year.
The Challenge of Safe and Affordable Rental Housing
The overwhelming majority of families in CAP’s early childhood programs rent their homes. As past surveys have shown, not all families find themselves in satisfactory housing situations; they feel unsafe because of crime in the neighborhood, they have concerns about the substandard condition of housing units, or they may lack space for their children to play safely outdoors. Understandably, families may move from unit to unit seeking an appropriate place to raise their children. At the same time, families who get behind on rent or utilities may move as well, in an effort to start over somewhere new. These moves can be extremely disruptive to the children, especially when they result in a move to a new school.
Innovation Lab has been thinking for quite some time about how best to help our families find and access safe affordable housing near their child’s early education center. One solution is www.TulsaHousingSearch.org, an on-line tool that allows landlords to list their available properties and allows renters to search available units, all for free. The tool can filter for units that accept Section 8 housing vouchers as well as a variety of other variables. Innovation Lab is working to disseminate knowledge about this tool across the agency, so that anyone who comes into contact with our families can point them to this valuable resource.
We continue to look for best practices in rental housing assistance to improve the stability and security of families we serve.
