Food Safety Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators

Evaluation Plan

Project Objectives 1. Multidisciplinary teams will develop research based food safety

education training module (e.g., food safety curriculum, video, materials…).

2. Early childhood teachers and parents will participate in greater numbers, and increase numbers of hours, in food safety education training.

3. Early childhood administrative personnel, teachers, and parents will demonstrate increased knowledge and understanding of effective strategies to teach children about food safety behaviors.

4. Early childhood teachers will apply and teach food safety behaviors in the classrooms with greater frequency.

5. Children will demonstrate improved food safety practices in the classroom.

6. There will be a reduced risk of the food-borne illness in Alabama.

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Principal Goal: Development of a food safety

preschool education training module Food safety curriculum Training guide Training procedures Training materials

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Criteria for curriculum:

Curriculum is supported by scientific research Curriculum improves children’s awareness of food

safety Curriculum enhances teacher’s instructional

practices Curriculum promotes and enhances parent’s

awareness of food safety

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Content of “Teaching-the-Other” training curriculum:

Recognizing the symptoms of food-borne illness Recognizing the causes of food-borne illness Appropriate steps for the prevention of transmission of

food-borne illness Proper food handling procedures Proper hand washing techniques Proper food serving procedures Teaching food safety promotion concepts to children and

parents

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Other Phase I Goals:

Production of Food Safety video Dissemination of professional development

package (curriculum, training guide, & video) to target childcare programs

Development of parent-mentoring program on food safety

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Evaluation: The curriculum development

workshops will be evaluated for effectiveness through observation and with the use of workshop evaluation questionnaires. Curriculum and training materials will be critically examined for alignment with NAEYC standards and food safety curriculum standards.

Phase I: (Research Component) Training Module Development Curriculum and training materials will be field tested

at selected sites. Random field tests at three childcare centers will be used to determine whether the curricula procedure and materials developed during Phase I will have educationally meaningful effects on children. Evaluating the preschool experiences of children and teaching practices based on NAEYC standards will form the core set of indicators to measure the curriculum outcome. This stage of evaluation will focus on the contextual variables that might influence how the curriculum is implemented (e.g., culture and neighborhood characteristics). Pre- and post-intervention data will be collected across program sites.

Phase II (Education Component): Team Training Principal Goal: To train 60 early childhood

education teams in implementing the food safety curriculum, and to train these educational teams to train others in how to implement the curriculum.

Phase II (Education Component): Team Training Targets:

Over a three year period, 60 childcare programs will participate in the program

300 childcare personnel will be directly trained 1000+ childcare personnel will participate in

“Share-the-Training” skill building

Phase II (Education Component): Team Training Evaluation: Evaluation of the one-day workshops will focus on: the effectiveness of the “Teach-the-Other” workshop activities the extent to which participants acquire key knowledge and skills

in the following areas- food safety subject knowledge, teaching strategies for food safety practices, use of data and assessment to inform classroom practices, strategies for building partnerships with parents

the effectiveness of the “Share-the-Training” activities implementation plans developed by participants

Data collection methods will include observation, surveys and questionnaires, planning records, and team member records

Phase III (Extension Component) Share-the-Training Principal Goal: Capacity-building to provide,

improve, and expand services in food safety education to early childhood educators, family members, and community partners.

Phase III (Extension Component) Share-the-Training Target: Dissemination of food safety training

information annually to- 500+ early childhood education teachers 1000+ parents 7500+ children

Phase III (Extension Component) Share-the-Training Evaluation: Project evaluation in Phase III will focus

on collection and analysis of data on- the impact of the project approach and components on

participant behaviors the impact of the project strategies on teaching practices of

ECE teachers the impact of the projects strategies on the food safety

knowledge and skills of children in participating childcare centers

the effectiveness of follow-up technical assistance being provided.

incidences of food-borne illness as reported by Alabama Department of Public Health records