Preventive Care

This report provides practical information that states and community groups can use to develop evaluation components for community-based projects that focus on children’s health promotion. Through an examination of seven representative projects, the report offers examples and lessons learned related to various aspects of evaluation, among them: design, process and partnerships, outcomes, and dissemination. Programs may need to address underlying tensions that may exist between program administrators and evaluators when trying to determine the balance between the community’s interest in evaluation and the evaluator and funders’ concerns with rigorous evaluation methodologies. Being clear about the purpose of the evaluation, listening to stakeholder needs, and designing well-constructed evaluations can alleviate some of these concerns.