Page 32 - Gateways for Early Educators

Gateways for Early Educators
sessions and average number of hours per month that a participant spends in coaching at each of the Resource and Referral agencies is also presented in Table 6.
2016
Table 7. Coaching Participants and Sessions Per Resource and Referral Agency
CCRC Connections
Crystal MAOF Options Pathways PUSD Stairs
Los Angeles County
GOAL Number of Coaching Participants
Total Number of Sessions
Total Number of Hours
175
2,170
1,615
100 175
1,133 2,073
1,248 2,052
100
1,264
1,559
100
1,419
1,420
100
1,225
1,232
100
1,209
1,558
850
10,493
10,686
Actual Number 195 107 of Coaching
Participants
211 112 139 133 118
1,015
Average 1.21 1.02 Monthly
Sessions Per
Participant
1.25 1.06 1.16 1.04 0.97
1.11
Average 0.91 1.14 Monthly Hours
Per Participant
1.25 1.30 1.20 1.27 1.27
1.16
The goal to serve 850 participants was exceeded. Across Los Angeles County, the Gateways Program coached 1,015 early care and education professionals for an average of 1.11 sessions and 1.16 hours per person per month. The goal for number of participants is larger for CCRC and Crystal Stairs, Inc. because of the available number of participants in their service areas. They were funded to employ more Coaches than the other agencies to cover a larger caseload. This is reflective of a coaching model that takes into account local need based on population of potential participants.
Although there are guiding principles for coaching each agency conducts the program based on local needs. This can be seen in the variability in coaching sessions and hours. For example, CCRC visited providers more frequently for less time than other agencies while Connections for Children, MAOF, Pathways and Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) coached less frequently but for longer session times. Crystal Stairs and Options provided higher frequency and lengthier sessions for participants. It is important to consider how to explore if there is an optimal model for coaching that leads to better results? Is this going to be a general model with some local flexibility (e.g., minimum of one session and one hour per month, which is what Gateways is currently providing) or is complete local control the best method for coaching?
At each coaching session Coaches completed a form that tracks the goal, follow-up, time spent, type of contact with the participant (modality), and the plan for the goal. This information was entered into the web-based database. Past Gateways Evaluation findings have demonstrated that Coaching Modality is related to the key elements that are required for a good coaching
22