Assessing Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Intervention Programs: Overview and Application to the Starting Early Starting Smart Program, Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 190561
• Author(s): Lynn A. Karoly; M. Rebecca Kilburn; James H. Bigelow; Jonathan P. Caulkins; Jill S. Cannon; James R. Chiesa
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 34 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admin (SAMHSA); Casey Family Programs
• Sale Source: Rand Corporation; NCJRS Photocopy Services; Casey Family Programs
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ-190560 for companion document, "Key Principles in Providing Integrated Behavioral Health Services for Young Children and Their Families"

Annotation

This report identified the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the analysis of costs and outcomes of early intervention programs in general and to make recommendations on the application of these tools for subsequent demonstration studies of the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) intervention program.

Abstract

Agency and program administrators and decision makers responsible for implementing early childhood intervention programs are becoming more interested in quantifying the costs and benefits of such programs. The objective of this report was to offer assistance to decision-makers and program implementers considering an assessment of costs and outcomes. The report discussed the kinds of issues that must be taken into account and why. The conceptual framework was set within which program costs and outcomes might be introduced. Then, some of the implications of the general framework were drawn out for analysis of early childhood interventions in particular. After the review of some analyses, the methodology was applied to an actual case in which a consortium of program funders must decide whether to proceed with an assessment and what kind of assessment to undertake. A consortium was led by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Casey Family Programs, and the intervention of interest was the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) program. The recommendations offered specific to the SESS program could be framed as a set of more general guidelines for decision-makers considering cost and outcome analysis of an early childhood intervention program. Several recommendations were presented that could be applied broadly and focused on the following areas: (1) the design of a program evaluation and cost and outcome analysis; (2) the collection and analysis of cost data; and (3) the collection and analysis of outcome data. The application of these methods to other programs, such as SESS will broaden the base of knowledge regarding the value of these investments and aid decision makers in their choice among program alternatives. Appendices