Evaluating parent involvement and family support in early intervention and preschool programs: Three levels of accountability

Abstract

Early intervention and preschool programs for children with disabilities are also accountable for providing certain types of support for families. How should these efforts be evaluated? This article describes 3 potential levels of accountability in terms of evaluating parent involvement and family support: (a) providing the legally required services for families, (b) providing services that are considered recommended, and (c) achieving certain outcomes as a result of working with families. Issues and considerations related to each level of accountability are discussed and recommendations are made for advancing policy and practice related to the evaluation of parent involvement and family support efforts.