San Francisco's CARES and WAGES Plus programs are initiatives designed to increase retention and professional development among early childhood education providers. Working with the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) as well as the Department of Human Services (DHS), LFA is conducting a comprehensive process, outcomes, and impact evaluation of these programs's effectiveness.

DCYF contracted with LFA to conduct an assessment of client satisfaction for 100 child/youth programs which receive funding from DCYF. This study assesses several dimensions of client experience which are related to program effectiveness. Among those dimensions measured are: how comfortable and safe clients feel with program staff; how much clients feel that they are treated with respect; and whether clients feel that adult staff care about them and challenge them to do their best. The assessment will be used both to give feedback to individual programs, and also to provide DCYF aggregate-level data about the programs it funds.

DCYF contracted with LFA to conduct an assessment of programs being funded by DCYF. The assessment will include aggregate profiles of children, youth and parents served by DCYF-funded programs, as well as an analysis of the various services that different types of participants receive with DCYF funding. The analysis will be used to provide DCYF aggregate-level data about the programs it funds.