The SPARK Kindergarten Readiness Program has officially been designated a Best Practice for inclusion in the MCH Innovations Database.
The MCH Innovations Database catalogs “what’s working” in the maternal and child health field. The Best Practice designation is awarded to programs that are effective, are grounded in practice-based evidence, meaningfully embrace collaboration, and have been successfully replicated with positive outcomes. Funders and researchers look to the database when searching for programs that positively impact maternal and child health.
The database is a part of the Innovation Hub of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), which serves as a national resource, partner, and advocate for state public health leaders and others working to improve maternal and child health public health systems.
SPARK Ohio Director Mary Brady stated, “We are so pleased that SPARK has been designated a Best Practice program. This designation, coupled with over 18 years of significantly positive evaluation outcomes, proves SPARK is highly effective at cultivating school readiness, increasing parental engagement in children’s learning, and setting children up for lifelong success. Because the program has been replicated in numerous communities, SPARK is now helping families living in 22 Ohio school districts to work toward kindergarten readiness.”