Eckerd Wilderness Educational System, North Carolina, evaluation report fiscal year ...

              Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. Copyright February 2004
North Carolina
ECKERD WILDERNESS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Evaluation Report - Fiscal Year 2003
Improving The Future, One Child At A TimeNorth Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 1 February 2004
Eckerd Wilderness Educational System
Evaluation Report (FY 2003)
Introduction
As a condition of program expansion in the 1998 Juvenile Reform Act, the North Carolina General Assembly requires annual evaluations of many of the programs that are approved for funding.
This report will examine the North Carolina Eckerd Wilderness Educational System by looking at:
o Services provided to the clients
o Demographics of those served
o Behavioral changes of youth while in the programs
o Follow-up evaluation of the programs’ long-range impact
o Cost benefits to the state.
Services Provided
The North Carolina Eckerd programs serve boys and girls, ages 10 through 17, with behavioral, emotional and delinquency problems. The Eckerd Wilderness Educational System offers year-round, staff-secure, residential therapeutic programs, providing an alternative to more restrictive settings. Counselor-teachers live with the youth in groups of ten that are designed to promote self-esteem, personal responsibility, problem-solving skills, communication skills, and self-discipline. Group activities are the medium for problem-solving and interpersonal skill development. Youth learn immediate cause and effect relationships as they live with the natural consequences of their own decisions, choices, and behaviors.
Experiential education and individual instruction promote positive attitudes towards learning while strengthening basic skills. Youth earn educational credits during the program and are assisted with re-entry into public schools. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits the North Carolina programs as experiential learning centers. In addition, each program is also fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation and licensed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Family workers provide ongoing services to the parents while their children are enrolled in the program. These services are directed toward strengthening parental skills and abilities to influence their child’s learning, improving their capacity to provide a positive home environment, and connecting with community resources. The family worker is the liaison between programs and the family and provides counseling, crisis intervention, and case management services. In most locations, family workers also facilitate parent groups.
Youth Profile
Youth who enter EYA North Carolina programs come with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge. They are often absent from school in the months prior to admission due to truancy, suspension, or expulsion. They have difficulty with anger management, with verbalizing their thoughts and feelings, and with self-esteem. Relationships with their families, peers, and adults in authority are often difficult for them. They tend to rebel against rules and structure, some by running away, some through aggression, and some by withdrawing emotionally. They arrive at the programs unhappy with themselves and troubling to others. With all of this in mind, it is EYA’s goal to help youth move to a better place in their lives, through treatment and understanding.
Fiscal Year 2003
Four hundred five state-funded youth entered EYA North Carolina programs during the fiscal year, July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003. North Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 2 February 2004
Demographics
The youth who entered the EYA North Carolina programs had the following characteristics:
• The average youth at intake was 14.5 years of age, with an average IQ of 90, and was one or two grade levels behind in school.
• The majority (84%) of youth at intake were male.
• Over 61% were 14 or 15 years of age at intake and 82% were in the seventh, eighth, or ninth grade.
• Minority youth represented 34% of total admissions.
• 21% of youth came from homes with both parents, either adoptive or biological. In spite of the low percentage of youth living with both parents, over 91% were living with at least one parent.
• Many of the youth (45%) had a documented history or experience with domestic violence, abuse, neglect, parental alcoholism/drug abuse, death of a parent, or one or more parents incarcerated.
• Over 36% of the youth were classified as special education students.
• Over 56% had been adjudicated delinquent by the juvenile courts, and others had been adjudicated dependent due to abuse or neglect by their parents. Gender at Intake 90.2%90.4%84.2%87.1%85.9%15.8%12.9%14.1%9.6%9.8%0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%100.0%98/9999/0000/0101/0202/03MaleFemale Age and Grade Level at Intake 14.514.414.414.414.57.97.97.97.87.90510152098/9999/0000/0101/0202/03Average AgeAverage Grade
The percentage of females (15.8%) is the highest in the last five years.
The age and grade level of youth has remained consistent over the last five years, edging up slightly this past year. Percent of Youth with Offenses at Intake47.352.257.256.855.401020304050607098/9999/0000/0101/0202/03 Average Number of Offenses for Youth with Offenses at Intake2.22.42.72.52.7012398/9999/0000/0101/0202/03
The percentage of youth with offenses slightly dropped in FY 2003 after posting a four-year high.
While the percentage of youth with offenses dropped, the average number of offenses for youth matched the high of FY 2001. North Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 3 February 2004
Most youth with offenses at intake have person or property offenses. These types of offenses include felony and misdemeanor crimes. Most Serious Offense at IntakePublic Order Offense4.3%Probation Violation1.7%Drug Related Offense6.1%Weapon Offense2.2%Status Offense7.0%Property Offense40.4%Person Offense38.3%
Graduation Rate, Behavioral Change and Academic Growth Exit Reason Percentage76.811.60.76.94.00.020.040.060.080.0100.0SuccessfulCompletionWithdrawlTransferCampTerminationOther
Of the 422 youth exiting programs,77% successfully completed theiridentified treatment goals andobjectives.
The average length of stay for allgraduates was 10.5 months. This wasdown from last year’s average lengthof stay of 11.0 months.
The Piers Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale is a brief, self-report test designed to aid in the assessment of self-concept in youth. Eckerd programs use all aspects of the Piers Harris for assessment purposes when developing individual treatment plans. The Piers Harris is comprised of an 80-item self-report questionnaire designed to determine how youth feel about themselves. The single most reliable measure for the Piers Harris and the one with the best research support is the total score. An increase in total score from pre- to post-testing indicates gains in self-esteem. The mean pre-total score was 51.9 with a mean post-total score of 59.3. Youth increased an average of 14% from pre- to post-testing. Woodcock Johnson III Average Test Scores6.47.76.87.75.56.06.57.07.58.0Reading atIntakeReading atExitMath atIntakeMath at Exit
The North Carolina contract provides that youthserved by Eckerd show progress in academicachievement while assigned to a program. Theexperiential learning component that is built into allaspects of the program combined with thetransitional classroom experience are designed toensure that youth do not lose ground when theyreturn to their home schools. The WoodcockJohnson – III Tests of Achievement is used tomeasure academic progress in reading and math.Scores indicate the pre- and post-test scores interms of grade placement. The graph on the rightindicates that students advanced an average of afull grade level during treatment. North Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 4 February 2004
Long Range Benefits
The annual contract between the North Carolina Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc., requires Eckerd to conduct follow up evaluations at 6-month and 12-month intervals on each graduate. The most recent follow-up report shows the 6-month and 12-month contact with graduates from FY 2002. Data was collected on 6-month follow-up for 362 graduates and on 12-month follow-up on 346 graduates. This report provides a summary of some common living situations for program graduates as well as the frequency of utilization rates related to client adjustment upon return home.
SIX AND TWELVE MONTH FOLLOW-UP SUMMARY REPORT
NORTH CAROLINA GRADUATE YOUTH FROM JULY 1, 2001 - JUNE 30, 2002
Living Status at 6 and 12 Months Post-Service
6 Months
12 Months
Two Parent Home-Biological and/or Adoptive
19.6%
16.5%
Single Parent
36.7
35.5
Parent and Step-Parent or Partner
24.0
21.4
Relative
10.8
12.4
Foster Home or Group Home
2.5
3.5
Other*
6.3
10.7
*Other is defined as Independent Living, Living with a Friend, Mental Health Placement or Delinquency Placement.
Profile Area
Within 12 Months of Graduation
1.
Post-Service Placement Percentage of youth placed in a residential setting as or more restrictive than the program
7.2%
2.
Post-Service Supervision Percentage of youth on probation or under court ordered supervision
6.6%
3.
Recidivism Percent of youth convicted of any new offense or technical violation in either juvenile or adult court
15.2% Recidivism Rate14.515.313.915.229.201020304098/9999/0000/0101/0202/03
Since FY 2000, the recidivism rate hasbeen somewhat stable, fluctuatingbetween 14 and 15 percent over thelast four years. North Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 5 February 2004
Profile Area
Within 12 Months of Graduation
4.
Mental Health Service - Residential Percentage of youth utilizing residential mental health services
4.2%
5.
Mental Health Service – Non-residential Percentage of youth utilizing non-residential mental health services
14.7% Percent of Youth Using Non Residential Mental Health Services2.510.714.717.119.1010203098/9999/0000/0101/0202/03
While initially increasing from FY 1999to FY 2001, the percentage of youthusing non-residential mental healthservices has slowly declined over thelast two Fiscal Years.
Education/Vocation Status:
6-Months Post-Service
12-Months Post-Service
Percentage of youth either enrolled in school, gainfully employed or both. Youth in a delinquency placement at the post-service period are not included in this evaluation.
90.3%
87.5% Productivity at 6-Months Post-ServiceAttending School and Working20.1%Attending School and Not Working64.9%Not Working and Not Attending School9.7%Working and Not Attending School5.3% Productivity at 12-MonthsPost-ServiceNot Working and Not Attending School12.5%Working and Not Attending School8.2%Attending School and Working21.3%Attending School and Not Working58.0%
Youth engaged in employment or school are considered to be “productive.” Over 87% of the youth who successfully completed their programs remained productive the year following service.North Carolina Evaluation Report FY 2003
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 6 February 2004
Cost Benefit
Youth made significant gains while in programs and adjusted well once they returned to their families and communities. The cost per day for a youth served in Eckerd programs for FY 2003 was $100.54 with an average length of stay for graduates of 10.5 months yielding an average cost per youth of $31,775. To assess the relative value of this program, please refer to the juvenile justice residential costs comparison chart below. (Cost comparison data of non-Eckerd programs reflect 2002-2003 data obtained from the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.)
Residential Cost Comparison
Program Type
Daily Cost
Cost per Bed
Cost per Youth
Eckerd Programs
$100.54
$36,555.00
$31,775.67
Secure Detention
143.00
51,529.00
52,020.00
Youth Development Centers
176.00
53,381.00
64,336.00
Summary and Conclusions
This report reviewed the Eckerd Wilderness Educational System that is operated under contract between the North Carolina Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc., a private not-for-profit provider headquartered in Clearwater, Florida.
Conclusions that are supported by this evaluation are:
1. The programs serve a high-risk group of youth whose behavior makes them likely candidates for further behavior problems.
2. Based on pre- and post-testing, the programs have a positive impact on the social skills, academic achievement and basic attitudes of the youth served.
3. Follow-up evaluation shows that these behavior and attitude changes are resulting in long-range improvements for the youth served.
4. The changed behaviors are resulting in cost savings to the state in fewer youth development center and mental health placements.
The Eckerd programs are providing a clearly beneficial service. As one of the few residential alternatives available to all of the juvenile courts as an Intermediate Sanction the Eckerd programs are filling an important need in North Carolina’s Juvenile Justice System. Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. 100 North Starcrest Drive / P.O. Box 7450 / Clearwater, FL 33758-7450
Phone: (727) 461-2990 (800) 554-4357 Fax: (727) 442-5911 www.eckerd.org