Evaluation Highlights Significant Developmental Gains for Children and Parents in Santa Maria’s Promoting Our Preschoolers Program

Santa Maria Community Services, Inc. is proud to share the findings from a recent evaluation of its Promoting Our Preschoolers (POP) program conducted by the University of Cincinnati’s Arlitt Child and Family Research Education Center. POP serves families with children ages three to five in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood, offering home visits, early learning resources, developmental screenings, and wraparound family support. The study reveals that POP significantly supports both early childhood development and parent engagement in the Greater Price Hill community.
 

The evaluation showed marked improvement in children’s motor, social, and conceptual skills, as well as positive changes in parenting behaviors that promote learning. The strongest growth was observed in children and parents who began the program with the lowest initial scores, underscoring the program’s powerful impact on families who need it most.
 

“Findings show that across many dimensions, the POP program is closing the opportunity gap for both children and their parents,” said Dr. Ann Rossmiller, Research Associate at UC’s Arlitt Center and lead evaluator of the study.
 

The research was conducted using more than a decade of data, educator field notes, and stakeholder feedback with a mixed-methods approach, including DIAL-4 (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning) child assessments, PICCOLO-Teaching (Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes) evaluations of parental behavior, and qualitative analysis of educator observations and team discussions. POP educators were recognized not only for delivering school readiness tools but also for providing hands-on, holistic support by connecting families to housing, health care, and basic needs resources.
 

“This evaluation validates what we’ve seen firsthand,” said H.A. Musser, Jr., President and CEO of Santa Maria. “POP is changing lives by helping children prepare for kindergarten and empowering parents with the tools they need to support their children’s development from day one.”
 

While gains were seen across all developmental domains, the report noted that children with initially low language skills experienced slower growth in that area. This finding presents an opportunity to further refine the program by incorporating additional strategies to support children from low-income families or those whose first language is not English.
 

“This study gives us both affirmation and direction. It confirms that our POP program is changing developmental trajectories for children in Price Hill and shows us the need to strengthen early language support for our multilingual learners. An area our team is already working on,” commented Sisan Cuervo, Santa Maria Board of Directors Chair. Cuervo, a speech-language pathologist and longtime volunteer at Santa Maria, sees firsthand how language skills are built for the children she works with in the program. “We are deeply committed to building on what works and ensuring that every child, regardless of background or home language, receives the strong start they deserve.”
 

Santa Maria Community Services is grateful to Millstone Fund for funding this indicative study, which will continue to encourage the success of the POP program and shape its impact on Greater Price Hill.