Program evaluation and strategic planning in early intervention: General principles and a case example

This article discusses concepts of program evaluation and strategic planning with an emphasis on vision development; environmental scanning; problem/opportunity analysis; goal, objective, and action step development, and monitoring and revision. The article details the application of these concepts within the framework of a case example involving the Anne Arundel County infants and Toddlers Program, a program that contended with a variety of issues including an increase in referrals and enrollment; evolution from a child-centered to a family-centered paradigm; and change to community-based provision and coordination of services.