Graduate Student Internship Program

2009 Catalog of Internship Opportunities

Program Evaluator

DeKalb County Board of Health, Babies Can't Wait, Decatur, GA
Skill Area: Data Analysis and Monitoring

Agency Information

The DeKalb County Board of Health is an urban public health agency. There are four programs within the Birth to Five System. Babies Can't Wait is an early intervention program that serves children with significant developmental delays, or children who may be at risk for delays due to diagnosed medical condition. The program was established under part C of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; it provides services to children and their families from birth to age 3.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

The purpose of the project is to assess the effectiveness and accuracy of data being reported by providers to the Board of Health with which to report on performance measures for the Babies Can't Wait program. An internal quality review of the processes used to report on these indicators is needed to determine the usefulness of current data tools, effectiveness of data collection procedures and data entry processes to determine the accuracy and relevance of the performance measure data submitted to the state. The goal of the project is to analyze the performance measurement reporting process and recommend any necessary changes to improve its accuracy. In addition, the intern will develop an evaluation plan for Babies Can't Wait that will outline the data collection methods, indicators, and data sources needed to assess the effectiveness of the program.

Data or analytic tasks and activities

Staff currently collect data from providers that describes the actual services provided. Evaluations are performed on children to determine eligibility and if eligible, service coordination and services are provided in a primary service provider model to the child and family. Data is child specific to outcomes listed on the individualized family service plan. The intern will assess the process for reporting these indicators and identify any changes required to improve the accuracy of reporting.

Data or analytic skills required

• Software applications available to the student intern include Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access programs.
• The analytic skills required will include the ability to identify strengths, areas for improvement and errors in the process from data collection to data input. This will also require chart reviews to determine if data entry is consistent with documentation

Supervisors

Primary: Cynthia Bryant, Program Supervisor (Babies Can't Wait Program)

Secondary: Betty Neal, Special Program Coordinator (Maternal and Child Health)

Internship begins

Late Spring 2009

Housing

The availability of housing will be explored as there are several colleges, churches with housing and apartment complexes in the area. However, at most, we can provide guidance in where the intern may look for housing.

Transportation

The T. O. Vinson Health Center is accessible via public transportation: MARTA. A personal automobile is not necessary for this internship.

Back to top