The Survey Says...

Our GIFT Program has wrapped up until fall.  I hadn't done an official evaluation last year, so it was time to bring it back.  In the interest of "transparency" - the latest political catch-phrase - here are the basic results:

Rating System:
We used a 5-pt system, with 1 being "poor or never," 2 being "below average or rarely", 3 being "average or sometimes", 4 being above average or often, and 5 being "excellent or almost always"

Part One: At-Home Portion

1. How often did you do the at-home lessons?
     Most common answer was 5 - 44 out of 93 responses
     Average was 4.06

2. Do you feel that your child learned well from the at-home sessions?
     Most common answer was 4 - 34 out of 93 responses
     Average was 3.78

3. How easy did you feel it was, as a parent, to follow the textbook?
     Most common answer was 4 - 41 out of 92 responses
     Average was 4.18

4. How often did you read "Partners In Faith" for parents?
     Most common answer was 5 - 35 of 93 responses
     Average was 3.74

5. How would you rate the content of "Partners in Faith"?
     Most common answer was 4 - 42 of 87 responses
     Average was 3.85

6. Ask your child/ren to rate how she/he/they felt about the at-home lessons in general.
     Most common answer was 3 - 38 of 88 responses
     Average was 3.52

7. How often did you access the Risen Savior website for program information?
     Most common answer was 3 - 29 of 92 responses
     Average was 2.89

8. How often did you access the Faith First website for games, etc?
     Most common answer was 3 - 32 of 93 responses
     Average was 2.77

Comments:
     I did not get a lot of comments on the at-home piece.  A few people did say that the books were easy to follow.  Some wished that the at-church topics related more directly to the at-home lessons.  "Veteran" parents appreciated that the homework was assigned with dates this year - specific chapters assigned for specific weeks - rather than just a list of chapters to complete between at-church sessions.


Part Two: At-Church Sessions

1. How often did you attend the monthly at-church sessions?
     Most common answer was 5 - 78 of 93 responses
     Average was 4.77

2. In general, how meaningful or effective were the sessions for your child?
     Most common answer was 5 - 39 of 92 responses
     Average was 4.20

3. In general, how meaningful or effective were the sessions for you as a parent?
     Most common answer was 4 - 38 of 91 responses
     Average was 4.21

4. How would you & your child rate the presentation of monthly topics?
     Most common answer was 5 - 47 of 93 responses
     Average was 4.38

5. How would you & your child rate the prayer experiences?
     Most common answer was 4 - 43 of 93 responses
     Average was 4.16

6. How would you & your child rate the crafts & activities?
     Most common answer was 5 - 47 of 90 responses
     Average was 4.30

7. How helpful did you find the monthly "GIFT Rap" newsletter for parents?
     Most common answer was 5 - 41of 93 responses
     Average was 4.24

8. How motivated was your child to gather tickets & get prizes from the Treat Tray?
     Most common answer was 5 - 54 of 93 responses
     Average was 4.31

Comments:
     The 4:30pm Wednesday group commented a few times on snack - the timing of this session makes snacks an issue for some families, as it is right before dinner. 
     I did get a few comments about the crafts being too complicated or just too pervasive.  This is a weakness of mine; I sometimes forget that not all children respond to crafts enthusiastically.  I will definitely reign myself in next year!
     As always, I got a number of very positive comments from parents about how much they have learned while doing the GIFT program with their children.  This is one of my favorite things about family-based Faith Formation - it truly supports life-long growing and learning!
     A few people mentioned they would like to meet at-church more often.  Though this is not in the works for 2011/2012, one never knows where the spirit will lead us in the future!

I would like to thank all of the parents who took time to answer the survey.  I really do look at these when planning for the future.  For any colleagues out there who would like to know more about what we do at GIFT, please leave a comment, and I would be happy to contact you!

Until Fall...
-Dez