MULTIMETHOD ASSESSMENT OF A CHILD-CARE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR AFDC RECIPIENT FAMILIES - THE GENESIS OF AN EVALUATION

This article describes the development of a multifaceted evaluative strategy designed to assess the effects of the offer of guaranteed subsidized child care on the subsequent attainment of welfare independence and aggregate welfare expenditures for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients with preschool-age children. The rationale for the evaluation approach ultimately adopted proceeds from the recognition that multimethod, triangulated research designs have the potential to be methodologically superior to single-method approaches. This description of the evaluation design, including a discussion of the presenting issue and the evaluation context, is intended as a catalyst to social scientists to develop more complex and multifaceted evaluation designs in social service research. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.