A new chapter...

As I was about to enter my third and final year of the MSW program at Southern Connecticut State University, I was very nervous. I had no idea what topic to write on for my thesis or where to even begin looking. When Greg Rawson and Jamilla Amarshi (WHCDC interns from Yale School of Business) wrote the Success by Six grant, I was inspired. The proposal made it clear that childhood obesity is a huge and growing problem, and that children are less and less socially and emotionally prepared for school each year. I wanted to do something about these issues. When we received the funding, I was ecstatic. I had a thesis topic, a new project to implement at work, and a passion for both. I considered myself lucky, because most graduate students (so I've heard) chose a topic because it was convenient and easy...not because it was interesting to them or because they felt they could make an actual difference.

The project was, in short-- A LOT OF WORK! Our team spent countless hours brainstorming the best ways to implement all the intricate pieces of the proposal, leaving no stone unturned. Planning in itself was tiring. Then there were teachers filling out DECA's, interns scoring DECA's...Parents taking surveys, interns scoring surveys...the Nurse calculating BMI's, administrative assistants entering BMI data...etc etc etc. We went into this project wanting to utilize funds in the best possible way, benefitting the children first and foremost (and their families). And that's exactly what we did. Hearing that the funding might be renewed for another school year was absolutely fabulous news!!!

Now here we are, on the brink of June...

I spent 14 hours locked in the Social Work department last week, entering BMI data, DECA data, parent survey data, demographic data, etc...into SPSS for statistical analysis. I finished my thesis two hours before I walked across the stage to receive my degree. And I am pleased to report that there were positive, statistically significant results found in the Success by Six grant project! Now I am on to the next chapter in my professional career...what that is, I haven't yet figured out. And the West Haven Child Development Center's Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative will continue diving into the project head first, expanding upon what's already been done and implementing new strategies for change and progress. I would say that this past year has been a successful one for me...I am excited about whatever may be next!