The Administration for Children and Families Office of Planning and Research (OPRE) Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project is evaluating the effectiveness of an enhanced version of the MOMS Partnership® model in Western Massachusetts. Results of the implementation study have now been released. The implementation study of Western Mass MOMSSM was conducted by Mathematica in partnership with The Adjacent Possible, under a contract with OPRE. This report describes the design of the Western Mass MOMS program; the context in which it has been implemented; who it serves; key aspects of its implementation; and the cost of the program. The purpose of this report is to help policymakers interpret forthcoming findings about the effectiveness of Western Mass MOMS and help other programs interested in replicating this model understand the program and its operations. Read the full report here.
The NextGen Project is part of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation’s Innovative Strategies for Addressing Employment Barriers Portfolio, which seeks to rigorously evaluate the “next generation” of employment strategies for people with low incomes. The enhanced MOMS Partnership model supplements the MOMS Stress Management Course with group and individualized meetings with employment services staff to support participants’ labor market success and was implemented in Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts. Viability, a nonprofit human services provider implemented the Western Mass MOMS in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance.
The study randomly assigned eligible and consenting program applicants to a program group that was offered Western Mass MOMS services, or a comparison group that was not offered Western Mass MOMS services but could receive any other services available in the community. Data collection ended in the fall of 2024, and the NextGen team will be releasing impact reports over the course of the next two years based on the findings from this study.