Colors of Kindness Program Evaluation
Evaluate the effectiveness of the Colors of Kindness (CoK) program in building the social-emotional resilience of children living in shelters for migrant families.
- Impact Areas:
- Health & Mental Well-being
Impact
In partnership with Amal Alliance (www.amalliance.org), this mixed methods study evaluates the Colors of Kindness (CoK) program—a 10-week mobile intervention designed to support the social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health of immigrant children aged 3–5 living in migrant shelters across Massachusetts.
Adapted from a previous iteration, CoK is specifically tailored to meet the developmental needs of displaced children experiencing heightened vulnerability due to trauma before, during, and after migration.
The program delivers 45-minute, play-based sessions in mobile classrooms—buses converted into vibrant preschool environments—which travel to 10 shelter sites in Central Massachusetts, serving small groups of approximately eight children per session. Sessions are led by trained teachers who provide social-emotional and mental health education in a supportive, trauma-informed setting.
The evaluation seeks to:
- Assess changes in children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health outcomes
- Understand the lived experiences and needs of participating children and their families
- Evaluate the program’s acceptability among parents and caregivers
- Identify implementation challenges and benefits
- Examine the program’s cost-effectiveness
As Massachusetts sees a growing influx of migrant and displaced families, this evaluation will provide critical insights to inform early childhood mental health strategies and strengthen support systems for young children navigating displacement and trauma.
Key Partners
Convergent partnerships are at the heart of what we do. We are proud to partner with federal and state agencies, non-profit and advocacy organizations, philanthropic institutions, and universities to elevate social work leadership and to create equitable health and mental health care systems for all.
