A Creative, Collaborative, In-Depth Case Study

Project Spotlight | New Moms THE SITUATION. New Moms had developed an innovative, research-based approach to support young mothers to successfully enter the workplace. They wanted a compelling way to explore and document the struggles and successes of this promising approach. The Annie E. Casey Foundation engaged GLP to craft a comprehensive case study that would be of use to New Moms and to other programs across the U.S.   THE JOURNEY. GLP knew that the only way to tell this story was by collaborating closely with a team at New Moms who shared diverse perspectives. Together we mapped out a 9-month timeline, clarified their vision for the final case study, and prioritized key learning questions they wanted to answer through the case study. We used GLP’s “Ask, Study, Observe” framework to organize and track data as it was collected. We found creative ways to gather staff and participant perspectives on the approach, without interfering with the program’s daily routines. For example, we built a relationship with one cohort of participants and talked with them via zoom every Friday morning over 16 weeks. Finally, we proposed two creative ways to tell the story without overwhelming people with written text: 1) a written case study with links to a set a practical tools for the field and 2) a short video highlighting key aspects of the approach and testimonials from participants.   THE IMPACT. This process strengthened New Moms internally by engaging staff and participants in dialogue about the approach, affirming what they were doing, and stimulating them to think about new possibilities moving forward. The final products of this collaborative process will also undoubtedly be of value to programs nationwide who want concrete ideas on how to design and implement research-based approaches.

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