The PACES (Preventing ACEs through Collaboration and Economic Supports) project, an initiative designed by Foundation Communities, aims to increase protective factors against Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by increasing the rate of receipt of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) among eligible families in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. The Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing (TXICFW) will work with Foundation Communities to examine the PACES project’s effectiveness. TXICFW will collect and analyze data from participating staff members and clients of various community partners.
The evaluation will examine whether frontline staff members benefited from participating in PACES’ training program and whether they used information in the training to promote tax filing for clients with low- to moderate- income levels. This evaluation will also assess which PACES project’s outreach efforts were most beneficial to clients. TXICFW will analyze changes in self-reported EITC and CTC-receipt among eligible families residing in the Eastern Crescent, as well as changes in the risk and protective factors associated with ACEs over a three-year period.