An evaluation of the homemaker service course in the major cities of western Montana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Homemaker Service course in the major cities of Western Montana. These would include Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman, Butte, Kalispell and Missoula. The existing courses were evaluated. Evaluation depended on: (1) the extent of the program offerings in these cities; (2) the need of the program or requests for assistance and (3) the effectiveness of the program by the attitudes of the employers who hired the visiting home-makers and the interest of the trained graduates in working as visiting homemakers. In order to evaluate the program the following people were interviewed: (1) the School Administrators and Directors of Adult Education Programs in Great Falls, Helena, Butte, Kalispell and Bozeman; (2) the Director of the Montana State Employment Service Office for each of the six cities for the period from January 1, 1967 through September 30, 1967; and (3) the women who had taken the course. In addition to the interviews, the job opportunities were investigated in the classified section, Jobs Of Interest, Female, in The Missoulian and The Bozeman Daily Chronicle. It was found that the Homemaker Service courses as offered were not adequately filling a serious need in the six major cities of Western Montana. It was also found that the Homemaker Service course had effectively trained women who are interested in working in the homes in time of stress and crisis; however, many graduates did not understand the purpose of the course and took the training for their own benefit. The employers were very satisfied with the work of the visiting homemakers.