This simulation helped them experience what it might be like to live in a low-income family trying to survive from month to month. Participants were sensitized to the realities of life faced by low-income people. The success of this simulation experience was due in large part to the recruitment of volunteer staffers who either have faced or are currently facing poverty. When mean scores were compared for before training and after training, there was significant improvement in understanding. For additional information on the simulations's effectiveness, access The Iowa Experience Report.
Simulations continue to be planned at the local level around the state.