Publication year
2010
Citation Title
Parent engagement and school readiness: Effects of the getting ready intervention on preschool children's social-emotional competencies
Journal Name
Early Education & Development
Journal Volume
21
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
125-156
DOI
10.1080/10409280902783517
Summary
Parental engagement is an important contributor to preschool children's school readiness. The effectiveness of the Getting Ready parental intervention program was examined in the study. Two groups of children were randomly assigned to the intervention condition or the control condition, and results revealed that the intervention was effective at building children's social-emotional competencies, which in turn built children's school readiness.
Key Findings
Children in the Getting Ready treatment group gained more social-emotional competencies (i.e., a child’s ability to interact with and form relationships with others) after the two-year program compared to children in the control group.
Children in the treatment group experienced a reduction in anxiety and withdrawal, whereas children in the control group did not.
No differences in behavioral concerns (e.g., anger, behavioral problems, lack of self-control) between the two groups were observed.
Implications for Military Professionals
Help military parents develop strategies to increase their children’s school readiness
Participate in professional trainings to learn about the special challenges faced by military families in terms of child education
Implications for Program Leaders
Collaborate with civilian parent education programs to increase the availability of parent education for military families
Offer workshops for military parents to improve their parental engagement
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs aimed at increasing military children’s school readiness
Raise awareness of the importance of parental engagement on military children’s well-being
Methods
Families were recruited from the Head Start program, and were randomly assigned to the treatment or the control conditions; the attrition rates during the two-year study were 46% for the treatment group, and 53% for the control group.
Families in the treatment condition received Getting Ready intervention, whereas families in the control condition did not; the numbers of families in the two conditions were not indicated.
Data were gathered primarily by having teachers report children’s social-emotional outcomes and behavioral concerns.
Participants
Participants were 220 disadvantaged children enrolled in the Head Start program and their parents.
The children ranged in age from 35.94 to 52.63 months (M = 43.06 months, SD = 3.55), and 49% of them were female.
Most of the participants were White (33%), followed by Black (18%), Latino (25%), and other (24%).
Limitations
The children outcome measures were based on teacher report only, so it is unclear how the parents perceived the outcomes, and data based on teachers’ observations may not be applicable to behaviors at home.
Teachers in the treatment group had more interactions with project staff than teachers in the control group, therefore they may be aware of the experiment assignment, and the results may not be objective.
Results from English- and Spanish-speaking children were mixed together, so it is unclear if there are any differences between the two groups.
Avenues for Future Research
Assess children outcomes via both parent and teacher reports so that the results are more comprehensive
Define disadvantaged families clearly through criteria such as family income and parent education levels
Examine how families from different cultures may react differently to the intervention
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Research Findings: Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschool children, and relationships between families and professionals are an important contributor to school readiness. Furthermore, social_emotional competence is a key component of young children's school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (Getting Ready) designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on social_emotional outcomes. Two hundred and twenty children were involved over the 4-year study period. Statistically significant differences were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over a 2-year period on teacher reports for certain interpersonal competencies (i.e., attachment, initiative, and anxiety/withdrawal). In contrast, no statistically significant differences between groups over a 2-year period were noted for behavioral concerns (anger/aggression, self-control, or behavioral problems) as a function of the Getting Ready intervention. Practice or Policy: The intervention appears to be particularly effective at building social_emotional competencies beyond the effects experienced as a function of participation in Head Start programming alone. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.
Abstract Document
Attach