A Multi-Component Parent Engagement Intervention: What are the Sustained Effects for Young Children and Families?
Parents are the first and primary agents of socialization and education for children. Active parent engagement during early childhood is foundational for young children's learning and is critical for positive development. Empirically-supported interventions to promote parent engagement are needed. A multi-component parent engagement intervention is currently being implemented in several Nebraska communities as part of a federally-funded research study, The Getting Ready Project. Preliminary analyses suggest that immediate effects of this intervention are promising; however, no data currently are being collected to determine maintenance of effects one year after the intervention has terminated. In this follow-up study the sustained effects of the intervention on several child and family outcomes will be investigated as participants transition to new educational environments (i.e., preschools or kindergarten). Participants will include 60 to 80 children and their families, with children between the ages of 18 months and 6 ½ years. Specifically, child and parent outcome data will be collected from families one year after the active intervention has been discontinued. Data will be analyzed to determine the intervention's sustained effect on children's language and academic skills, parent's interactive behaviors, and affective parent variables (i.e., parent level of stress, depression and parenting sense of competence).
For additional information on this investigation please contact:
Project Key Investigator: Lisa Knoche (PI)
