TY - JOUR
T1 - Examining the effects of an infant-toddler school readiness intervention in center- and family-based programs: Are results generalizable?
AU - Bleses, Dorthe
AU - Jensen, Peter
AU - Højen, Anders
AU - Willemsen, Marinka
AU - Slot, Pauline
AU - Justice, Laura M.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Infants and toddlers frequently participate in either center- or family-based childcare programs. However, little is known about the efficacy of early learning interventions introduced in these two types of programs, in particular family-based programs. The present work builds upon findings of a recent experimental trial demonstrating that a 20-week infant-toddler intervention supporting center- and family-based teachers to be more explicit and intentional in their interactions had a significantly positive effect on targeted child outcomes. In this follow-up paper, we conducted secondary analyses exploring effects of the intervention across the two contexts, center- and family-based programs. Analyses showed that the social validity of the intervention was generally high in both settings, but even higher in family-based than center-based programs. Findings also showed that teachers in both types of programs implemented the intervention at a satisfactory level, but family-based teachers tended to implement more small-group activities and had more conversations with individual children. There were no differential impacts on child outcomes across the two contexts, except for an overall significant spill-over effect on the outcome of empathy within center-based care. Finally, we found that the intervention had positive effects on teachers’ use of counting and math activities in both types of programs.
AB - Infants and toddlers frequently participate in either center- or family-based childcare programs. However, little is known about the efficacy of early learning interventions introduced in these two types of programs, in particular family-based programs. The present work builds upon findings of a recent experimental trial demonstrating that a 20-week infant-toddler intervention supporting center- and family-based teachers to be more explicit and intentional in their interactions had a significantly positive effect on targeted child outcomes. In this follow-up paper, we conducted secondary analyses exploring effects of the intervention across the two contexts, center- and family-based programs. Analyses showed that the social validity of the intervention was generally high in both settings, but even higher in family-based than center-based programs. Findings also showed that teachers in both types of programs implemented the intervention at a satisfactory level, but family-based teachers tended to implement more small-group activities and had more conversations with individual children. There were no differential impacts on child outcomes across the two contexts, except for an overall significant spill-over effect on the outcome of empathy within center-based care. Finally, we found that the intervention had positive effects on teachers’ use of counting and math activities in both types of programs.
KW - Educational practice outcomes
KW - Family-based and center-based programs
KW - Language, math and social-emotional child outcomes
KW - School readiness intervention
KW - Toddler classrooms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183550966&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.01.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.01.001
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0885-2006
VL - 67
SP - 252
EP - 264
JO - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
JF - Early Childhood Research Quarterly
ER -