Description:
The purpose of this study is to develop, implement, and evaluate the efficacy of kindergarten transitional services for behaviorally at-risk preschoolers from Head Start organizations in the Miami, Florida area. Sixty children identified as being at high-risk for problematic transitions to kindergarten due to behavior problems will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 (Kindergarten Summer Readiness Class (KSRC)) will receive four weeks of intensive kindergarten readiness services in a summer program in which children's behavioral, social-emotional, and academic functioning will be targeted using evidence-based approaches. Caregivers of children assigned to the KSRC will be invited to attend 8 weekly parent transitional workshops in which they will learn skills to support their child's transition to kindergarten. Group 2 (comparison treatment group) families will be invited to attend a similar 8-week series of parent transitional workshops prior to the start of kindergarten, but the children will not receive daily KSRC programming. Parent transition services will continue to be offered throughout the kindergarten year for both groups. The children's transition to kindergarten will be evaluated and compared in the fall and spring of the kindergarten year via parent and teacher report, child assessment, and objective measures of behavioral, social-emotional, and academic functioning. Caregiver involvement in the transition to kindergarten will also be evaluated and compared. It is hypothesized that 1) children in the KSRC will demonstrate fewer problems in their behavioral and academic functioning in kindergarten than children who do not receive the KSRC, and 2) caregivers of children in the KSRC will be more involved in their child's transition to kindergarten and their child's learning activities than caregivers in the comparison treatment group.
Resource Type:
Administration for Children and Families/OPRE Projects
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