Enhancing Child Preschool Readiness in Early Head Start

描述(由申请人提供)：发展科学和早期干预研究确定了关键的学校“准备”技能；其中包括：注意力和行为调节、人际关系技能、接受和表达语言技能以及新出现的识字技能。在拟议的项目中，我们打算测试通过早期Head Start混合模式计划(EHS-MIX)向0-3岁的婴幼儿提供的关系型和紧急识字课程对这些准备技能的综合和单独影响。新出现的识字课程是对话阅读(DR)，可以提供对儿童保育人员和家长的培训。将研究的四个相关课程是：1)育儿教育/情感开端伙伴(PIPE/EB)和2)促进首次关系(PFR)，为家长教育者和儿童保育者提供培训；3)早期启蒙-蒙台梭利(EHS-Montessori)，为儿童保育者提供培训；以及4)护士家庭伙伴关系(NFP)，为与父母一起工作的护士提供培训。计划进行一项多地点研究，其中将使用几种策略来对比单一关系方法在有和没有DR对儿童第三年准备技能评估的影响。 这项调查还将研究课程方法的实施情况，包括：a)课程方法和提供的EHS服务的强度、持续时间和质量，b)接受培训的工作人员的背景，c)课程培训对工作人员技能和专业发展的影响，d)干预措施的亲子体验，e)培训费用。这笔规划赠款将允许开展以下活动，以支持这项拟议调查的发展和阐明：1)改进课程方法，2)确定和招募合作计划地点，3)与国家专家协商，4)调查小组会议以设计评估，5)初步评估的试点测试，6)与其他受赠者会面，探讨研究方法的连续性，7)关于构建比较小组和准备多地点提案的方法的最终决定，以及8)在早期启动阶段招募和招募妇女参加NFP计划的测试。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Developmental science and early intervention studies have identified key school "readiness" skills; included among these are: attention and behavioral regulation, relationship skills, receptive and expressive language skills, and emergent literacy skills. In the proposed project, we intend to test the combined and separate impact on these readiness skills of relational and emergent literacy curricula delivered through Early Head Start Mixed-Model programs (EHS-Mix) to infants and toddlers aged 0-3. The emergent literacy curriculum is Dialogic Reading (DR), which can be offered to train both child care providers and parents. The four relational curricula to be studied are: 1) Partners in Parenting Education/Emotional Beginnings (PIPE/EB) and 2) Promoting First Relationships (PFR), which offer training to both parent educators and child care providers, 3) Early Head Start-Montessori (EHS-Montessori), which offers training to child care providers, and 4) the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP), which offers training to nurses working with parents. A multi-site study is planned in which several strategies will be employed to contrast single relational approaches with and without DR in their impacts on children's readiness skills assessed in the third year of life. This investigation will also study implementation of the curricular approaches, including: a) the intensity, duration, and qualities of curricular approaches and EHS services delivered, b) backgrounds of staff who are trained, c) impacts of curricular training on staff skills and professional development, d) parent and child experience of the interventions, e) costs of training. This planning grant will permit the following activities to support the development and articulation of this proposed investigation: 1) refinement of curricular approaches, 2) identification and recruitment of collaborating program sites, 3) consultation with national experts, 4) meeting of investigative team to design assessments, 5) pilot testing of initial assessments, 6) meeting with other grantees to explore continuities in study methods, 7) final decisions regarding method of constructing comparison groups and preparation of the multisite proposal, and 8) recruit and enroll women in the test of the NFP program within Early Head Start.