Gross Deborah, Breitenstein Susan M, Jeon Lieny, Perrin Nancy, Shen Karen, Bettencourt Amie F
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
BMJ Open. 2025 Apr 17;15(4):e099204. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099204.
Social, emotional and behavioural (SEB) problems are among the most common chronic disabilities affecting children growing up in poverty. They also have implications for children's school success as they affect essential social-emotional learning skills such as the ability to comply with rules, regulate emotions and get along with others. These skills are first learnt before kindergarten, in the context of a supportive, responsive and consistent parenting relationship. To date, school-based interventions to improve young children's SEB competence and learning have primarily targeted students and teachers. Yet, parents are central partners in promoting these skills. This study seeks to improve children's SEB competence and kindergarten readiness by strengthening parenting skills and parent engagement in early childhood education during prekindergarten (PreK). This hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial will rigorously evaluate the effects of an evidence-based parenting programme, the Chicago Parent Program (CPP), in PreK on children's SEB competence, kindergarten readiness, chronic school absenteeism and grade retention in urban and rural schools serving students from low-income families in Maryland.
Using a cluster randomised design (n=30 schools, 840 parents; >90% low-income), we will examine the effects of CPP offered universally to PreK parents on parenting skills and parent engagement in children's education; children's SEB competence and kindergarten readiness; and chronic absence and grade retention in kindergarten. Schools will be stratified by rural versus urban district, then randomised to CPP or usual practice conditions. Data will be analysed using mixed effects regression models. Using the reach, effectiveness-adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework and a mixed methods approach, we will assess CPP reach, efficacy, acceptability, adoption, implementation, cost-effectiveness and sustainability when offered in different formats (virtual vs in-person CPP groups) and contexts (urban vs rural). Schools will participate for 2 years with experimental schools offering CPP twice, once in virtual group format and once in an in-person group format (format randomised and counterbalanced). Data will be collected using multiple informants (parents, teachers, district administrative data) and methods (quantitative and qualitative data). Knowledge gained will inform schools in under-resourced urban and rural communities on sustainable, cost-effective strategies for strengthening parent-school connections and improving young children's SEB competence and academic success.
Ethics approval has been granted by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (protocol number 00428221) and the Baltimore City Public Schools (protocol number 2024-013). At the conclusion of the study, results will be summarised and shared with parents, teachers, school principals and district leaders for their perspectives on the outcomes. Final reports will be published in scientific journals and presented at professional meetings.
NCT06197997.
社交、情感和行为（SEB）问题是影响贫困家庭儿童成长的最常见慢性残疾之一。这些问题还会影响儿童在学校的学业成就，因为它们会影响基本的社交情感学习技能，如遵守规则、调节情绪和与他人相处的能力。这些技能最早是在幼儿园之前，在支持性、响应性和一致性的亲子关系中习得的。迄今为止，旨在提高幼儿SEB能力和学习的学校干预措施主要针对学生和教师。然而，家长是培养这些技能的核心伙伴。本研究旨在通过加强育儿技能以及家长对学前教育（PreK）阶段幼儿教育的参与度，来提高儿童的SEB能力和幼儿园入学准备程度。这项混合型2类有效性-实施试验将严格评估基于证据的育儿项目——芝加哥家长项目（CPP）在PreK阶段对马里兰州为低收入家庭学生服务的城乡学校中儿童的SEB能力、幼儿园入学准备程度、长期缺课和留级情况的影响。
采用整群随机设计（n = 30所学校，840名家长；>90%为低收入家庭），我们将研究向所有PreK家长提供CPP对育儿技能以及家长对儿童教育的参与度；儿童的SEB能力和幼儿园入学准备程度；以及幼儿园阶段的长期缺课和留级情况的影响。学校将按农村和城市学区分层，然后随机分为接受CPP组或常规做法组。数据将使用混合效应回归模型进行分析。使用覆盖范围、有效性-采用、实施、维持（RE-AIM）框架和混合方法，我们将评估以不同形式（虚拟CPP组与面对面CPP组）和背景（城市与农村）提供CPP时的覆盖范围、疗效、可接受性、采用情况、实施情况、成本效益和可持续性。学校将参与2年，实验学校将提供两次CPP，一次以虚拟小组形式，一次以面对面小组形式（形式随机且平衡）。数据将通过多个信息提供者（家长、教师、学区行政数据）和方法（定量和定性数据）收集。所获得的知识将为资源匮乏的城乡社区的学校提供信息，以制定可持续、具有成本效益的策略，加强家校联系，提高幼儿的SEB能力和学业成就。
约翰·霍普金斯大学医学院（协议编号00428221）和巴尔的摩市公立学校（协议编号2024 - 013）已批准伦理审查。在研究结束时，将总结结果并与家长、教师、学校校长和学区领导分享，听取他们对结果的看法。最终报告将发表在科学期刊上，并在专业会议上展示。
NCT06197997。
