Immediate Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care

Katherine C. Pears; Philip A. Fisher; Hyoun K. Kim; Jacqueline Bruce; Cynthia V. Healey; Karen Yoerger

doi:10.1080/10409289.2013.736037

Immediate Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care

Katherine C. Pears, Philip A. Fisher, Hyoun K. Kim, Jacqueline Bruce, Cynthia V. Healey, Karen Yoerger

Department of Child and family Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

55 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Research Findings: School readiness is a strong predictor of adjustment in elementary school and beyond. Children in foster care are at particular risk for academic and social difficulties in school. Limitations in self-regulatory skills and caregiver involvement among these children might contribute to a lack of school readiness. This study presents the immediate effects on school readiness of a targeted, short-term intervention designed to improve children's early literacy, prosocial, and self-regulatory skills during the summer before kindergarten entry: Kids in Transition to School. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we assigned 192 children in foster care to either an intervention or services as usual comparison condition. Multimethod, multi-informant assessments were conducted immediately prior to and following the completion of the intervention. The results from structural equation modeling indicated that the intervention had significant positive effects on early literacy and self-regulatory skills. Practice or Policy: An efficacious, short-term, readily scalable, theoretically based intervention targeted at specific vulnerabilities for children in foster care may help to improve the school readiness and eventual school adjustment of these children.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	771-791
Number of pages	21
Journal	Early Education and Development
Volume	24
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.736037
Publication status	Published - 2013 Aug

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Support for this article was provided by the following grants: R01 DA021424 and P30 DA023920, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, Prevention Research Branch, NIDA, United States, Public Health Service. The content of this article is solely our own responsibility and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding organization. We thank Deena Scheidt and Angie Relling for project management, Matthew Rabel and Diana Strand for editorial assistance, and the staff and families of the Kids in Transition to School Project for their ongoing dedication and participation.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Education
Developmental and Educational Psychology

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10.1080/10409289.2013.736037

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abstract = "Research Findings: School readiness is a strong predictor of adjustment in elementary school and beyond. Children in foster care are at particular risk for academic and social difficulties in school. Limitations in self-regulatory skills and caregiver involvement among these children might contribute to a lack of school readiness. This study presents the immediate effects on school readiness of a targeted, short-term intervention designed to improve children's early literacy, prosocial, and self-regulatory skills during the summer before kindergarten entry: Kids in Transition to School. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we assigned 192 children in foster care to either an intervention or services as usual comparison condition. Multimethod, multi-informant assessments were conducted immediately prior to and following the completion of the intervention. The results from structural equation modeling indicated that the intervention had significant positive effects on early literacy and self-regulatory skills. Practice or Policy: An efficacious, short-term, readily scalable, theoretically based intervention targeted at specific vulnerabilities for children in foster care may help to improve the school readiness and eventual school adjustment of these children.",

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Immediate Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care

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