A Test of the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Program in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
NCT ID: NCT01806987
Last Updated: 2017-09-19
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
265 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2013-03-31
2017-01-31
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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SETTING: The intervention will be conducted in elementary school classrooms in high-poverty, high-crime neighborhoods in a medium-sized metropolitan area of the Pacific Northwest during the summer before and the first 2 months of kindergarten.
POPULATION: This study involves the recruitment of 240 children who will be entering kindergarten in the fall and their families in three yearly cohorts (n = 80). The children will be recruited from neighborhoods that have been selected as some of the most disadvantaged in the state in terms of income and school readiness indicators.
INTERVENTION: The KITS Program is a high-intensity, short-term program timed to occur during the transition to kindergarten-a critical developmental milestone with far-reaching effects on school outcomes. The curriculum focuses on the early literacy, social, and self-regulation skills critical for success in kindergarten and on contextual characteristics (i.e., parent involvement in early literacy and positive parenting). KITS features 24 curriculum-based therapeutic playgroups focused on early literacy, social, and self-regulatory skills and 12 psychoeducational parent workshops focused on parent involvement in early literacy and positive parenting practices.
CONTROL CONDITION: The children in the services-as-usual condition will receive any early childhood learning services that they would typically receive prior to school entry. Services received will be assessed at each data time point.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The children will be randomly assigned to the KITS condition or a services-as-usual condition and assessed at four time points: spring prior to kindergarten, immediately prior to kindergarten entry, kindergarten fall, and kindergarten spring; 160 of the children will also be assessed in first grade spring.
MEASURES AND KEY OUTCOMES: Our multimethod, multi-informant outcome measures will include the following: direct assessments of early literacy and social-emotional skills prior to kindergarten and literacy skills and social-emotional functioning during kindergarten and first grade; parent and teacher reports on child skills and behaviors, parent involvement in early literacy and school, and parenting practices; direct classroom observations of child academic engaged time and social behaviors; and school records data on grades, office discipline referrals, special education services received, and attendance.
DATA-ANALYTIC STRATEGIES: Analyses will employ variable-centered (e.g., ANOVA and regression) and person-centered (e.g., latent growth curve modeling) approaches. Multilevel latent variable modeling will be used to test how changes in hypothesized mediators affect longer-term outcomes and how outcomes vary depending on level of hypothesized moderators.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
PREVENTION
SINGLE
Study Groups
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KITS Program
The KITS Program consists of: (a) child school readiness play groups to facilitate the development of self-regulatory, social, and early literacy skills (2 times per week in summer, 1 time per week in the fall); and (b) a 12 session psychoeducational workshop to promote parent involvement in the child's early literacy and schooling and the use of effective parenting techniques (once per week in summer, bi-weekly in the fall).
KITS Program
The KITS Program is a 4-month psychosocial intervention for children at high risk for school difficulties and their caregivers. The intervention begins in the summer before kindergarten and continues across the first two months of kindergarten. The KITS intervention consists of: (a) child school readiness play groups to facilitate the development of self-regulatory, social, and early literacy skills (2 times per week in summer, 1 time per week in the fall); and (b) a 12 session psychoeducational workshop to promote parent involvement in the child's early literacy and schooling and the use of effective parenting techniques (once per week in summer, bi-weekly in the fall).
Services as usual
These include any services that the child and family might already be receiving in the community.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
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KITS Program
The KITS Program is a 4-month psychosocial intervention for children at high risk for school difficulties and their caregivers. The intervention begins in the summer before kindergarten and continues across the first two months of kindergarten. The KITS intervention consists of: (a) child school readiness play groups to facilitate the development of self-regulatory, social, and early literacy skills (2 times per week in summer, 1 time per week in the fall); and (b) a 12 session psychoeducational workshop to promote parent involvement in the child's early literacy and schooling and the use of effective parenting techniques (once per week in summer, bi-weekly in the fall).
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Child is a bilingual or monolingual English speaker
Exclusion Criteria
4 Years
6 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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U.S. Department of Education
FED
Oregon Social Learning Center
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Katherine C. Pears
Senior Research Scientist
Principal Investigators
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Katherine C Pears, Ph.D.
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Oregon Social Learning Center
Locations
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Oregon Social Learning Center
Eugene, Oregon, United States
Countries
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References
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Pears KC, Kim HK, Fisher PA. Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care on Oppositional and Aggressive Behaviors in Kindergarten. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2012 Dec;34(12):2361-2366. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.08.015. No abstract available.
Pears KC, Fisher PA, Bronz KD. An Intervention to Promote Social Emotional School Readiness in Foster Children: Preliminary Outcomes From a Pilot Study. School Psych Rev. 2007;36(4):665-673.
Pears KC, Healey CV, Fisher PA, Braun D, Gill C, Conte HM, Newman J, Ticer S. Immediate Effects of a Program to Promote School Readiness in Low-Income Children: Results of a Pilot Study. Educ Treat Children. 2014 Aug;37(3):431-460. doi: 10.1353/etc.2014.0021.
Pears KC, Fisher PA, Kim HK, Bruce J, Healey CV, Yoerger K. Immediate Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care. Early Educ Dev. 2013 Aug;24(6):771-791. doi: 10.1080/10409289.2013.736037.
Pears KC, Kim HK, Fisher PA. Decreasing Risk Factors for Later Alcohol Use and Antisocial Behaviors in Children in Foster Care by Increasing Early Promotive Factors. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2016 May;65:156-165. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.04.005.
Related Links
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Related Info
Other Identifiers
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R305A120391
Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT
Identifier Source: secondary_id
R305A120391
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id