Evaluation of the Incredible Years SCHOOL READINESS Parenting Programme in North Wales

1. Evaluation of the Incredible Years SCHOOL READINESS Parenting Programme in North Wales 6th March 2013 Kirstie Pye, PhD Student

2. Background • “School Readiness” – multi-dimensional concept involving the child, home, and school • More children arrive in school without social and self-regulatory skills • Low academic achievement and poor relationships • The IY School Readiness Programme was developed to address risk factors associated with children’s lack of academic readiness and poor home-school connections (Webster-Stratton, 2004)

3. The IY School Readiness programme • Universal programme delivered to parents through schools • Four weekly 2 hour sessions • Discussion, brainstorming, role-play, video-clips, group problem-solving, homework assignments • Aims: 1. Improve children’s school readiness 2. Prevent conduct problems & underachievement 3. Enhance home-school links

4. The programme – 2 parts PART 1: Child-directed play: • Strengthening social, emotional, and cognitive skills • Emotion coaching and problem-solving • Encouraging language skills and creativity PART 2: Interactive reading • Encouraging social, emotional, academic and problem solving skills • Having fun with books and letting the child be the storyteller

5. Reading with CARE • Commenting and describing • Asking open-ended questions • Responding with encouragement • Expanding on what the child says C A R E

6. Aims To establish: • A battery of effective measures to assess the effectiveness of the programme • The effectiveness of the new Programme • Any difficulties or barriers in implementing the programme

7. Sample and design • 10 schools in Gwynedd and Conwy, North Wales • 7 intervention and 3 waiting list control • 2 trained leaders per school (teachers, head-teachers, classroom assistants, psychologists) • 46 parents recruited by schools • Parents had a child aged 3-5 years (M age = 45 months) • Data collected at baseline, 6 months, 12 months

8. Assessment Battery Parents Demographics Play And Reading Observation Tool (Pye et al, in preparation) Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory (Eyberg & Robinson, 1978) Parent Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) Parental Sense of Competence (Johnston & Mash, 1989) Group leaders Focus group End of programme evaluation Weekly delivery evaluations

9. Primary Outcome measure Play And Reading Observation Tool (PAROT) • 30 minute direct observation of parent-child interactions at home • 15 minutes shared play and 15 minutes interactive reading • Code the frequency of parent and child verbal behaviours • Parent composite categories: descriptive comment, question, encouragement/praise, reflection/expansion • Child categories: positive response, negative response, spontaneous vocalisation • Total frequencies of parent and child vocalisations

10. Baseline characteristics

11. Results – question Significant difference between intervention and control, d = 0.84

12. Results – open question Significant difference between intervention and control, d = 0.85

13. Results – closed question No significant difference between intervention and control

14. Results – encouragement/praise Significant difference between intervention and control, d = 0.86

15. Results – parent verbalisations Significant difference between intervention and control, d = 0.79

16. Results – child verbalisations No significant difference between intervention and control, d= 0.61

17. Other Results • No significant differences between intervention and control for descriptive comment and reflection/expansion • No significant differences between intervention and control for SDQ total difficulties, ECBI intensity and PSOC total score

18. Feedback • How likely are you to run the programme again at your school in the future? Very likely = 4 Likely = 3 • Schools and parents reported an improved home-school relationship • Schools said they felt more comfortable talking to the parents and felt they were better heard by the parents after the programme • Some schools have already started to deliver the programme again • Opportunity for schools to co-deliver with nursery staff in July before the children start school

19. Costs • Room preparation time = 15/30/60 mins • Session preparation time = 30/60/90 mins • Group time = 2 hours • Catch-up sessions = 0/30/60 mins • Telephone calls = 20/30 mins • Supervision = 2 hours • Costs • Supply cover for teacher (£80 - £300 per week) • Refreshments etc. (£4 per week)

20. Feedback from the parents... Enjoyed the sessions and would of liked more, 4 doesn’t seem enough. Sharing stories has given me ideas of what we can do. I encourage the school to provide this short course to all parents of pre-school children. Was very helpful and informative, all parents would benefit.

21. Feedback from the parents... Feel much more positive about myself and my children due to the CARE side of the sessions Sad that this is the end of the course. Enjoyed the time. Feel that my boys have had lots of “happy” times… Week 1: Scary to start with, afraid that I’d come across as daft, or say something stupid….Got a lot out of the sessions Week 4: Thank you, I have gained confidence, knowledge, hopefully will carry forward into the future

22. Thanks for listening! psp880@bangor.ac.uk