Head Start Classroom-based Approaches and Resources for Emotion and Social Skill Promotion (Head Start CARES)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study was to deepen the evidence base for interventions that support the social-emotional skills that underlie children's engagement and attention to learning tasks by schools (learning behaviors) and their social interactions with teachers and peers (social behaviors). The study tested three theoretically-distinct approaches to enhancing children's social-emotional development, along with a comprehensive coaching and training model, on a large scale within the Head Start system.

Official Title
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Head Start Classroom-based Approaches and Resources for Emotion and Social Skill Promotion (Head Start CARES)

Conditions
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Teacher Practice, Child Social-Emotional Development

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Incredible Years Teacher Training
* Behavioral: Preschool PATHS
* Behavioral: Tools of the Mind


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Grantees had to have at least 4 centers with a similar racial/ethnic composition An equal number of classrooms with full-day or part-day programs And a similar mix of four-year-old-only and mixed-age (three-and four-year-old) classrooms. Children had to speak English and Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: A grantee was excluded from the sample if it: only ran early Head Start programs Only served migrant children Was located in a U.S. territory Only or mostly provided family child care or home services Was more than 100 miles from a primary airport, Operated fewer than 4 centers with two classrooms each Had been in operation for less than 2 years Was not in compliance with Head Start Standards They were already systematically implementing a social-emotional curriculum or participating in another evaluation study.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Years
Maximum Age: 4 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>Control group | |
| Experimental: Incredible Years<br>incredible years intervention | Behavioral: Incredible Years Teacher Training<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Preschool PATHS<br>Preschool PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) | Behavioral: Preschool PATHS<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Tools of the Mind<br>Tools of the Mind | Behavioral: Tools of the Mind<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Classroom Climate: Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) | Class-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Teacher Practice: Adapted Teaching Style Rating Scale (TSRS) | Class-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Executive Function: Head-to-Toes | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Executive Function: Pencil Tap | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Social Problem-Solving: Challenging Situations Task | Child-level outocme | 0 to 12 months | 
| Emotion Knowledge: Emotion Situations and Identification Tasks | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Pre-Academic Skills: Academic Rating Scale | Child-level Outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Pre-Academic Skills: Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Pre-Academic Skills: Woodcock-Johnson III | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Behavior Regulation: Behavior Problems Index | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Social Behaviors: Social Social Skills Rating Scale | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Social Behaviors: Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale- Interpersonal Skills | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months | 
| Learning Behaviors: Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale- Work-Related Skills | Child-level outcome | 0 to 12 months |