Indirect Effects of the Family Check-Up on School-Age Academic Achievement Through Improvements in Parenting in Early Childhood

Abstract

This project examined the hypothesis that the impact of the Family Check-Up on parent use of positive behavior support would indirectly improve academic achievement scores at school age. The study included a sample of 731 high-risk families recruited from Women, Infant, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program settings in 3 geographically distinct areas. The results demonstrated that changes in positive parenting between the child ages of 2 and 3 were associated with higher scores on children's school-age academic achievement, as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson III (W-J) Academic Skills composite. Moreover, structural equation modeling revealed that random assignment to the intervention was associated with higher levels of children's academic achievement at age 5 and age 7.5 indirectly, through greater increases in parents' use of positive behavior support in intervention families than in control families. Results are discussed with respect to the potential of a brief parenting intervention for improving parenting practices that promote academic achievement up to 5 years later. The results have promising implications for efforts to promote child adaptation in the school environment.

Keywords: academic achievement; intervention; parenting; prevention; risk factors.

Figure 1

Indirect effect of FCU assignment on child academic achievement through changes in Positive Behavior Support. Model estimates are standardized and provided for significant pathways only. Nonsignificant modeled pathways are illustrated by gray dotted lines. Indirect effect pathways are shown in bold. Effect sizes were ds = .06, ps < .05. FCU = Family Check-Up; PC = primary caregiver. * p < .05. ** p < .01.