Sustained Benefits of a Preschool Home Visiting Program: Child Outcomes in Fifth Grade

Abstract

This study evaluated the sustained effects of the Research-based Developmentally Informed Parent program (REDI-P) at fifth grade, six years after intervention. Participants were 200 prekindergarten children attending Head Start (55% White, 26% Black, 19% Latinx, 56% male, mean age of 4.45 years at study initiation) and their primary caregivers, who were randomly assigned to a control group or a 16-session home-visiting intervention that bridged the preschool and kindergarten years. In addition, the study explored moderation of sustained effects by parenting risks (e.g., less than high-school education, single-parent status, parental depression, and low parent-child warmth). Growth curves over the course of the elementary years examined outcomes in three domains: child academic performance, social-emotional adjustment, and parent-child functioning. At fifth grade, significant main effects for intervention were sustained in the domains of academic performance (e.g., reading skills, academic motivation, and learning engagement) and parent-child functioning (e.g., academic expectations and parenting stress). Significant moderation by parenting risk emerged on measures of social-emotional adjustment (e.g., social competence and student-teacher relationships); parenting risk also amplified effects on some measures of academic performance and parent-child functioning, with larger effects for children from families experiencing fewer risks. Implications are discussed for the design of preschool home visiting programs seeking to enhance the school success and social-emotional well-being of children living in poverty.

Keywords: follow-up assessments; home visiting; kindergarten transition; low-income families; parent intervention; school readiness.

Figure 1.. Logic Model Describing Hypothesized REDI-P Effects Over Time

Figure 2.. Intervention Effects on Teacher-Rated Reading Skills and Academic Motivation

Note: Predicted values are average item ratings derived from the growth curve models across second, third, and fifth grades, adjusted for covariates.

Figure 3.. Intervention Effects on Observer-Rated Learning Engagement

Note: Predicted values are average item ratings derived from the growth curve models across kindergarten and first, second, third, and fifth grades, adjusted for covariates.

Figure 4.. Intervention Effects on Social Competence and Student-Teacher Relationships for Children with Fewer Initial Parenting Risks

Note: Predicted values are average item ratings derived from the growth curve models across kindergarten and first, second, third, and fifth grades, adjusted for covariates.

Figure 5.. Intervention Effects on Parent Academic Expectations and Parenting Stress

Note: Predicted values are average item ratings derived from the growth curve models across kindergarten and first, second, third, and fifth grades, adjusted for covariates.