Abstract
ParentCorps is an enhancement to pre-Kindergarten designed to reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities in children’s educational and health outcomes. It includes multiple components to bolster parent and teacher capacity to support children’s development in the face of early childhood adversity, including poverty, racism, discrimination, and immigration-related stress. Two trials with primarily Black and Latinx children in schools in historically disinvested neighborhoods document positive impacts of ParentCorps for children’s achievement, mental health, and physical health. The theory of action specifies the following as essential processes through which ParentCorps professional development and parenting program strengthen adult capacity: building authentic relationships, honoring culture, understanding race and racism, translating the science of early childhood development, and practicing self-reflection. The third component, Friends School, directly promotes children’s social-emotional learning. Together, these three ParentCorps components support early childhood self-regulation. This chapter identifies priorities for future research to understand core pathways that account for positive outcomes and to optimize impact at scale to realize the promise of early childhood family-centered programs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bailey, Z. D., Krieger, N., Agénor, M., Graves, J., Linos, N., & Bassett, M. T. (2017). Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: Evidence and interventions. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1453–1463. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X.
Berkel, C., Gallo, C. G., Sandler, I. N., Mauricio, A. M., Smith, J. D., & Brown, C. H. (2019). Redesigning implementation measurement for monitoring and quality improvement in community delivery settings. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 40(1), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-018-00534-z.
Berkel, C., Mauricio, A. M., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., Gallo, C. G., & Brown, C. H. (2018a). The cascading effects of multiple dimensions of implementation on program outcomes: A test of a theoretical model. Prevention Science, 19(6), 782–794. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0855-4.
Berkel, C., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., Brown, C. H., Gallo, C. G., Chiapa, A., Mauricio, A. M., & Jones, S. (2018b). “Home practice is the program”: Parents’ practice of program skills as predictors of outcomes in the new beginnings program effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 19(5), 663–673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-016-0738-0.
Biglan, A. (2015). The nurture effect: How the science of human behavior can improve our lives and our world. New Harbinger Publications.
Borman, G. D., Hewes, G. M., Overman, L. T., & Brown, S. (2003). Comprehensive school reform and achievement: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 73(2), 125–230. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543073002125.
Brotman, L., Calzada, E., Huang, K., Kingston, S., Dawson-McClure, S., Kamboukos, D., Rosenfelt, A., Schwab, A., & Petkova, E. (2011). Promoting effective parenting practices and preventing child behavior problems in school among ethnically diverse families from underserved, urban communities. Child Development, 82(1), 258–276. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01554.x.
Brotman, L., Dawson-McClure, S., Calzada, E., Huang, K., Kamboukos, D., Palamar, J., & Petkova, E. (2013). Cluster (school) RCT of ParentCorps: Impact on Kindergarten academic achievement. Pediatrics, 131(5), e1521–e1529. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-2632.
Brotman, L., Dawson-McClure, S., Huang, K., Theise, R., Kamboukos, D., Wang, J., Petkova, E., & Ogedegbe, G. (2012). Early childhood family intervention and long-term obesity prevention among high-risk minority youth. Pediatrics, 129(3), e621–e628. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1568.
Brotman, L., Dawson-McClure, S. R., Kamboukos, D., Huang, K. Y., Calzada, E. J., Palamar, J., & Petkova, E. (2016). Effects of family-centered intervention in public school pre-kindergarten programs: Follow-up of a randomized trial through second grade. JAMA Pediatrics, 2016, 170(12), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.1891.
Brotman, L., Dawson-McClure, S., Rhule, D., Rosenblatt, K., Hamer, K., Kamboukos, D., Boyd, M., Mondesir, M., Chau, I., Lashua-Shriftman, E., Rodriguez, V., Barajas-Gonzalez, R.G & Huang, K. Y. (2021). Scaling early childhood evidence-based interventions through RPPs. The Future of Children, 31(1), 57–74. https://futureofchildren.princeton.edu/sites/futureofchildren/files/foc_combined_5.3.21.pdf
Brotman, L., Kingston, S., Bat-Chava, Y., Caldwell, M. B., & Calzada, E. J. (2008). Training school personnel to facilitate a family intervention to prevent conduct problems. Early Education and Development, 19(4), 622–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410802231057.
Brown, A. F., Ma, G. X., Miranda, J., Eng, E., Castille, D., Brockie, T., Jones, P., Airhihenbuwa, C. O., Farhat, T., Zhu, L., & Trinh-Shevrin, C. (2019). Structural interventions to reduce and eliminate health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(S1), S72–S78.
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2019). Frontiers of Innovation: The IDEAS. Impact Framework. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/innovation-application/innovation-approach/
Cohen-Vogel, L., Tichnor-Wagner, A., Allen, D., Harrison, C., Kainz, K., Socol, A. R., & Wang, Q. (2015). Implementing educational innovations at scale: Transforming researchers into continuous improvement scientists. Educational Policy, 29(1), 257–277.
Cooper, C. W. (2009). Parent involvement, African American mothers, and the politics of educational care. Equity & Excellence in Education, 42(4), 379–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680903228389.
Dawson-McClure, S., Calzada, E. J., & Brotman, L. M. (2017). Engaging parents in preventive interventions for young children: Working with cultural diversity within low-income, urban neighborhoods. Prevention Science, 18(6), 660–670. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0763-7.
Dawson-McClure, S. R., Calzada, E. J., Huang, K. Y., Kamboukos, D., Kolawole, B., Rhule, D., Acra, F. A., & Brotman, L. (2014a). Promoting high quality early childhood classroom environments and family engagement through culturally-informed professional development [Unpublished manuscript]. Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.
Dawson-McClure, S. R., Calzada, E. J., Huang, K. Y., Kamboukos, D., Rhule, D., Kolawole, B., Petkova, E., & Brotman, L. (2014b). A population-level approach to promoting healthy child development and school success in low-income urban neighborhoods: Impact on parenting and child conduct problems. Prevention Science, 16, 279–290.
Dixson, A. D., & Rousseau Anderson, C. (2018). Where are we? Critical race theory in education 20 years later. Peabody Journal of Education, 93(1), 121–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2017.1403194.
Dodge, K. A. (2019). Redefining the science and policy of early childhood intervention programs. Pediatrics, 144(6), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2606.
Doty, J. L., Davis, L., & Arditti, J. A. (2017). Cascading resilience: Leverage points in promoting parent and child well-being. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 9, 111–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12175.
Duncan, L. G., Coatsworth, J. D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: Implications for parent–child relationships and prevention research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-009-0046-3.
Durlak, J., & DuPre, E. (2008). Implementation matters: A review of research on the influence of implementation on program outcomes and the factors affecting implementation. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 327–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-008-9165-0.
Fagan, A. A., Bumbarger, B. K., Barth, R. P., Bradshaw, C. P., Cooper, B. R., Supplee, L. H., & Walker, D. K. (2019). Scaling up evidence-based interventions in US public systems to prevent behavioral health problems: Challenges and opportunities. Prevention Science, 20(8), 1147–1168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-01048-8.
Frank, J. L., Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2016). Validation of the mindfulness in teaching scale. Mindfulness, 7(1), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0461-0.
Garcia Coll, C., Crnic, K., Lamberty, G., Wasik, B. H., Jenkins, R., Garcia, H. V., & McAdoo, H. P. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891–1914. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01834.x.
Hajizadeh, N., Stevens, E. R., Applegate, M., Huang, K. Y., Kamboukos, D., Braithwaite, R. S., & Brotman, L. M. (2017). Potential return on investment of a family-centered early childhood intervention: A cost-effectiveness analysis. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 796. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4805-7.
Hilliard, A. (2003). No mystery: Closing the achievement gap between Africans and excellence. In T. Perry, C. Steele, & A. G. Hilliard III (Eds.), Young, gifted, and Black: Promoting high achievement among African-American Students (pp. 131–165). Beacon Press.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693.
Kaufman, A. S. (2005). Kaufman test of educational achievement second edition, brief form manual. AGS Publishing.
Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate, W. F. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teacher’s College Record, 97, 47–68.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). From the achievement gap to the education debt: Understanding achievement in US schools. Educational Researcher, 35(7), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X035007003.
Logan, J. R., Minca, E., & Adar, S. (2012). The geography of inequality: Why separate means unequal in American public schools. Sociology of Education, 85(3), 287–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040711431588.
Lundahl, B. W., Kunz, C., Brownell, C., Tollefson, D., & Burke, B. L. (2010). A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing: Twenty-five years of empirical studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 20(2), 137–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731509347850.
Lyon, A. R., & Bruns, E. J. (2019). From evidence to impact: Joining our best school mental health practices with our best implementation strategies. School Mental Health, 11(1), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-09306-w.
Mamun, A. A., O’Callaghan, M. J., Cramb, S. M., Najman, J. M., Williams, G. M., & Bor, W. (2009). Childhood behavioral problems predict young adults’ BMI and obesity: Evidence from a birth cohort stud. Obesity, 17(4), 761–766. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.594.
Marchand, A. D., Vassar, R. R., Diemer, M. A., & Rowley, S. J. (2019). Integrating race, racism, and critical consciousness in Black parents’ engagement with schools. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12344.
McCaffrey, S., Reitman, D., & Black, R. (2017). Mindfulness in parenting questionnaire (MIPQ): Development and validation of a measure of mindful parenting. Mindfulness, 8(1), 232–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0596-7.
McWayne, C. M., Melzi, G., Schick, A. R., Kennedy, J. L., & Mundt, K. (2013). Defining family engagement among Latino head start parents: A mixed-methods measurement development study. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(3), 593–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.03.008.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Applications of motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd edition). Guilford Press.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Parenting matters: Supporting parents of children ages 0–8. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21868.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2012). Establishing a level Foundation for Life: Mental health begins in early childhood. Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/establishing-a-level-foundation-for-life-mental-health-begins-in-early-childhood/
Ogbu, J.U. (1992). Understanding Cultural Diversity and Learning. Educational Researcher, 21(8), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X021008005
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom assessment scoring system™: Manual K-3. Paul H Brookes Publishing.
Porter, T., Bromer, J., & Forry, N. (2015). Assessing Quality in Family and Provider/Teacher Relationships: Using the Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality (FPTRQ) Measures in Conjunction with Strengthening Families and the Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Frameworks and Self-Assessments Tools. OPRE Report 2015–56. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/assessing_quality_in_family_provider_teacher_relationships_a.pdf
Raver, C. C., Garner, P., & Smith-Donald, R. (2007). The roles of emotion regulation and emotion knowledge for children’s academic readiness: Are the links causal? In B. Pianta, K. Snow, & M. Cox (Eds.), Kindergarten transition and early school success (pp. 121–148). Brookes Publishing.
Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). BASC-2 behavior assessment for children manual. American Guidance Service.
Rodriguez, V., Solis, S. L., Mascio, B., Kiely Gouley, K., Jennings, P. A., & Brotman, L. M. (2020). With awareness comes competency: The five Awarenesses of teaching as a framework for understanding teacher social emotional competency and Well-being. Early Education and Development, Special Issue: Early Care and Education Professionals’ Social and Emotional Well-Being. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1794496.
Sandler, I. N., Schoenfelder, E. N., Wolchik, S. A., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2011). Long-term impact of prevention programs to promote effective parenting: Lasting effects but uncertain processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 299–329.
Sellars, M. (2012). Teachers and change: The role of reflective practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 55, 461–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.525.
Sheridan, S. M., Edwards, C. P., Marvin, C. A., & Knoche, L. L. (2009). Professional development in early childhood programs: Process issues and research needs. Early Education and Development, 20(3), 377–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280802582795.
Snyder, P., Hemmeter, M. L., Meeker, K. A., Kinder, K., Pasia, C., & McLaughlin, T. (2012). Characterizing key features of the early childhood professional development literature. Infants & Young Children, 25(3), 188–212.
Taylor, E. W. (2008). Transformative learning theory. In S. B. Merriam (Ed.), Third update of adult learning. New directions for adult and continuing education, Book 119 (pp. 5–15). Jossey-Bass.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2016). The Family Engagement Inventory (FEI): A brief cross-disciplinary synthesis. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/synthesis.pdf
Wise Whitehead, K. (2017, June 1). Achievement gap is our fault, not the kids’. Baltimore Sun. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-education-liberation-20170601-story.html
World Health Organization. (2010). Nine steps for developing a scaling-up strategy. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/immunization/hpv/deliver/nine_steps_for_developing_a_scalingup_strategy_who_2010.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dawson-McClure, S. et al. (2022). Understanding ParentCorps’ Essential Elements for Building Adult Capacity to Support Young Children’s Health and Development. In: Bierman, K.L., Sheridan, S.M. (eds) Family-School Partnerships During the Early School Years. Research on Family-School Partnerships. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74617-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74617-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-74616-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74617-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)