Evidence-Based Evidence-Based Family-School Family-School Partnerships Partnerships

for Early Childhoodfor Early Childhood

The Future of School Psychology Task Force on

Family-School Partnerships

Jon Lasser and Kathryn Woods

Efforts to provide early childhood programs, collaborations, and resources to children, families,

and schools are a critical component of a proactive,

prevention oriented, comprehensive plan for positive

child outcomes

See FSP Handout 1 for More Information

OverviewOverview

Rationale for a Multi-Tiered Rationale for a Multi-Tiered Approach to Family-School Approach to Family-School

PartnershipsPartnerships Family-school partnerships provide a context for families Family-school partnerships provide a context for families

and educators to collaboratively identify and prioritize and educators to collaboratively identify and prioritize concerns across a continuum of opportunities and concerns across a continuum of opportunities and intensitiesintensities

Prevention and intervention efforts and supports are Prevention and intervention efforts and supports are delivered toward a universal and targeted audiencedelivered toward a universal and targeted audience

A multi-tiered approach enables families and educators to A multi-tiered approach enables families and educators to provide services based on a student’s responsiveness to provide services based on a student’s responsiveness to previous preventions, interventions, and supportsprevious preventions, interventions, and supports

See FSP Handout 2 for More Information

Explanation for aExplanation for a Multi-Tiered Multi-Tiered Approach to Family-School Approach to Family-School

PartnershipsPartnerships Provides various levels of family-school supports based on Provides various levels of family-school supports based on

a student’s identified need and responsiveness to previous a student’s identified need and responsiveness to previous effortsefforts Universal Universal – Family-school collaboration provided to support all – Family-school collaboration provided to support all

students and families (e.g., 4 As, Parent-School Collaboration, students and families (e.g., 4 As, Parent-School Collaboration, Parent Involvement, Parent Education). Parent Involvement, Parent Education).

TargetedTargeted – Family-school collaboration provided to support – Family-school collaboration provided to support identified students and families unresponsive to previous identified students and families unresponsive to previous universal efforts (e.g., Parent Education and Intervention, universal efforts (e.g., Parent Education and Intervention, Parent Consultation).Parent Consultation).

IntensiveIntensive – Family-school collaboration provided to students – Family-school collaboration provided to students and families unresponsive to previous targeted efforts (e.g., and families unresponsive to previous targeted efforts (e.g., Parent Consultation [conjoint behavioral consultation] and Parent Consultation [conjoint behavioral consultation] and Parent Intervention).Parent Intervention).

Tier 2: Targeted Group InterventionsTier 2: Targeted Group InterventionsSpecific preventions and remedial interventions Specific preventions and remedial interventions

for targeted groups of families and students for targeted groups of families and students identified as “at risk” and unresponsive to the identified as “at risk” and unresponsive to the

first tier (e.g., Parent Training and Intervention, first tier (e.g., Parent Training and Intervention, Parent ConsultationParent Consultation))

The Multi-Tiered Approach to The Multi-Tiered Approach to Family-School PartnershipsFamily-School Partnerships

Tier 1 80-90%

Tier 31-7%

Tier 25-15%

Tier 1: Universal Tier 1: Universal InterventionsInterventions

Engaging all families as Engaging all families as collaborative partners (e.g., 4 As, collaborative partners (e.g., 4 As,

Family-School Collaboration, Family-School Collaboration, Parent Involvement, Parent Parent Involvement, Parent

EducationEducation))

Tier 3: Intensive, Individual InterventionsTier 3: Intensive, Individual InterventionsIndividualized supports for families and students Individualized supports for families and students unresponsive to the first two tiers (e.g., Parent unresponsive to the first two tiers (e.g., Parent

Consultation [conjoint behavioral consultation] and Consultation [conjoint behavioral consultation] and Family Intervention)Family Intervention)

Evidence-Based Interventions Evidence-Based Interventions in this Modulein this Module

•Dialogic Reading

Parents and teachers learn how to build emergent literacy and language skills by encouraging young children to become active participants through interactive and shared picture book reading practices

•Incredible Years

Parent and teacher training programs designed to promote social adjustment of preschool and elementary school children through positive discipline and involvement

•Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

An intervention designed to restructure parent-child interaction patterns to facilitate a more positive relationship, often used to treat children with disruptive behavior disorders

Early InterventionEarly Intervention The goal of early intervention is to prevent or reduce The goal of early intervention is to prevent or reduce

the effects of academic, social, emotional, and the effects of academic, social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties for children who are at risk due to behavioral difficulties for children who are at risk due to physical, mental, or environmental conditions (Bates, physical, mental, or environmental conditions (Bates, 2005)2005)

These services may prevent developmental delays from These services may prevent developmental delays from worsening and ameliorate later disabilities that require worsening and ameliorate later disabilities that require special education services (Jacob & Hartshorne, 2003)special education services (Jacob & Hartshorne, 2003)

Federal mandates such as IDEA outline the importance Federal mandates such as IDEA outline the importance of early intervention and family involvement:of early intervention and family involvement: Part B mandates services for children ages 3 to 5Part B mandates services for children ages 3 to 5 Part C mandates services for infants and toddlers as well as Part C mandates services for infants and toddlers as well as

family involvement in intervention programsfamily involvement in intervention programs

Importance of Working Importance of Working with Familieswith Families

Parents have enormous influence over their children’s Parents have enormous influence over their children’s behavioral, emotional, and social developmentbehavioral, emotional, and social development At no time is this influence more important than during At no time is this influence more important than during

a child’s preschool yearsa child’s preschool years

Many of the behavioral problems that young children Many of the behavioral problems that young children exhibit are established through their earliest interactions exhibit are established through their earliest interactions with their parentswith their parents

Even in cases where the child’s problems may originate Even in cases where the child’s problems may originate due to biological or developmental characteristics, many due to biological or developmental characteristics, many problem behaviors may worsen due to the interaction problem behaviors may worsen due to the interaction patterns between parents and childrenpatterns between parents and children

Early Childhood Early Childhood EducationEducation

Early childhood learning experiences are Early childhood learning experiences are more important for children today than more important for children today than ever beforeever before

Many children enter school unprepared to Many children enter school unprepared to learn and many lack basic knowledge learn and many lack basic knowledge regarding letters, vocabulary, sentence regarding letters, vocabulary, sentence structure and numbers crucial to school structure and numbers crucial to school successsuccess

Parents and teachers must work together Parents and teachers must work together to optimize learning environments and to optimize learning environments and prepare children for school successprepare children for school success

Emergent Literacy SkillsEmergent Literacy Skills Emergent literacy skills include the Emergent literacy skills include the

knowledge and attitudes that are presumed to knowledge and attitudes that are presumed to be developmental precursors to conventional be developmental precursors to conventional forms of reading and writing, as well as the forms of reading and writing, as well as the environments that support these precursorsenvironments that support these precursors

As children develop their emergent literacy As children develop their emergent literacy skills, they will be better prepared to learn skills, they will be better prepared to learn essential school skills related to reading and essential school skills related to reading and writingwriting

Children will also be more likely to maintain Children will also be more likely to maintain these skills throughout their early learning these skills throughout their early learning yearsyears

(Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998)(Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998)

Early Literacy Early Literacy ExperiencesExperiences

Children’s preschool experiences with books also Children’s preschool experiences with books also plays an important role in academic performance plays an important role in academic performance in later yearsin later years

Wells (1985) found that the frequency of Wells (1985) found that the frequency of listening to stories between 1 and 3 years of age listening to stories between 1 and 3 years of age was associated to teacher ratings of oral was associated to teacher ratings of oral language skills at 5 years of age and reading language skills at 5 years of age and reading comprehension at 7 years of agecomprehension at 7 years of age

Early Literacy Early Literacy Experiences cont. Experiences cont.

Providing children with early literacy Providing children with early literacy experiences is particularly important for experiences is particularly important for children living in low income children living in low income environmentsenvironments These children may experience a These children may experience a

limited amount of time exposed to limited amount of time exposed to books due to lack of availability and books due to lack of availability and limited time available for parents to limited time available for parents to read with their children (Whitehurst et read with their children (Whitehurst et al., 1994)al., 1994)

Social Skills Social Skills Development Development

Children develop appropriate social skills Children develop appropriate social skills across home and school settings when across home and school settings when parents and teachers model positive parents and teachers model positive problem-solving and manage misbehavior problem-solving and manage misbehavior effectively (Patterson, 1982; Webster-effectively (Patterson, 1982; Webster-Stratton, 2000)Stratton, 2000)

Because children with conduct problems Because children with conduct problems often experience academic failures, often experience academic failures, prevention and intervention efforts should prevention and intervention efforts should target all facets of problem situationstarget all facets of problem situations

Early intervention may prevent more Early intervention may prevent more serious, chronic difficultiesserious, chronic difficulties

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interventions. interventions. School Psychology Quarterly, 20,School Psychology Quarterly, 20, 352-370. 352-370.Jacob, S., & Hartshorne, T. (2003). Jacob, S., & Hartshorne, T. (2003). Ethics and law for school Ethics and law for school

psychologistspsychologists (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Patterson, G.R. (1982). Patterson, G.R. (1982). Coercive Family ProcessCoercive Family Process. Eugene, OR: . Eugene, OR:

Castalia.Castalia.Webster-Stratton, C. (June, 2000). The Incredible Years Webster-Stratton, C. (June, 2000). The Incredible Years

Training Series. Training Series. Juvenile Justice BulletinJuvenile Justice Bulletin. US Department . US Department of Justice.of Justice.

Wells, G. (1985). Wells, G. (1985). Language development in the preschool Language development in the preschool years.years. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Whitehurst, G. J., Arnold, D. S., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Whitehurst, G. J., Arnold, D. S., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Smith, M., & Fischel, J. E. (1994). A picture book reading Smith, M., & Fischel, J. E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in daycare and home for children from low-intervention in daycare and home for children from low-income families. income families. Developmental Psychology, 30Developmental Psychology, 30, 679–689., 679–689.

Whitehurst, G. J. & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development Whitehurst, G. J. & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69Child Development, 69, 848-872. , 848-872.