Utilizing the Summer Treatment Program Model to Promote School Readiness in Young Children Living in Urban Poverty: An Initial Effectiveness Open Trial
Article
Hart, KC, Poznanski, B, Cheatham-Johnson, R et al. (2024). Utilizing the Summer Treatment Program Model to Promote School Readiness in Young Children Living in Urban Poverty: An Initial Effectiveness Open Trial
. 10.1080/23794925.2024.2378398
Hart, KC, Poznanski, B, Cheatham-Johnson, R et al. (2024). Utilizing the Summer Treatment Program Model to Promote School Readiness in Young Children Living in Urban Poverty: An Initial Effectiveness Open Trial
. 10.1080/23794925.2024.2378398
Access to, and engagement in, quality mental health care for young children with externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) who are living in urban poverty is limited. Innovative efforts to engage families in early intervention are needed to ensure school success. The goals of the current study were to transport the Summer Treatment Program for Prekindergartners (STP-PreK, an adaptation of the Children’s Summer Treatment Program and evaluate the implementation and initial program promise for children living in urban poverty via an open trial. Participants were 115 preschool children (68.7% male; 84.3% Black) with EBPs and their caregivers. Nearly all the participating families were living with low to extremely low incomes. Participants received a 7-week STP-PreK, including a daily school readiness program and weekly behavioral parenting training. Implementation outcomes were measured via attendance records, satisfaction ratings, and fidelity measures. Program promise was measured via caregiver ratings and child assessments, collected pre-, post-, and at 6 months following the intervention. On average, results demonstrate strong feasibility and acceptability with high child attendance (90.56%) and caregiver satisfaction with services. Intervention effects across domains of child functioning reveal medium-to-large effects on academics (d’s = 0.46–1.95), overall impairment (d = 0.79), behavioral functioning (d’s = 0.38–0.84), and executive functioning (d = 0.58). Effects were largely maintained at 6-month follow-up (d’s = 0.13–1.86). Overall, the results support the promise of the STP-PreK model in enhancing school readiness outcomes for young children at-risk. Directions for continued adaptation and future research are discussed.
