Preschool Programs that Help Families Promote Child Social-Emotional School Readiness: Promising New Strategies

Parents play a central role in supporting the early learning that positions young children for success when they enter formal schooling. For this reason, efforts to engage families in meaningful collaboration is a long-standing goal of high-quality early childhood education (ECE). Family–school engagement can take multiple forms; in this review, we focus on universal preschool-based outreach strategies that help parents support growth in child social-emotional and self-regulation competencies and prepare them for the transition into formal schooling. Recent research has expanded understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes that underlie child school readiness, and the impact of parenting (and the social ecology affecting parenting) on those processes. These new insights have fueled innovation in preschool-based efforts to partner with and support parents, expanding and shifting the focus of that programming. In addition, new approaches to intervention design and delivery are emerging to address the pervasive challenges of reaching and engaging families, especially those representing diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This paper reviews developmental research that underscores the importance of prioritizing child social-emotional learning (with attention to self-regulation and approaches to learning) in universal preschool-based parenting programs targeting young children. We highlight the intervention strategies used in programs with strong evidence of impact on child readiness and school adjustment based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). New directions in intervention design and delivery strategies are highlighted, with the hope of extending intervention reach and improving family engagement and benefit.

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10567-023-00444-5

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Work Title Preschool Programs that Help Families Promote Child Social-Emotional School Readiness: Promising New Strategies
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Karen L. Bierman
  2. Elizabeth A. Stormshak
  3. Morgan D. Mannweiler
  4. Katherine A. Hails
Keyword
  1. Parent interventions
  2. School readiness
  3. Social-emotional competence
  4. Self-regulation
  5. Approaches to learning
  6. Preschool
  7. Kindergarten transition
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
Publication Date July 15, 2023
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-023-00444-5
Deposited February 15, 2024

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added CCFR_Paper_Revised_Submitted-2023-06-29.docx
  • Added Creator Karen L. Bierman
  • Added Creator Elizabeth A. Stormshak
  • Added Creator Morgan D. Mannweiler
  • Added Creator Katherine A. Hails
  • Published
  • Updated Keyword, Publication Date Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Parent interventions, School readiness, Social-emotional competence, Self-regulation, Approaches to learning, Preschool, Kindergarten transition
    Publication Date
    • 2023-12-01
    • 2023-07-15
  • Updated