1. 1 The Kindergarten Home Visit Project: Enhancing the Transition to Kindergarten Amy Schulting, M.Ed., M.A. Center for Child and Family Policy Duke University

2. 2 Overview The importance of the K transition K transition practices – prior research Kindergarten Home Visit Project

3. 3 Transition to Kindergarten Early school failure is associated with long-term negative outcomes (Jimerson,1999, Pianta et al., 2002) retention/special education continued failure throughout school peer and teacher relationship problems behavior problems/delinquency/dropping out lower adult wages/unemployment Transition Difficulties (Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2000) 32% of students had moderate difficulty 16% had serious difficulty adjusting to K

4. 4 Transition Practices Teacher Reported Use of Transition Practices - Telephone/send info. 86% - Parent visit school76% - Parent orientation 76% - Child visit classroom39% - Shortened school days18% - Home visit by teacher4% (Schulting, Malone & Dodge, 2005)

5. 5 Effect of Transition Practices (Schulting, Malone & Dodge, 2005)

6. 6 Effect of Transition Practices (Schulting, Malone & Dodge, 2005)

7. 7 The Kindergarten Home Visit Project

8. 8 Kindergarten Home Visit Project Teachers visit each student by October 15 Goals: 1) establish positive home-school relationship 2) answer parents’ questions 3) learn about child/family with parent as expert Teachers ($40/visit + $200 bonus), accompanying person ($15), translator ($25), scheduler ($2)

9. 9 Research Hypotheses Home Visits will improve: Teacher-Child relationships Parent-Teacher relationships & communication Parent involvement Teacher attitudes/beliefs Child outcomes in kindergarten

10. 10 Pilot Study EK Powe Elementary (2003-2006) 5 teachers and about 80 families each year Home Visit Completion Rates Year 1: 53% Year 2: 92% Year 3: 96% Randomized Controlled Trial (2006-2008)

11. 11 Kindergarten Home Visit Project Randomized Controlled Trial: 44 teachers (19 schools), 928 children and families Randomized Design: 22 HV / 22 control Teachers: 57% Eur. American, 43% Afr. American 42 females, 2 males Students: 57% free or reduced lunch 81% minority 28% from non-English speaking homes

12. 12 Results 467 home visits completed – 98% 17 teachers (77%) finished by October 1 st Do teachers want to conduct home visits again next year? 19 = definitely, 2 = maybe, 1 = retiring Teacher Feedback Positive Results: Child Outcomes Teacher Attitudes and Beliefs Parent Involvement and Communication

13. 13 Results – Main Effects Child and Teacher Outcomes: Teacher-Child Rel. Warmth (p <.05) Academic Work Habits (p <.055) Teacher Attitudes and Beliefs Responding to Diverse Families (p <.007) Positive Rel. Children/Families (p <.04) Value Parent Contributions (p <.06)

14. 14 Results – Interaction Effects

15. 15 Results – Interaction Effects

16. 16 Results Parent Involvement Outcomes: Parents more likely to accept invitations to school. Home Visit 61%, Control 48% (p <.01) Non-English Speaking Parents Reduced language barrier – parent and teacher report (p <.055, p <.007) More Comfortable at School (p <.001)

17. 17 Results Other Parent Involvement Outcomes: We did not find effects of home visiting on Parent-Teacher relationships. Low-Income Children and Families: We did not find that home visiting was most beneficial for low-income children and families in general. It was most helpful for non-English speakers (72% low-income).

18. 18 Conclusions First randomized-controlled trial of home visiting as a K. transition practice Positive Effects: Child Outcomes Teacher Attitudes and Beliefs Parent Involvement and Communication Ready for district-wide implementation

19. 19 Thank You!