Engagement in quality infant-toddler and parenting programs with child and parenting outcomes: A strengths-based approach

This study aimed to examine the quality outcomes in educational programs offered to young children aged between 0 and 3 years old and their parents. The objectives included investigating the enhancement of child development outcomes in various types of infant and toddler educational programs, the extent of positive parenting among parents of infants and toddlers after participating in parenting programs, and also characteristics of successful programs contributing to gains in child development domains, enhancement in parenting self-efficacy and community collaboration. These early playgroup programs included both domain-specific design (e.g., baby massage, music and movement, reading, and etc.), and integrated design. It adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches and there were three studies. Study 1 was a quantitative study with a pre and post-test design in which 282 parents completed instruments measuring parenting self-efficacy, general health and parenting stress. These parents also reported on the social-emotional and pre-academic skills of 186 young children. Parenting self-efficacy and general health had significantly improved and there was no significant difference reported on parenting stress. Parents had also reported significant gains in the pre-academic skills of their children after the program. Study 2 was an objective assessment of the cognitive, motor and language domains of 51 young children randomly chosen from the participant pool. Significant gains had been found in the composite scores of the developmental outcomes. These gains had been consistently found in different types of early head start programs regardless of whether the program was focused only on physical or cognitive development or the length of the programs, whether it was four sessions or longer. Study 3 was a qualitative study in which parents, instructors, program designers and administrators were interviewed in groups to achieve data triangulation. Parents reported on gains in parenting knowledge and skills and also increment in children’s cognitive and social skills as well as independence. Their self-awareness and personal growth had also increased after the program. Instructors and administrators also reported similar gains in parents and young children in positive parent-child interaction. The study has contributed to early childhood education and documented that providing early head start programs to young children and their families from less advantaged background would enhance the parenting self-efficacy, pre-academic skills as well as overall developmental outcomes of the young children. It had also indicated the strengths in collaborative partnership among parents, instructors, administrators and parent volunteers for providing quality infant-toddler programs in the community.