Early Childhood Professional Development Clinical Trial
Official title:
Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care
Mathematica Policy Research, funded by OPRE, ACF, DHHS, will conduct a field test of We Grow
Together: The Q-CCIIT Professional Development System. These professional development (PD)
tools and the interactive website featuring the materials were developed to promote
high-quality caregiver-child interactions in non-parental care settings serving infants and
toddlers. This field test aims to: (1) examine changes in caregiver practice that the
investigators expect to be associated with use of the We Grow Together system, and (2)
examine implementation of We Grow Together. As a secondary goal, the investigators will
further evaluate the psychometrics of the Q-CCIIT observational measure of interaction
quality.
Collecting data from field test participants will occur from fall 2018 through spring 2019.
First, the investigators plan to collect a background survey with caregivers and PD providers
in fall 2018. Second, in fall 2018 and spring 2019 the investigators plan two rounds of
classroom observations using the Q-CCIIT measure and classroom rosters. Third, the
investigators plan to collect data on the use and implementation of We Grow Together through
the interactive website from fall 2018 through spring 2019. Finally, the investigators plan
to conduct a feedback survey with caregivers and PD providers in spring 2019.
The We Grow Together intervention is designed to help caregivers understand how caregiver
interactions with children support the children's development to strengthen high quality
caregiver interactions with infants and toddlers. The starting point for the We Grow Together
process is assessment of a caregiver's interactions with infants and toddlers in early
childhood care and education (ECE) settings, using the Quality of Caregiver-Child
Interactions with Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) observational measure. Data from the Q CCIIT
observations highlight areas for growth in the caregiver's practices and inform a PD
goal-setting process, with the support of a PD Provider.
The investigators have developed an array of We Grow Together materials targeting principles
and practices assessed by the Q-CCIIT measure, organized into modules, and delivered on an
interactive website. Over the course of a program year, each caregiver in the study will work
with a PD provider who is trained in guiding caregivers through the use of We Grow Together
materials.
As part of the We Grow Together intervention, all PD providers will receive training in using
We Grow Together to support caregivers' understanding and practices. PD providers' training
will focus on understanding the caregiving principles, relationship skills, adult learning
principles, and coaching strategies that facilitate use of We Grow Together and promote
growth of caregivers' knowledge and skills. PD providers will also have access to a set of PD
provider materials to support implementation of We Grow Together. These materials support the
ongoing relationship-based PD between the PD Provider and caregiver.
The purpose of information collected under the current request is to examine the
implementation and the outcomes associated with use of We Grow Together. The goals of the
field test will be to: (1) implement We Grow Together for five months in a variety of
settings, (2) collect information on the implementation of We Grow Together, and (3) collect
information on care practices the investigators hypothesize are associated with use of We
Grow Together. The investigators propose the following data collection activities, to be
carried out in fall 2018 through spring 2019:
- An ECE setting eligibility screening will determine if a setting is eligible and if
family child care (FCC) and center directors and individual personnel are willing to
participate in the field test.
- A background survey, completed by all caregivers and PD providers
- Observations of caregiver interactions by the investigators using the Q-CCIIT measure,
to assess the quality of care provided by participating caregivers.
- A classroom information roster, completed by caregivers at the time of the observation,
about the composition and activities within care settings.
- Web-user pop-up questions for caregivers and PD providers, collected monthly at website
login.
- A feedback survey, completed by caregivers and PD providers.
- A PD provider training survey.
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| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiting |
NCT03743337 -
Study of Coaching Practices in Early Care and Education Settings
|