Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care

Last updated on July 2021

Recruitment

Recruitment Status: Unknown status
Estimated Enrollment: Same as current

Summary

Conditions: Early Childhood Professional Development
Type: Interventional
Phase: Not Applicable
Design: Allocation: N/AIntervention Model: Single Group AssignmentIntervention Model Description: The goal of the field test is to evaluate use of the We Grow Together system by typical early childhood professionals working in a variety of care settings serving infants and toddlers. The field test will take place in 8 to 12 geographic areas across the country. This study will include only centers and FCC settings that already have local PD providers-the investigators will exclude ECE settings without established PD providers. The field test will include a purposive sample of 175 center-based classrooms (approximately half will be affiliated with Early Head Start [EHS], and half will be community-based child care programs). The field test sample will also include 125 FCCs, including those operating under EHS and in community-based settings.Masking: None (Open Label)Primary Purpose: Treatment

Participation Requirements

Age: Younger than 125 years
Gender: Both males and females

Description

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.

Tracking Information

NCT #

NCT03433872

Collaborators

Department of Health and Human Services
University of Oklahoma
Zero to Three

Investigators

Not Provided