Background and study aims
This study is a randomised control trial (RCT) evaluation of a preventative programme which aims to improve school readiness and life outcomes of socioeconomically disadvantaged children. The programme is operating in several disadvantaged communities in Dublin with above national average rates of unemployment, early school leavers, lone parent households and social housing. The Preparing for Life (PFL) programme, which began in 2008, works with families from pregnancy until school entry in order to promote positive child development through improved parental behaviour and social support.
The programme is being evaluated using a mixed methods approach, incorporating a longitudinal experimental design and implementation analysis. The experimental component involves the random allocation of participants from the PFL communities to either the low or high treatment group for the duration of the programme.
Who can participate?
All pregnant women from the target communities in Dublin were eligible to participate. 233 pregnant were recruited into the PFL Programme between 2008 and 2010. Randomisation resulted in 115 participants assigned to the high treatment group and 118 participants assigned to the low treatment group. In addition, 99 pregnant women were recruited into a comparison group from comparable community. The population based recruitment rate was 52%.
What does the study involve?
Preparing for Life provides a range of supports to participating families from pregnancy until school entry. The programme targets a range of child outcomes which are related to school readiness, including cognitive development, physical health and motor skills, socio-emotional development, behavioural skills, language development and emergent literacy.
On recruitment during pregnancy, participants are randomly assigned to either a low treatment group or a high treatment group. Both the high and low treatment groups receive €100 worth of developmental toys annually and facilitated access to one year of high quality preschool. In addition, the high treatment group receive two additional supports that are not available to the low treatment group. First, participants in the high treatment group receive a home-visiting mentoring support service. The aim of the home visits is to support and help the parents with key parenting issues. Secondly, participants in the high treatment group also participate in group parent training using the Triple P Positive Parenting Programme which aims to improve positive parenting in a group-based setting for eight consecutive weeks.
The evaluation collects data from all three groups (high treatment, low treatment, comparison group) at baseline during pregnancy (t0), and when the child is six months (t1), 12 months (t2), 18 months (t3), 24 months (t4), three years (t5), and four years old (t6). A comprehensive set of data are collected at each point. At each time point, we compare the outcomes of the high treatment group, low treatment and comparison groups.
To determine if the effects of the programme are sustained later in childhood, data collected from high and low treatment groups at 7-11 years (age 9 on average) are collected and compared as part of a follow-up study.
To determine if the effects of the programme are sustained into adolescence, data collected from high and low treatment groups at 12-16 years (age 14 on average) are collected and compared as part of a follow-up study.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
If the programme is effective, families in the high treatment group may benefit from the programme by gaining greater parenting knowledge and skills; and their children will be better prepared for school.
Risks of participation are few. The main risk is that some study questions are of a personal nature and may cause participant discomfort or stress. Potential participants are informed as part of the consent process that participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw from the study or decline to answer any question at any time without penalty.
Where is the study run from?
The Evaluation of PFL is housed at the Geary Institute at University College Dublin in Dublin Ireland.
When is study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
Recruitment took place from 2008 to 2010. The evaluation continues until all children are 4 years of age, in March 2015.
The first follow-up study from January 2019 to September 2019 examines the impact of receiving the PFL programme between the ages of 0 and 5 on children's outcomes later in childhood (approximately age 9).
The second follow-up study from September 2023 to September 2024 examines the impact of receiving the PFL programme between the ages of 0 and 5 on children's outcomes later in childhood (approximately age 14).
Who is funding the study?
The evaluation of the Preparing for Life programme is funded by the Northside Partnership through the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and The Atlantic Philanthropies.
The follow-up study at ~age 9 and ~age 14 was funded by the Northside Partnership
Who is the main contact?
Professor Orla Doyle,
[email protected]