A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

National Evaluation of The Even Start Family Literacy Program, 1998

Chapter 5

What Are the Contents of Parenting Education?

Parenting education, one of the three required core service components of Even Start, focuses on increasing parents' knowledge about early childhood development and effective parenting behaviors and practices so they can contribute actively and constructively to their children's development. Some activities offered in Even Start parenting education are child-focused; some are parent-focused; and others focus on parents and children jointly.⁶⁷

As was the case in previous years, at least 80 percent of sites provided most of the parenting education activities listed to "most families" (Exhibit 5.10). Ninety-four percent of project sites provided parent-child joint literacy activities to "most families." Commonly addressed child-focused topics were helping parents to: develop a child's language, thinking, social, and motor skills; apply child development principles in interacting with their children; ensure a child's safety and well-being; and manage children's behavior effectively (Exhibit 5.10).

Similar to the last two years, notably fewer sites reported helping children with homework, using television or outings for instruction, and preparing children for school routines as activity themes. The fact that there were relatively fewer families with school-age children participating in Even Start may explain the small percentage of project sites that included school-related activities in parenting education.⁶⁸ The common parent-oriented topics were building parents' self-esteem, life skills, good health and nutrition practices, and knowledge of community and social services.

Parent-child joint activities are an essential component of Even Start services. Projects reported the hours of parent-child joint activities offered in three instructional contexts: during home visits, in center-based activities, and during special activities such as field trips and meal functions.

As shown in Exhibit 5.11, hours offered for parent-child joint activities in a center or classroom increased approximately one hour per month from 1994-95 to 1995-96 and remained relatively stable through 1996-97. In 1996-97, on average, a typical family was offered 2.9 hours per month of structured parent-child activities through home visits; 8.1 hours in a center-based environment; and 5.3 hours of field trips, meals, or social functions.

Exhibit 5.12 further elaborates the types of parent-child joint activities provided by project sites.

About 90 percent of the reporting sites provided reading, storytelling, and activities to facilitate children's language and social development to most families in parent-child joint activity sessions. Approximately 80 percent of project sites offered other activities, including health and nutrition practices, children's self-discipline and self-help skills, and arts and crafts to most families. These findings are consistent with previous years' results.

⁶⁸ We examined whether projects serving relatively higher percentages of school-age children offered more school-related topics in parenting education. (Children ages 6 or older constituted 18 percent of all participating children in 1996-97.) We selected the top quartile of project sites based on the percentage of school-age children (34 percent or more) and compared the types of parenting education activities they offered against data from all project sites. Helping children with homework and classroom instruction was included in parenting education in more project sites (60 percent) with higher percentages of school-age children compared to all Even Start project sites (51 percent). However, the prevalence of school-age children did not affect whether projects addressed preparing children for school routines. Similar results were found in 1995-96.

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[ How Are the Core Educational Programs Integrated? ]