NCJ Number
146068
Date Published
1979
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This intervention project was directed at improving the parenting skills of 150 Florida families, 80 percent of whom were black.
Abstract
Families were from both urban and rural areas, and all were poor. Home visits showed that mothers generally took care of the children's physical needs but that they did not talk or play with the children. Two control groups of 30 families each were compared with the 150 experimental families. Families in one control group received no services, while families in the other control group were visited monthly by a nurse who showed interest in the children and the family and took pictures. Parent educators (PE's) visited the experimental families on a weekly basis to teach parents new tasks and to assess their progress in accomplishing those tasks. The PE's also listened to parental problems. Many children in the experimental group scored significantly higher than controls on the Stanford- Binet intelligence test administered at the age of 6 years. Of 30 experimental children who stayed in the program for more than a year, 28 were in regular classes by third grade and only two were in special education classes. Key factors related to children's outcomes were the mother's educational level for girls and the mother's satisfaction with her appearance and social relations for boys. Differences in the childrearing practices of families are discussed, and teaching strategies to improve parenting skills are described. 6 references