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Guide
to Effective Programs
for Children and Youth |
Raising Healthy Children
OVERVIEW
The Raising Healthy Children (RHC) program aims at promoting positive youth development by reducing identified risk factors and preventing adolescent problem behaviors. RHC is a continuation of the Seattle Social Development Project, but focuses more in institutionalizing practices in schools. The long-term goal of RHC is to increase academic success and reduce adolescent antisocial behavior and chronic mental health, using a social development model. Random assignment was done at the school level. Results of an evaluation showed that RHC students had significantly higher teacher-reported academic performance, stronger commitment to school, and showed a significant decrease in antisocial behaviors than students who did not receive the intervention.
The Raising Healthy Children (RHC) program aims at promoting positive youth development by reducing identified risk factors and preventing adolescent problem behaviors. RHC is a multifaceted program which includes teachers, parents, and students. It is designed to influence developmentally appropriate risk and protective factors that may affect family, school, peer, and individual domains. Program components include a series of workshops for teachers focusing on instruction strategies previously found to reduce academic risks and early aggression. Workshops also include topics such as proactive classroom management, cooperative learning methods, reading strategies, and interpersonal and problem-solving skills. School-home coordinators conduct parent training and parenting group workshops. Parent training includes family management skills and in-home problem solving. The student intervention consists of summer camps and in-home services focusing on decreasing the negative impact of the student in the classroom and home setting.
Approach: The researchers collected data four times during the 18-month period. Data were collected at baseline, during the spring of the first year, and during the fall and spring of year two. Teachers completed a student behavior checklist including scales on “social competency” and “antisocial behavior.” Parents completed telephone interviews and checklists containing questions about their child’s behavior as well as family dynamics, parenting issues, and adult behaviors. Academic measures included “commitment to school” and “academic performance.” Students completed group administered surveys and self-report measures containing 40 items. Measures included a social competency scale and antisocial scale. Regressions and growth curve analyses were conducted.
Results: Results showed that RHC students had significantly higher teacher-reported academic performance (p<.001), stronger commitment to school (p<.001), and showed a significant decrease in antisocial behaviors (p<.001) than students who did not receive the intervention. Parents reported that RHC students had higher academic performances and a stronger commitment to school. Child self-report data on antisocial behavior and social competency did not show impacts.
An imitation of this study is the lack of variability on the outcome measures for first and second graders. Students responded favorably to school and behavior items uniformly, causing little variation in scores and making it hard to identify program effects.
Catalano, R. F., Mazza, J. J., Harachi, T. W., Abbott, R. D., Haggerty, K. P., & Fleming, C. B. (2002). Raising healthy children through enhancing social development in elementary school: Results after 1.5 years. Seattle: University of Washington, Social Development Research Group.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Program participant ages: 6-12
Program components: provider-based; home visiting; parent or family component
Measured outcomes: life skills
Program information last updated 4/11/06.
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© Child Trends 2004 |