Early Training Project

OVERVIEW

The Early Training Program was designed to influence both attitudes and aptitude relating to educational achievement. The program targeted economically disadvantaged pre-school children and targeted both children and parents. Results of a random assignment evaluation conducted in the 1960s showed that children in the experimental groups out-performed children in the control groups on assessments of IQ, receptive vocabulary, word knowledge, word discrimination, and reading in early elementary school, a year after the intervention ended. However, some of these findings faded in the follow-ups.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: 4 to 5 year olds who were economically disadvantaged

The program involves weekly home visits during the year as well as a 10-week part-day preschool program during the summer. The program lasts between 2 and 3 years.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Gray, S.W. & Klaus, R.A. (1970). The Early Training Project: A seventh-year report. Child Development, 41, 909-924.

Evaluated population: African-American low-income children in two small southern cities. 61 children in one city were part of the experimental study.  27 group children in a comparison group were in a second city.

Approach: The 61 children in the first city were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group received three years of the Early Training Project which consisted of weekly meetings and a three summers of the 10-week part-day preschool program. The second group received two years of weekly meetings and the preschool program (starting the intervention one year after the first group). The third group received no intervention treatment. In addition, the 27 children in the comparison group from the second city received no treatment. For the first three years of the intervention, children received pre- and post-test assessments during the summer. Follow-up assessments were given in the fourth, fifth, and seventh summer. Children were assessed using the Stanford-Binet, the Peabody Picture Vocabularly Test (PPVT), and the Metropolitan Achievement Test.

Results: Results of the study indicated that, over the years of assessment, children in the experimental groups performed better than children in the control group (and the comparison group). Likewise, the experimental groups outperformed the control group on the PPVT however these findings faded and were not seen in the seventh summer. For the Metropolitan Achievement Test, children in the experimental groups outperformed children in the control group on measures of word knowledge, word discrimination, and reading at the end of first grade but at the end of the seventh year, the children only differed on measures of word knowledge and reading.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Curriculum materials available for purchase at: Not available

References:

Gray, S.W. & Klaus, R.A. (1970). The Early Training Project: A seventh-year report. Child Development, 41, 909-924.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: Preschool children

Program components: school-based

Measured outcomes: IQ, receptive vocabulary, and word knowledge and reading

Program information last updated on 12/11/07

© Child Trends 2004