The main aim of the Birth to School Study (BTSS) was to
investigate the effects of PEEP on parents and children
within the area it serves in Oxford. This had two dimensions:
to determine if the programme had an effect on the community
as a whole and simultaneously, whether it had an effect
on a sub-group of families who had chosen to attend at least
one weekly PEEP session before their child was 3 years old.
The six-year span of the study provided the opportunity
to measure effects both on a yearly basis and in terms of
the children's progress over time.
The effect of PEEP on parents
- Parents who attended weekly PEEP sessions reported
a significantly enhanced view of their parent-child
interaction when the children were one year of age.
- When the children were aged two, they were also rated
significantly higher on the quality of their care-giving
environment.
- These parental outcomes emerged before any of the
child outcomes related to progress in language, the
foundations of literacy or in self-esteem, became apparent.
- The findings are consistent with evidence from evaluations
of other interventions which suggest that parental outcomes
related to enhanced parenting skills anticipate improved
child outcomes in subsequent years.
- The findings from the BTSS suggest that the promotion
of better quality relationships between parents and
children is an effective strategy which can lead to
enhanced learning.
The effect of PEEP on children's
cognitive development
The findings from the BTSS demonstrate that the children,
whose families had participated in the weekly sessions PEEP
offered, made significantly greater progress over time,
compared to a matched group of children with no access to
the sessions, in:
- Vocabulary (between the ages of 2-4, 2-5, 4-5);
- Phonological awareness of rhyme and alliteration (between
the ages of 2-4, 2-5);
- Letter identification (between the ages of 2-4, 4-5);
- Understanding of books and print (between the ages
of 2-4, 2-5); " Writing (between the ages of 4-5).
The effect of PEEP on children's
socio-emotional development
The findings showed little significant advantage associated
with attending weekly PEEP sessions until the children were
five years old when self-esteem was measured for the first
time. At this point, they showed a significant advantage
in the total measure of self-esteem as well as in four out
of six of the sub-scales (Peer Acceptance, Cognitive Competence,
Physical Competence, General Competence).
The effect of PEEP on families living
in the area
The BTSS findings for families living in the area where
PEEP operates, including those who did not chose to attend,
demonstrate similar effects on parents and on the rate of
progress made by the children, in important outcomes related
to literacy development and self-esteem, to those found
for families who attended the PEEP sessions.However, these
generally showed smaller effect sizes and were in a reduced
number of outcomes. The cognitive and self-esteem effects
in favour of the children living in the PEEP area suggest
that children at risk of low educational achievement, whose
families chose not to participate in the weekly sessions,
were still able to benefit from its existence within the
community.
Policy implications of the findings
The results of the study have demonstrated that:
- PEEP had a significant impact on the quality of parents'
interaction with their children when they were one and
two years old;
- PEEP had a significant impact on children's rate of
progress in a number of literacy-related skills, as
well as in measures of their self-esteem.
The results strongly support existing evidence that good
quality parenting leads to improved cognitive and social
skills for the children. In addition, they support previous
research that effective early interventions lead to enhanced
short-term gains in cognitive and social skills, particularly
for children at risk of low educational achievement.
More specifically, the evidence from BTSS suggests that
an effective intervention programme such as PEEP can disseminate
effects, that filter beyond the families who choose to attend
education- or parenting-based groups, into the wider community.
Whilst contributing to an existing body of evidence on the
efficacy of early interventions with strong parental involvement,
the BTSS findings are relevant to current policy that:
- Highlights the importance of the first five years
of life on children's development;
- Emphasises the crucial role played by parents during
early childhood;
- Seeks to support children by helping families to provide
the 'protective factors' associated with resilience;
- Prioritises early intervention (prevention) rather
than later intervention (cure).
More information
A summary of the findings and the full report are available
from DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley,
Nottingham, NG15 0DJ; Tel: 0845 6022260; Email: dfes@prolog.uk.com;
Reference: SSU/2005/SF/017 Both the summary and the report
are also available on the Sure Start website and the DfES
website. Go to www.surestart.gov.uk/research/keyreseach/peep
or www.dfes.gov.uk/research.
Click here
for more information on PEEP and to view previous research
findings.
(The Birth to School Study: A Longitudinal
Evaluation of the Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP)
1998-2005, August 2005)
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