Kids in Transition to School (KITS)
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a program to monitor children and their parents in preparation for their first educational cycle through a positive teaching system and behavior change strategies.
The service takes place at school, focusing on early literacy and math skills, self-regulation, and social skills.
Parents attend 12 weekly workshops in the summer and every two weeks in the fall, covering aspects of early literacy skills at home, maintaining a school routine to help with the transition to kindergarten, discussing how parents can get involved in their children’s school, and how to encourage positive behaviors in the home and school settings.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies have shown that children participating in the program had significantly lower levels of oppositional-challenging and aggressive behaviors, as well as significantly higher levels of self-regulation and academic achievement, but no effect on social skills [1] [2]

Bibliographic reference

[1] Pears, K. C., Kim, H. K. & Fisher, P. A. (2012). Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care on Oppositional and Aggressive Behaviors in Kindergarten. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(12), 2361–2366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.08.015

[2] Pears, K. C., Kim, H. K., Healey, C. V., Yoerger, K. & Fisher, P. A. (2015). Improving child self-regulation and parenting in families of pre-kindergarten children with developmental disabilities and behavioral difficulties. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 16(2), 222–232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0482-2