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A Strengths-Based, Culturally Responsive Family Intervention Improves Latino Kindergarteners’ Vocabulary and Approaches to Learning

Fri, April 9, 1:10 to 2:40pm EDT (1:10 to 2:40pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Introduction. A hallmark of strengths-based and culturally responsive interventions is the focus on the family’s ecocultural assets and the buffering effects that these assets may have on children’s development (Gonzalez et al., 2008). For Latino families, one of these assets is food routines: Latino children are more likely to be involved in family food routines than their counterparts (Murphey et al., 2014) and Latino parents are more likely to spontaneously support their children’s academic skills during family food routines than other routines (Eisenberg, 2002). Based on this evidence, the Food For Thought (FFT) program, a family intervention that capitalizes on family food routines to support Latino kindergarten children’s academic skills, was developed and piloted in 2014-2015 (N=68). Parents learned ways to support their kindergarteners’ academic skills while engaging in routines such as grocery shopping, cooking, and eating together. Positive associations between parents’ uptake of the intervention and children’s academic skills were found. While the results were promising, the study was not experimental; thus, it was not clear whether associations were causal. Here, we experimentally evaluated the effectiveness of the FFT program using an RCT. We asked: Does the FFT improve children’s academic and domain-general (i.e., executive function, approaches to learning) skills?
Study population. Our cluster-randomized trial included 13 public elementary schools in one of the largest school districts in the U.S., involving 248 parents and their kindergarten children (average age 67.21 months, 50% were female).
Methods. Randomization occurred at the school level (6 schools in intervention). FFT was a school-based program involving 90-min family meetings, once a week for four weeks, and incorporating discussion of FFT strategies (e.g., supporting academic skills during family food routines), watching videos of Latino parents demonstrating FFT strategies, on-site practice of FFT strategies while receiving feedback from program implementers, and cellphone text reminders to practice FFT strategies at home. We collected data at three time points: pre-test, end-of-treatment, and 5-month follow-up. Children’s literacy and language were assessed using three Woodcock-Munoz subtests (picture vocabulary, letter-word identification and dictation; Woodcock et al., 2005). Children’s expressive vocabulary, math, executive function, and approaches to learning (persistence/engagement) were assessed using the IDELA (Save the Children, 2017).
Results and Discussion. To estimate impacts, we used intent-to-treat (ITT) and treatment-on-the-treated (TOT) models analysis. We found positive impacts on children’s expressive vocabulary at end-of-treatment and 5-month follow-up; these impacts were particularly pronounced on food-related vocabulary (the content focus of the FFT program; see Table 1). No impacts were found on language and literacy skills using the Woodcock-Munoz subtests. Positive impacts on approaches-to-learning at end-of-treatment and 5-month follow-up were also found (see Table 2). Although no impacts were found on math skills, we found positive increases in math and executive function approaches-to-learning at 5-month follow-up. Results suggest that family food routines is a lever where targeted interventions might have positive impacts in Latino children’s outcomes. More broadly, our study shows how strengths-based and culturally responsive supports can be effective and can be rigorously tested.

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