Effectiveness of a parenting intervention for promoting positive home learning environments and learning outcomes for children in disadvantaged families: the Early Home Learning Study

There is strong evidence that parents and the home learning environment are the most influential forces in shaping children’s early learning. The literature has shown family focused interventions can improve the quality of home learning environments for young children. In addition, interventions that support families to facilitate their children’s learning also enable parents to be more knowledgeable and confident in their own abilities to meet their parenting responsibilities. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate an evidence-based parenting program to support parents to provide an enriched home learning environment for their very young children that enhances children’s development in the first three years of life. This will be achieved through the development of a parenting program this is embedded into existing service platforms – supported playgroups and maternal and child health parent groups. The smalltalk program aims to build on existing parenting strengths and targets specific parenting skills that are known to promote child language and learning, such as quality interactions, reading at home, and play, in addition to strategies to promote parental self-care. The program will be delivered across two levels of intensity (intervention): lower intensity - a supported playgroup or parenting group that includes smalltalk parenting strategies and higher intensity - a supported playgroup or parenting group that includes smalltalk parenting strategies plus individual coaching of families in their home. The comparator group is a usual care supported playgroup or parent group that does not include any smalltalk parenting content. All families will be assessed at three time points: T1 = Baseline (before group commencement), T2 = Post (after the last group session) and T3 = Follow up (5 months after group). Each assessment will involve both a telephone interview and an in-home observation.