Program Description
Getting Ready is a program developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to increase school readiness among children ages five and younger who participate in home visitation or center-based early childhood programs. Getting Ready trains educators in eight evidence-based strategies to enhance their partnerships with families and offers guidance and ongoing coaching on how to conduct meetings with families through home visits, conferences and informal interactions. Through these interactions, educators and families collaboratively set goals to position each other for success. Educators can learn the Getting Ready approach through two virtual formats: initial training and ongoing coaching to build program capacity.
Program Outcomes
Two cluster randomized controlled trials conducted in Nebraska examined the effects of the Getting Ready intervention on preschool children identified as educationally at risk. The first study included 220 children from Head Start programs and after two years found significant positive impacts on teacher-reported student outcomes in language (ES =+0.41), reading (ES =+0.65) and writing (ES =+0.45), as well as social-emotional outcomes including increased attachment (ES =+0.42), initiative (ES =+0.40) and reduced anxiety/withdrawal (ES =+0.47). A replication study with 267 children attending publicly funded preschool programs similarly found significantly greater gains in teacher-reported student social skills (ES =+0.24), along with stronger relationships within both teacher-child (ES =+0.33) and parent-teacher (ES =+0.36) dynamics compared to controls. Across both studies, results are consistently positive, qualifying Getting Ready for a Strong rating in the SEL domain and Promising (due to a sample of <350) in Family Engagement and Academic Performance.
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required.
Professional Development/Training
All early childhood educators will receive initial training on adult-child interactions and relationships, family-school partnerships and collaborative interactions through live virtual training or video modules. Following the initial training, educators will receive ongoing coaching sessions to reflect on and support their approaches.
Technology
Educators will need access to the internet and video conferencing software.