The Mommy and Me Play Program: A Live-Action Modeling Play Intervention for African American Preschool Families

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a dyadic, mother-paired play intervention, The Mommy and Me Play Program (MMPP). Developed in partnership with two urban Head Start programs, the MMPP is an innovative intervention program grounded in the developmental literature linking the quality of mother-child interactions in early childhood to important outcomes for young children preparing to enter school. The study aimed to answer three research questions: 1) Does the MMPP enhance the quality of mothers' interactions with their children during play? 2) Does the MMPP enhance mothers' knowledge about child development and the importance of play? 3) Does the MMPP enhance children's social and emotional skills? The MMPP was implemented by Head Start staff members (family service workers) who were also members of the community served by the Head Start programs, thus enhancing the cultural relevance and sustainability of the program in future years.

Methods: Seventy-five mother-child dyads participated in this study. Using a cluster randomized design, Head Start sites (seven) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: the intervention group (MMPP), the parent discussion group (to control for the effects of social support), or the waitlist control group. The Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (MBRS: Mahoney, 1999) was used to identify mothers' play skills. Mothers' knowledge of child development was measured using the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI: MacPhee, 1981). Children's social-emotional competence was measured using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation – Short Form (SCBE-30: LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996). These three outcome measures were employed both pre and post intervention. Treatment fidelity was measured using fidelity checklists. Intervention dosage was also evaluated. In the MMPP, participants engaged in two didactic sessions and eight dyadic, paired play groups over the course of eight weeks. A median-split method was employed to identify more skilled mothers (Helpers) and less skilled mothers (Helpees) using pre MBRS scores. Helper and Helpee dyads were paired together for all MMPP play groups to encourage peer modeling (Helpers and Helpees were not paired together in the parent discussion or waitlist control groups). In the parent discussion group, participants engaged in two didactic sessions and eight parent discussion meetings, concurrent to the MMPP. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, paired-samples and independent-samples t-tests, and analysis of covariance.

Results: Results indicated that the intervention was implemented with fidelity. In addition, results revealed that the Helpees participating in the MMPP demonstrated improvements in their play skills above and beyond other study participants. All participant groups demonstrated improvements in their knowledge of child development. Finally, children of Helpees in the MMPP showed the greatest decrease in angry and aggressive behaviors in the classroom when compared to all other participating children.

Implications: This study is a preliminary step in the development of a sustainable, community-based intervention. The trends identified in the intervention outcomes provide important information about links between parent education, parent-child interactions, and child outcomes in social work. These findings demonstrate promise for future research on intervention programs in community-based settings within diverse communities. 216.165.95.66 on 4-29-2010-->