Effects of the Parents and Children Bonding Intervention on Academic Achievement and Parental Involvement

Background and Purpose:

Parents and Children Bonding (PCB) is a dual generation intervention designed to support parents in low-income neighborhoods with their efforts to provide children with an effective and supportive educational environment within a supportive and engaged community.  PCB consists of 10 two hour curriculum sessions delivered to caregivers and their children living in low-income neighborhoods with a high concentration of publicly subsidized housing. PCB is designed to strengthen the parent child bond while families become increasingly engaged in their children’s education and community. Increased engagement in schools and the community, along with a nurtured family bond lead to improvements in academic success and health outcomes. This abstract provides results from the implementation and test of the PCB intervention on academic outcomes and parent involvement.

Methods:

PCB was delivered to a single cohort of families living in Denver, CO, in the neighborhood with the highest concentration of low-income households in the state. Families were recruited through community events in the neighborhood, and a total of seven families completed the first administration of the ten-week intervention. A mixed methods design was used to assess effects of the intervention on parent involvement and academic achievement of child participants. The quantitative approach involved a comparison of scores from pre-test to post-test on indicators of academic success and parent involvement. The qualitative component triangulates results by providing an in-depth understanding of parents’ experiences of the school system and ways in which PCB impacted their involvement with their children.

Results:

Participating families identified primarily as Latina/o with all but one participant being born in the United States.  The average age of parents was 39 and the average age of the focal child was 10.  On average, parents reported a high school degree or less as their highest level of education completed. T-tests were used to assess academic outcomes and parent involvement with their child. Parents reported significant improvements in four items representing the Parent-Child Bond (p<.05). Findings showed marginally significant improvement in two items representing Academic Success (p<.01). Qualitative interviews were used to examine participant experiences of the school system and the impact of PCB on parent involvement with their children. Parents’ reported language, feeling unwelcomed, school staff not engaging them, and teachers not supporting their children all as barriers to school engagement. Parents’ reported participation in PCB provided access to information and resources on school performance and school choice, an opportunity to bond with their children and a place to meet other housing residents.

Conclusions and Implications:

This intervention research used self-reports to examine academic achievement and parent involvement from multiple systems. The PCB intervention is unique in that it was delivered in the comfort of a familiar community center, and away from systems in which there is distrust and disengagement.  This intervention study offers an innovative and promising approach to work with families in housing communities.