Evaluation of Safer, Smarter Kids: A Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Curriculum for Kindergartners

(Primary data)

Abstract

Background: This study was a pilot evaluation of Safer, Smarter Kids kindergarten sexual abuse prevention curriculum. It answered the question of whether or not the curriculum met its educational goals of increasing children’s knowledge of safety risks and self-protection strategies. Safer, Smarter Kids operates on the principles of observational and participatory learning. Teaching is paired with modeling videos, interactive activities, opportunities for role-playing, and situational practice exercises. The training is delivered in six 30-minute sessions.

Methods: Data was collected utilizing a two-phase non-probability convenience sample of public school kindergarten children (n = 1169). The pretest/posttest instrument was developed by the researcher. It consisted of 11 items that focused on personal safety skills. The questions were asked by a trained test administrator who met individually with each child. The child’s response was recorded by the administrator. The instrument was tested using a reliability analysis for internal consistency, which resulted in an alpha coefficient of .82. The sample consisted of students in four counties from 53 classrooms. Sample characteristics were male (53%); race, African American (5%), White (non-Hispanic) (18.6%), Hispanic (any race) (73%); and a mean age of 6.2 years.

Results: A paired-samples t test was calculated to compare the mean pretest scores to the mean posttest scores. The mean difference (M = 2.98, SD = 2.82, N = 1169) was significantly greater than zero, t (1168) = 36.17, two-tailed p-value < .001, 95% confidence interval about mean gains of 2.82-3.15, providing evidence that the Safer, Smarter Kids curriculum was followed by an increase in students’ knowledge of key prevention concepts with a 77% increase in scores post intervention. The magnitude of the treatment effect was calculated using Cohen’s d, which resulted in a large effect size of 1.09.

Implications: Although a non-representative convenience sample is limited in its generalizability, the results of the evaluation are promising. Replication of the study would contribute to its evidence base as would a study that could employ random selection and assignment with a control group. However, experimental designs are difficult to utilize in evaluation studies, as schools are often too over-burdened to participate in studies that demand too much in the way of school resources and teacher time. Nevertheless, school district administrators need to know the effectiveness of child sexual abuse curriculums in order choose the best program for their schools. Safer, Smarter Kids appears to be a potentially good choice that will teach children the safety skills needed to prevent abuse.