SAFEChildren is comprised of a reading tutoring program and a family-focused intervention (20 weeks duration) provided during the child’s first grade year. The family-focused intervention is based in weekly multiple-family group meetings (about 5 families per group) that address issues of parenting, family relationships, child development, and parental involvement and investment in their child’s schooling. Multiple family groups are thought to build social support among participants, and improve parent-child interactions. The intervention resulted in increased levels of academic achievement and parental involvement in school. Intervention participants increased reading skills at a rate approximating national norms and were actually a bit above the national average for reading skills by mid second grade (2 years, 6 months), with an average score grade equivalent (GE) of 2.9. In contrast, control condition students were just below the national average at the same point in time (GE = 2.4).
This report is the result of NIJ-funded projects but was not published by the U.S. Department of Justice.