Abstract
Background
Many programs and interventions are available to support families of young children, yet engagement and participation in these programs is often inconsistent. One explanation for poor engagement is that program parameters may not align with participant preferences. Further, preferred program components may vary across demographic groups.
Objective
In the present experiment, a best–worst scaling approach was utilized to ascertain parental preferences for early intervention programming.
Methods
Four hundred twenty-six parents of young children answered a set of 27 best–worst scaling questions regarding preferred components of early intervention programs.
Results
Overall results indicated that the most preferred aspect of program descriptions were those that emphasized parent and child outcomes (e.g., increased academic readiness, increased educational attainment). Parameters such as the provision of free childcare and teaching through experiential activities were also highly preferred. Programs held during a weekend, lasting 120 min, attended alone, led by a parent, attended without parent–child interactions, lasting 16 weeks, requiring paid or no childcare, and providing no food were least preferred. Although in general preferences were consistent across parents, there were significant differences in preferences across subgroups of parents.
Conclusions
Improvements in child outcomes were the most preferred attribute of early intervention programming. Few differences between subgroups of parents were observed. In cases where there were differences, mothers and single parents preferred some program activities to be separate from the child’s other parent. Parents from minority groups preferred programs that also included components directed at their own development as well (e.g., job training).
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Family Self-Sufficiency Research Consortium, Grant 90PD0278, funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We would like to acknowledge and thank Keith Chrzan from Sawtooth Software Inc. who programmed the best–worst scaling experiment and provided statistical analyses of the results.
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The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Fabiano, G.A., Schatz, N.K. & Jerome, S. Parental Preferences for Early Intervention Programming Examined Using Best–Worst Scaling Methodology. Child Youth Care Forum 45, 655–673 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-016-9348-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-016-9348-z