Strengthening family capacity to provide young children everyday natural learning opportunities

Abstract

A capacity-building approach to natural learning environment intervention practices was the focus of the study. Capacity-building early childhood intervention promotes parents’ or other caregivers’ skills, abilities, and confidence to provide children development-enhancing learning opportunities. Natural environment practices use everyday experiences, events, and places as sources of child learning opportunities that promote child competencies. The manner in which the capacity-building intervention approach enhanced caregivers’ abilities to provide their young children everyday natural learning opportunities was examined in this study. The participants were four adult caregivers (three mothers, one grandmother) and four preschool children with developmental delays. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the effects of the intervention on different caregiver capacity-building behaviors. Findings showed discernable improvements in caregiver competence and confidence as evidenced by the patterns of results and the percent of nonoverlapping baseline—intervention phase dependent measure scores. Implications for understanding both the characteristics of family capacity building and the use of capacity-building practices as part of parent involvement in early childhood intervention and education programs are described.