The role of parent involvement in school readiness interventions is not well-understood. The Getting Ready for School (GRS) intervention is a novel program that has both home and school components and aims to improve early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills in preschool children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. In this study, we first examined associations between family characteristics and different indices of parent involvement in the GRS intervention. We then examined associations between parent involvement and change in children's school readiness skills over time. Participants were 133 preschool children attending Head Start and their parents who participated in the GRS intervention during the academic year 2014–2015. Parent involvement was operationalized as attendance to GRS events at the school, time spent at home doing GRS activities, and usage of digital program materials, which included a set of videos to support the implementation of parent-child activities at home. Although few family characteristics were significantly associated with parent involvement indices, there was a tendency for some markers of higher socioeconomic status to be linked with greater parent involvement. In addition, greater parent involvement in the GRS intervention was significantly associated with greater gains in children's early literacy, math, and self-regulatory skills. These findings suggest that parent involvement in comprehensive early interventions could be beneficial in terms of improving school readiness for preschoolers from disadvantaged families.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to start school with fewer school readiness skills than their more advantaged peers. Emergent literacy and math skills play an important role in this gap. The family is essential in helping children build these skills, and the active involvement of families is crucial to the success of any intervention for young children. The Getting Ready for School (GRS) program is a parent-focused curriculum designed to help parents equip their children with the skills and enthusiasm necessary for learning when they start school. Parents meet in weekly workshops led by a trained facilitator and implement the curriculum at home with their children. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the promise of the GRS intervention in children participating in an urban Head Start program and to explore parents' responses to the intervention. We hypothesized that participation in GRS would improve school readiness in literacy and math skills, relative to participation in business-as-usual Head Start. Four Head Start classrooms (two randomly selected “intervention” and two “comparison” classrooms) participated in this study. Preliminary analyses suggest that GRS improves school readiness over and above a Head Start-as-usual experience. Implications for early childhood programs and policies are discussed.

Background Despite impressive strides in health, social protection, and education, children continue to experience high rates of child maltreatment in Malaysia. This mixed-methods study assessed the feasibility of a five-session, social learning-based parenting program delivered by government staff in a community setting to reduce violence against children. Methods Parents of children from birth to 17 years were recruited from two communities near Kuala Lumpur to participate in the government-run program called the Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Program (“Protecting through Love” in Bahasa Melayu). Quantitative data from female caregivers (N = 74) and children ages 10–17 (N = 26) were collected along with qualitative interviews and focus groups with parents, children, and facilitators. The primary outcome was child maltreatment with secondary outcomes including neglect, positive parenting, acceptability of corporal punishment, harsh parenting, positive discipline, and child behavior problems. Multilevel Poisson regression and multilevel linear regression were conducted to compare baseline and post-test outcomes. Qualitative interviews and focus groups examined how participants experienced the program utilizing a thematic analysis approach. Results Quantitative analyses found pre-post reductions in overall child maltreatment, physical abuse, emotional abuse, attitudes supporting corporal punishment, parent sense of inefficacy, and child behavior problems. There were no reported changes on positive and harsh parenting, parental mental health, and marital satisfaction, nor were there any other significant changes reported by children. Qualitative findings suggested that the program had tangible benefits for female caregivers involved in the program, with the benefits extending to their family members. Conclusions This feasibility study is one of the few studies in Southeast Asia that examined the feasibility and initial program impact of a parenting program delivered by government staff to families with children across the developmental spectrum from birth to 17 years. Promising results suggest that the program may reduce child maltreatment across a range of child ages. Findings also indicate areas for program improvement prior to further delivery and testing, including additional training and content on sexual and reproductive health, parenting children with disabilities, and online child protection.

Sex trafficking, a form of human trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, with a global prevalence of 4.5 million, has pervasive effects in the mental and physical health of survivors. However, little is known about the experiences and needs of Latinx migrants (the majority of sex trafficking victims in the US) after trafficking, particularly regarding parenting. This QUAL-quant study examines how 14 survivors of sex trafficking (mean age = 30) from Mexico and Central America encounter and respond to parenting experiences after escaping sexual exploitation. Combining a bio-ecological model of parenting with Zimmerman’s framework on human trafficking we identified how trauma related to sex trafficking can challenge parenting and how relational and contextual pre and post trafficking factors (dis)enable women to respond to such challenges. Psychological consequences of daily victimization primarily manifested in three ways: overprotective parenting in a world perceived to be unsafe, emotional withdraw when struggling with stress and mental health symptoms, and challenges building confidence as mothers. These experiences were accentuated by pre-trafficking experiences of neglect and abuse, forced separation from their older children, poverty post-trafficking, and migration-related stressors. Yet, finding meaning in the birth of their child, having social support, and faith, also enable mothers to cope with such challenges. We conclude that motherhood after surviving sex trafficking presents new challenges and opportunities in the path to recovery from trauma. Interventions at the policy, community and individual level are needed to support survivors of sex trafficking as they enter motherhood.

The increasingly complex and rapidly changing global health and socio-economic landscape requires fundamentally new ways of thinking, acting and collaborating to solve growing systems challenges. Cross-sectoral collaborations between governments, businesses, international organizations, private investors, academia and non-profits are essential for lasting success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and securing a prosperous future for the health and wellbeing of all people. 1 Our aim is to use data science and innovative technologies to map diverse stakeholders and their initiatives around SDGs and specific health targets -with particular focus on SDG 3 (Good Health & Well Being) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) -to accelerate cross-sector collaborations. Initially, the mapping tool focuses on Geneva, Switzerland as the world center of global health diplomacy with over 80 key stakeholders and influencers present. As we develop the next level pilot, we aim to build on users' interests, with a potential focus on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as one of the emerging and most pressing global health issues that requires new collaborative approaches. Building on this pilot, we can later expand beyond only SDG 3 to other SDGs.