Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jan 8, 2020
Date Accepted: Aug 6, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Aug 10, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Study protocol of an RCT of Thrive by Three: A model of intervention and implementation of quality-building and quality-control in childcare centers to strengthen mental health and development in 1-2 year-olds.
ABSTRACT
Background:
Universal, high quality childcare offers a unique opportunity to prevent developmental trajectories leading to mental health problems. Yet, growing evidence has shown that the process quality of Norwegian childcare centers varies greatly, and there is a lack of research based model for quality-building. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate a model for quality-building in childcare centers, Thrive by Three, to increase the quality of child-caregiver interactions, and promote child development, well-being and mental health.
Methods:
The study is a clustered randomized controlled trial involving 187 toddler-groups in childcare centers across seven municipalities within southern and central Norway. Each center is randomly allocated to the intervention or waitlist (control) group. Data is collected at four points: pre-intervention, mid-way, post-intervention, 1-year post- intervention. The primary outcomes will be changes in child-care quality measured by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) toddler version, Student-Teacher Relationship Scale short form (STRS-SF), and Life in Early Childhood Programs (LECP), as well as child development and mental health, measured by the The Brief Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA, parent and teacher report), the Caregiver -Teacher Report Form (C-TRF, teacher report) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL, parent report) from the Achenbach ASEBA from 1,5-5 years, and child well-being measured by the Leiden Inventory for Child’s Well-Being in Day Care (LICW-D). Secondary Child cortisol levels will be assessed in a subsample of 300 children. Discussion: The present study makes an important contribution to the field regarding quality-building in childcare centers. The results will provide greater insight into how high quality can be obtained and the effects of high-quality early childcare on child mental health. This in turn will be significant for policymakers and to the Norwegian society at large. Trial registration: Clinical Trials NCT03879733, Registered on March 25, 2019.
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