Based on Research Conducted at OSLC

The Kids in Transition to School (KITS) Follow-Up was a 5 year continuation of a randomized efficacy trial of a preventive intervention to enhance psychosocial and academic school readiness in foster children as they enter school.

Project Overview

The KITS Follow-Up study was a longitudinal study of the effects of an intervention that targeted specific school-related skills during the summer and early fall preceding school entry via three mechanisms: (1) a therapeutic playgroup; (2) caregiver psychoeducational support groups; and (3) behavioral consultation in the home, school, and community settings. KITS was designed to increase children’s attention and effortful control in classroom settings, to promote preliteracy skills, and to provide caregivers with skills for facilitating children’s successful transition to kindergarten. In the first 5 years of the study 192 children and their families participated. In the follow-up, children and their families were followed through the end of fifth grade (and beyond for some children) to examine the long-term effects of the KITS Program on academic, social, and behavioral adjustment as well as on behaviors that may place children at risk for health risking behaviors.

Year Project Began: 2010
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse