OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy and fidelity of More PEAS Please!, a food-based learning intervention, on children's (aged 3-5 years) science knowledge and language development. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental (2-group) design with child-level assessments at baseline, preintervention, and postintervention. Intervention teachers participated in semistructured interviews to contextualize child outcomes. SETTING: Seven Head Start centers across 3 counties in North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and seventy-two children (n = 125 intervention; n = 147 comparison) and 19 intervention teachers. INTERVENTION: Intervention classrooms received More PEAS Please!; comparison classrooms received the standard science curriculum. PHENOMENON OF INTEREST AND VARIABLES: Science knowledge, language development, anthropometrics, and program fidelity; teacher perceptions of implementation and child learning. ANALYSIS: Linear mixed models examined group-by-time effects, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index percentiles, race/ethnicity, and developmental concerns; center was treated as a random effect. Qualitative data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. RESULTS: Children in the intervention group showed greater gains in science knowledge and language (P < 0.05) compared with the comparison group. Implementation was achieved with high fidelity. Teachers described improved comprehension, diverse learning needs, and program supports contributing to implementation and sustainability. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The intervention was implemented with high fidelity and improved early learning outcomes among children from families with limited resources.
Stage et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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