Impact of an Early Reading First Project\u27s Intensive Intervention Program on Language and Early Reading Skill Development

This study is of a federally-funded Early Reading First projects early intervention program targeting a subgroup of academically at-risk preschoolers with the goal of improving school readiness. The intervention program consisted of three components: a) daily 30-minute, one-to-one and small group sessions facilitated by an early reading specialist focusing on language and early reading skill development, b) weekly in-classroom coaching by early reading specialists, and c) regular communication with classroom teachers and parents. In this paper, the analysis focuses on a subgroup of randomly assigned intensive intervention eligible preschoolers (treatment = 62 and control = 30). Results demonstrate the intensive intervention program to be effective in improving letter recognition and receptive language skills of participating academically at risk preschoolers