PARENT INTERVENTION TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY CHILD SCHOOL READINESS AT MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, ARIZONA: A MIXED METHODS EVALUATION

The development of school readiness competencies, vital for school success, may be jeopardized, especially for children of enlisted service members due to the unique challenges their military families face. After examining empirical literature through the family systems perspective, the ecological systems framework, and the accommodation model of child care decisions, this study posits that improved school readiness knowledge and bolstered perceptions of community support will lead parents to select higher quality school readiness programs, which are known to improve school readiness. A parent intervention was designed and its implementation was evaluated using a mixed methods convergent parallel research design according to six process and outcome research questions. The Community Assessment of Military Perceived Support Survey, the School Readiness Knowledge Survey, the Parent Perceptions of Child Care Choices and Quality Survey, participant interviews, phone consults, and other intervention artifacts provided qualitative and quantitative data required for analysis. Qualitative analysis suggested that intervention participation increased school readiness knowledge, perceptions of community support, preferences for high-quality programs, and the likelihood that parents will prioritize quality in the future selection of school readiness opportunities. Quantitative results were inconclusive