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Kin as Teachers (KAT)

Note: The Kin as Teachers (KAT) program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Kinship Caregiver Support Programs
NR  — Not able to be Rated
High

About This Program

Target Population: Relative caregivers raising children from birth to kindergarten entry

Program Overview

KAT is a modification of the Parents as Teachers program designed to meet the special needs of relative caregivers raising children from birth to kindergarten entry. The KAT program addresses the following areas:

  • Parent knowledge and parenting practices
  • Detection of developmental delays and health issues
  • Prevention of child abuse and neglect
  • Promotion of school readiness and success

The KAT program establishes a two-year time limit for delivery of services, due to a waiting list, and it utilizes case management services rather than resource networking. The program was created specifically to address the needs of vulnerable young children in kinship families who often need extra support and special services.

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Kin as Teachers (KAT).

Manuals and Training

Publicly available information indicates there is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.
See contact info below.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Littlewood, K., Strozier, A., & Whittington, D. (2014). Kin as Teachers: An early intervention for kinship families. Children and Youth Services Review, 38, 1-9.

Type of Study: One-group pretest-posttest study
Number of Participants: 271

Population:

  • Age — Adults: 50-59 years old, Children: Mean=3.35 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Adults: 53% African Americans, 34.9% Caucasian, 9.6% Latino, and 2.4% Other; Children: Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status — Participants were caregivers who were either self-referred, called a Kinship Care Warmline, or were referred to KAT by local social service agencies.

Location/Institution: Florida

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The current study tests if the Kinship as Teachers (KAT) Program [now called Kin as Teachers (KAT)] improves kinship caregiver's knowledge of child development and age-appropriate family environment for caregivers caring for children. Measures utilized include the Florida Kinship Center Demographic Survey, the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, and the Kin Knowledge Questionnaire (KKQ). Results indicate that age-appropriate family environment improved and there was an increase in caregivers' knowledge of child development for families participating in KAT. Limitations include small sample size, lack of randomization, lack of control group, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for Kin as Teachers (KAT).

Contact Information

Kerry Littlewood
Email:

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: March 2017

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: March 2017

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: March 2017