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• The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and efficacy of administering a battery of commonly-used executive function assessments remotely to a diverse sample of preschool students. • Based on our experiences in the field, we describe the task adaptation process, highlight the unique challenges and solutions to obtaining accurate and reliable data remotely, and present psychometric findings from a preliminary study of 97 preschool students (Mage = 53.2 months old). • Results revealed that the remotely-assessed Day/Night Stroop task, Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) task, Revised Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS-R) task, and Digit Span Forward task demonstrated strong evidence of normality, were highly reliable, and were related to standardized tests of academic achievement. • Overall, this study represents a first step towards developing a protocol for task adaptation and remote administration of executive function measures with school-aged children Research and development on remote assessments and services have been slowly progressing over the past decade in the areas of telehealth, telemedicine, and psychological e-Visits. However, much less research has focused on understanding whether neuropsychological and educational assessments can be converted for remote use with young children. In the present study, we tested the feasibility of administering a remote battery of executive function (EF) tasks to preschool students. These tasks were converted from widely used EF assessments and were administered to children in their homes remotely via Zoom Video Communications web conferencing services. Based on our experiences in the field, we described the task conversion process; highlighted the unique challenges and solutions to obtaining accurate and reliable data remotely; and presented psychometric findings from a preliminary study of 97 preschool students (M age = 53.2 months; 53% Female; 55% Black, 33.7% White, 7.9% biracial, 2.2% "other," 1.1% Asian/Pacific Islander; 7.2% Latine). Results revealed that the remotely assessed Day and/or Night Stroop task, Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) task, Revised Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS-R) task, and Digit Span Forward task demonstrated strong evidence of normality, were highly reliable, and were related to children's academic achievement. Further, associations between our remote EF measures and standardized tests of academic achievement were stronger for math than for reading achievement. Overall, this study represents a first step towards developing a protocol for task conversion and remote administration of EF measures with young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Self-regulation development was associated with language and literacy skills. • Earlier self-regulation was associated with higher skills and earlier development. Abstract Previous research has established that higher levels of behavioral self-regulation are associated with higher levels of language and literacy. In this study, we take a more developmental perspective by considering how trajectories of self-regulation development (early, intermediate, late) predict the way literacy and language skills develop from preschool through second grade. Children (n = 351) were assessed twice per year for up to four years on indicators of decoding, reading comprehension, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. Using non-linear growth curve models, we found that children who demonstrated self-regulation earlier had higher language and literacy skills throughout preschool to second grade. More specifically, earlier self-regulation trajectories were associated with both higher levels and earlier development of both decoding and reading comprehension, but not faster development. Children with early self-regulation trajectories developed phonological awareness earlier than those with late self-regulation trajectories. Finally, children with early self-regulation trajectories had higher levels of vocabulary than children with intermediate trajectories, but did not differ on the rate or timing of vocabulary development. Findings point to the enduring and interconnected nature of self-regulation and children's language and literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the nature and variability of parents’ aid to preschoolers in the context of a shared writing task, as well as the relations between this support and children's literacy, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. In total, 135 preschool children (72 girls) and their parents (primarily mothers) in an ethnically diverse, middle-income community were observed while writing a semi-structured invitation for a pretend birthday party together. Children's phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, word decoding, vocabulary, and fine motor skills were also assessed. Results revealed that parents provided variable, but generally low-level, support for children's approximation of sound-symbol correspondence in their writing (i.e., graphophonemic support), as well as for their production of letter forms (i.e., print support). Parents frequently accepted errors rather than asking for corrections (i.e., demand for precision). Further analysis of the parent–child dyads ( n = 103) who wrote the child's name on the invitation showed that parents provided higher graphophonemic, but not print, support when writing the child's name than other words. Overall parental graphophonemic support was positively linked to children's decoding and fine motor skills, whereas print support and demand for precision were not related to any of the child outcomes. In sum, this study indicates that while parental support for preschoolers’ writing may be minimal, it is uniquely linked to key literacy-related outcomes in preschool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study examined the influence of schooling during children''s first and second years of preschool for children who experienced different amounts of preschool (i.e., one or two years), but who were essentially the same chronological age. Children (n =76) were tested in the fall and spring of the school year using measures of self-regulation, decoding, letter knowledge, and vocabulary. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), preschool was not associated with children''s development of self-regulation in either year. For decoding and letter knowledge, children finishing their second year of preschool had higher scores, although both groups of children grew similarly during the school year. Thus, our results suggest that the first and second years of preschool are both systematically associated with decoding and letter knowledge gains, and the effects are cumulative (two years predicted greater gains overall than did one year of preschool). Finally, children''s chronological age, and not whether they experienced one versus two years of preschool, predicted children''s vocabulary and self-regulation outcomes. Implications for preschool curricula and instruction are discussed, including the increasing emphasis on literacy learning prior to kindergarten entry and the need to address self-regulation development along with academic learning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The current study investigated the extent to which child, family, and classroom factors during Head Start are related to children''s literacy and mathematics skills at the beginning of preschool and through first grade. Children and families (n =945) were participating in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a large-scale data collection effort that assessed children''s developing skills as well as their family and classroom environments. Longitudinal growth models revealed that Head Start children began their academic careers well below their more advantaged peers in literacy and mathematics, although by the end of first grade, their scores were nearly on par with national averages. Demographic characteristics of children, as well as their early language and social skills, were the strongest predictors of children''s initial status and growth in both early academic domains. Results highlight key foundations and specific promotive factors of early school success for the nation''s most disadvantaged children. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Peer effects, or the effect of peer skill levels on an individual's skills, are important predictors of school achievement, with recent research suggesting that they are also predictive of preschool skills. This study investigates the effect of peer levels of self-regulation on two aspects of school readiness: self-regulation and early literacy; and whether peer effects differ based on individual child skills and sex. Peer effects were assessed for 629 preschool children in 56 classrooms. Utilizing multilevel models within a structural equation modeling framework, peer self-regulation predicted self-regulation and letter word decoding growth, but not letter word knowledge. This suggests that peers can play a role in children's individual learning. Additionally, girls demonstrated higher spring self-regulation than boys. Peer effects were more predictive of spring self-regulation for children with low, rather than high, levels of fall self-regulation. These findings highlight the importance of preschool social/interactional environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Early behavioral self-regulation is an important predictor of the skills children need to be successful in school. However, little is known about the mechanism(s) through which self-regulation affects academic achievement. The current study investigates the possibility that two aspects of children's social functioning, social skills and problem behaviors, mediate the relationship between preschool self-regulation and literacy and math achievement. Additionally, we investigated whether the meditational processes differed for boys and girls. We expected that better self-regulation would help children to interact well with others (social skills) and minimize impulsive or aggressive (problem) behaviors. Positive interactions with others and few problem behaviors were expected to relate to gains in achievement as learning takes place within a social context. Preschool-aged children (n =118) were tested with direct measures of self-regulation, literacy, and math. Teachers reported on children's social skills and problem behaviors. Using a structural equation modeling approach (SEM) for mediation analysis, social skills and problem behaviors were found to mediate the relationship between self-regulation and growth in literacy across the preschool year, but not math. Findings suggest that the mediational process was similar for boys and girls. These findings indicate that a child's social skills and problem behaviors are part of the mechanism through which behavioral self-regulation affects growth in literacy. Self-regulation may be important not just because of the way that it relates directly to academic achievement but also because of the ways in which it promotes or inhibits children's interactions with others. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Family involvement, an important resource for early learning among children in poverty, is a primary focus of the Head Start preschool program. The current study examined the extent to which families in Head Start were involved in children''s learning at home, in the community, and at school, as well as the child, family, and center factors that predicted this involvement. In total, 2154 children and families, as well as the 165 directors of their Head Start centers, participated in the nationally representative Family and Child Experiences Survey (2003 cohort). Child and family background and involvement data, as well as center outreach information, were collected through self-report surveys and interviews. Descriptive analyses showed that families were regularly involved in children''s learning in all three contexts, although no ceiling effects were observed. Inferential analyses revealed that family background and process factors were the most substantial predictors of family involvement at the beginning (i.e., fall) of the Head Start year, and many of these factors continued to predict involvement at the end (i.e., spring) of the year. However, effect sizes were generally small. Center factors, including goals and incentives for involvement, were not linked to family involvement in fall or spring. In sum, findings indicate that most Head Start families were regularly involved with children''s learning in diverse ways, but that involvement could be further increased. Distinct patterns of modest family predictors emerged, with center outreach indicated as a factor that could potentially be enhanced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]