Project CARE: A Comparison of Two Early Intervention Strategies to Prevent Retarded Development

This study sought to determine whether variations in intensity of early educational intervention are related to different patterns of mental development during the first three years of life. Sixty-four high risk children were randomly assigned at birth to a more intense treatment condition (Educational Daycare Plus Family Education) or a less intense treatment condition (Family Education Alone). Both groups were compared to similar high risk children who did not receive educational intervention from our project. Standardized tests of mental development were administered at regular intervals. Gains in IQ scores at 36 months were greater for the more intensely treated group than for the other two groups, which did not differ significantly from one another. The observed differences were due primarily to the decline of mental performance over time in the Control and Family Education Alone groups, suggesting that early education prevents intellectual decline in high risk children whereas less intense treatments may not. Developmental trends and policy implications of these results are noted.