Ready4K Research
In a series of randomized controlled trials, the Ready4K approach has been shown to increase family engagement at home and school and increase child learning by 2 to 3 months over the course of a school year (York & Loeb, 2014; Doss, Fahle, Loeb & York, 2018; Cortes, Fricke, Loeb & Song, 2018; Cortes, Fricke, Loeb, Song & York, 2019).
A Leader in Educational Research
Our founder, Dr. Benjamin York, and colleagues from Stanford University first studied the Ready4K approach in a randomized controlled trial in San Francisco Unified School District with the District’s Early Education Department, which serves the city’s lowest–income preschool families. Parents who received program messages found them very helpful and reported engaging in more home literacy activities with their children. Teachers also reported increased involvement among parents in the treatment group.
Ready4K has the strongest evidence base in the field of digital family engagement.
With multiple randomized controlled trials and ongoing evaluations with Stanford, Brown and Notre Dame, Ready4K is the only “strong evidence-based” digital family engagement solution meeting Head Start and ESSA Tier 1 standards. Here’s what the research has shown:
2-3 Months Literacy Gains
Parents who received Ready4K texts showed increased involvement at home and at school, and children gained important literacy skills.
A version of Ready4K personalized to each child’s development level was even more effective.
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More Effective
Parents Ready4K has helped families make learning a part of everyday based our national longitudinal survey.
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Made Learning a Part of Every Day
Ready4K outperformed other digital family engagement tools in a head–to–head study.
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Found Activities Easy To Do
Studies
Research on Family Engagement and Communications
Research shows that digital family engagement by text can reduce chronic absenteeism and increase teacher satisfaction.
One step at a time: The effects of an early literacy text messaging program for parents of preschoolers
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a home literacy-focused text messaging program for parents of preschoolers designed to break down the complexity of supportive parenting.
More than just a nudge: Supporting kindergarten parents with differentiated and personalized text-messages
(Doss, Fahle, Loeb & York, 2018) We study effects of a text-based program for parents of kindergarten children, distinguishing a general program from one adding...
Too little or too much? Actionable Advice in an Early-Childhood Text Messaging Experiment
(Cortes, Fricke, Loeb & Song, 2018) This study investigates whether actionable advice alone drives the results of text-message based parenting programs and whether additional...
When Behavioral Barriers are Too High or Low – How Timing Matters for Parenting Interventions
(Cortes, Fricke, Loeb, Song & York, 2019) This study compares the effects of an early childhood text-messaging program sent during the weekend to the same program sent on...
The results of this research have been highlighted in:
