A Pilot Study Exploring After-School Care Providers’ Response to the Incredible Years Classroom Management Program

Abstract

The need for and importance of bringing evidence-based interventions into school settings has been firmly established. Adapting and adjusting intervention programs to meet the unique needs of a school district requires personnel to use a data-based approach to implementation. This pilot study is the first to report on after-school care providers’ response to the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IYTCM) program (Webster-Stratton et al., Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 30:283–302, 2001). A certified IYTCM trainer conducted two groups (N = 18) that received a modified length of IYTCM training (24 h total). Adapting the length of IYTCM was necessary given the limited availability for training of after-school care providers in the large urban school district where this study was collected. Using a pre- and post-group training design, IYTCM group training resulted in improvements consistent with prior reports within the literature that involved classroom teachers. Findings indicated significant improvement in after-school care providers’ perceptions of positive classroom management strategies and their reported confidence in managing future behavior problems. After-school care providers also indicated high levels of satisfaction with the program and the certified trainer, yet support against modifying the duration and length of the training was evident in this small pilot study. Overall, findings were encouraging and warrant additional research on the use of this evidence-based group training approach in meeting the unique training needs associated with after-school care providers.