Research & Evidence

The Incredible Years Programs:

• Have been proven to boost academic success, reading and school readiness.
• Expand the competencies of parents and teachers to prevent and address behavior problems in children.
• Are designed for implementation by existing community early childhood settings (child care centers, elementary schools, Head Start, etc.)
• Are responsive to the cultural context of the community.

In a series of studies involving low-income parents and their children, The Incredible Years programs produced the following outcomes:

• 91% of the children showed significant reductions in conduct problems.
• 73% of the children showed a significant reduction in negative behaviors at home.
• 69% of the children who showed poor social skills in the beginning of the school year demonstrated normal skills at the end of the year.
• 80% of the children continued to show improved conduct a year after the program ended.

Additional demonstrated results include:
Increased:

• Child social competence and appropriate play.
• Parental involvement with teachers and classrooms.
• Positive family communication and problem solving.
• Effective limit setting by parents.

Decreased:

• Child conduct problems at home and school.
• Child aggression in the classroom.
• Critical and violent discipline approaches.

Recognition of Quality

The Incredible Years developer, Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton, has received the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist award for her work. The programs have also received the following recognitions:

• Exemplary Prevention Program - Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
• One of eleven national model "Blueprint" programs by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (2000)
• The Lela Rowland Prevention Award - National Mental Health Association (1997)
• Model Program and listed in the National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs (NREPP) - Department of Health & Human Services (2001)

 

Colorado-Specific Outcomes

During the 2007-2008 School Year:

• IY reached over 2000 children and almost 300 parents in 59 different sites in 24 Colorado communities.
• 91.8% of children who rated “below average” in a pre-test social competence scale showed improvement by the end of the program (87.5% of “average” and 71.7% of “above average” groups also showed improvement.)
• Parents showed an increase in the use of positive parent techniques in every scale including: appropriate discipline, positive parenting, clear expectations and monitoring.
• The largest changes were seen in those children who rated “below average” in overall social competence at pretest.  On a 5-point test, they went from a 2.20 to a 3.16 – almost a full point improvement.
• 97% of participants would recommend the parent program to a friend or relative.

• “This is the greatest thing I could have ever decided to do to help my family and my kids.”
• “This stuff is magic—it really works!”
• “I would love to take this class over and over again.”
• “Every class is so helpful, for so many different
  reasons.”
• “I am so glad for these classes!!!!”