Starting Early Starting Smart

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Starting Early Starting Smart

• Karol L. Kumpfer, Ph.D. Director, CSAP

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Vision Statement

• The Starting Early - Starting Smart program will
  serve as a vehicle to foster collaboration among
  select public and private agencies charged with
  providing physical and mental health promotion
  and substance abuse prevention and treatment
  services, social services, and education programs
  to determine how integrated, multi-disciplinary
  services planning and early intervention can
  improve outcomes for young children and their
  families.

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Need for Early Childhood Collaboration

• Young Children Are Demonstrating Interpersonal,
  Emotional and Behavioral Problems, And Are
  Arriving At School With Diminished Intellectual,
  Social and Emotional School Readiness (Boyer,
  1991 Edlefsen Baird, 1994).
• Needs of Young Children Are Largely Unaddressed,
  Despite Progress For Older Children (Knitzer,
  1996).
• Millions Are Being Raised by Corporations and
  Foundation to Address Early Childhood Needs, Yet
  Little Good Research Is Available to Guide Policy
  or Program Implementation Decisions.

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Need for Early Childhood Collaboration (continued)

• Childrens Mental Health and Substance Abuse
  Problems Are Caused by an Interaction Among
  Individual, Family and Community Factors (Kumpfer
  Turner, 1990 CSAP 1998).
• Multiple Services Are Needed Addressing These
  Multiple Risk and Protective Factors
  (Bronfenbrenner, cited in Bailey, 1995).

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Guiding Principles

• Create New Knowledge in Best Practices to
  Decrease Problems in Young Children and Families.
• Support Best Practices and Program Accountability
  to Provide Integrated Behavioral Health.
• Implement Discovered Knowledge Into Practice and
  System Change in Natural Settings.
• Increase Access to Comprehensive Services That
  Will Foster Desired Health, Education and
  Developmental Outcomes While Reducing Risk and
  Enhancing Resilience.

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Guiding Principles (continued)

• Continually Reassess the Needs, Strengths and
  Resources Needed to Support Childrens and
  Families Health Development.
• Test Intervention and Integrating Systems Across
  Diverse Cultures to Determine What Works for
  Whom.
• Maximize Public/Private Partnerships.
• Build Consensus Among All Collaborators.

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Pathways to Substance Abuse in High Risk Youth
Self-Control
Academic Self-Efficacy
.24
Normed Fit Index .76
.19
.70
Family Bonding
Family Supervision
Family and Peer Norms
No Substance Use
-.88
.40
.59
.14
Social and Community Prevention Environment
(n8,576)
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Pathways to Substance Abuse in High Risk Youth
Family and Peer Norms
Family Bonding
No Substance Use
Family Supervision
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Starting Early Starting Smart Outcome Measures

• Children
• Child Attachment/Bonding to Parent/Caregiver
• Behavioral Competence
• Social Competence
• School Readiness
• Parent/Caregiver
• Substance Abuse
• Psychological Functioning
• Planning and Life Skills
• Cohesive Family Functioning
• Employment/Education Status

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Expected Outcomes from Multisite Funding and
Integration of Services

• Services Integration Will Lead to Increased
  Access and Availability of Prevention Activities,
  Substance Abuse Treatment, and Mental Health
  Services for Young Children and Their Families.
• Childrens Development Will Improve Cognitively,
  Socially, Emotionally and Physically.
• Parents and Children Will Improve Their Life
  Skills, Family Functioning and Interaction With
  Community Service Systems.
• Communities Will Be Strengthened.
• Programs Will Receive Sustained Public and
  Private Community Support After Federal Support
  Ends.