Evaluation of the Move 2 Learn program, a community-based movement and pre-literacy intervention for young children

ABSTRACT

Background: The Move 2 Learn (M2L) program is an evidence-based intervention designed to improve movement and pre-literacy skills in children ages 1.5–6 years.

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention as delivered by non-experts in a community-based setting.

Methods: Staff from four community centers were trained to implement M2L. Two sites were evaluated using a quasi-experimental design and the remaining two were evaluated using a pre–post design. Movement and pre-literacy skills were assessed twice in all children. Implementation fidelity was assessed using a weekly checklist and through site-visits.

Results: Thirty-one children (15 girls and 16 boys; age range 23–53 months) participated in the study. The results of the quasi-experimental study (n = 17) showed that there was an overall effect of the program on time 2 total gross motor scores (standardized beta = 1.3, p < .05) but not pre-literacy scores, specifically print or alphabet knowledge. The pre–post design (n = 14) showed significant change over time for total gross motor scores (Cohen’s d = 1.78) and print knowledge (Cohen’s d = 1.76).

Conclusions: Overall, the M2L program seems to have had a positive impact on participants when delivered in a community setting by trained, non-expert leaders. Future research will need to evaluate the effectiveness of the program delivered by various educators in larger and more diverse samples of children, using more robust research designs, and to determine whether there is long-term effect of M2L on health and academic outcomes in children.

KEYWORDS:

• Feasibility
• community-engaged research
• child development
• fundamental movement skills
• emergent literacy

Acknowledgements

We are immensely grateful to Nadine Devin for bringing the M2L program to this Southwestern Ontario community and coordinating the selection and training of each site. We are also thankful to our site staff for trusting in the M2L program and delivering it to the families in their communities. We would also like to thank our participants and their families for contributing their time and energy in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Chloe Bedard http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8189-5886

Emily Bremer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1488-1032

John Cairney http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2856-3967

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Middlesex County – Healthy Kids Community Challenge.