Proactive Screening for Emotional/Behavioral Concerns in Head Start Preschools: Promising Practices and Challenges in Applied Research

Abstract

There is a growing need for cross-cultural research on screening instruments appropriate for use with young children from culturally diverse backgrounds who are at risk for emotional or behavioral problems. Head Start classrooms provide an ideal environment for (a) conducting applied research and (b) encouraging best practices in screening, assessment, and early detection among diverse multicultural low-income populations. This research assessed the cross-cultural psychometric characteristics and validity of a multiple-gating screening procedure used by the Early Screening Project (ESP) to screen and identify children at risk for behavioral problems in Head Start centers in rural and urban sites in Oregon. The ESP procedure relies on teacher judgments, in vivo behavioral observations, and normative criteria to identify preschool children exhibiting serious behavioral problems. This research provides initial evidence that the ESP can be used appropriately within the context of multicultural Head Start populations.