Summary
The Incredible Years (IY) is a set of teacher, child and parent programs designed to promote children’s social, emotional and academic competence including prevention and reduction of behavior problems in children ages 3-12.
The IY Child Dinosaur Curriculum is designed for children ages 4-8 years and focuses on teaching children emotional literacy and self-regulation, problem solving, anger management and social skills. 60 classroom lessons are delivered 2-3 times a week by teachers for 3 school levels including a curriculum for preschool, kindergarten and grades 1 and 2. Circle time lessons are generally 20-30 minutes and are followed by small group activities designed to practice the skills being taught. Teachers are encouraged to enhance this learning by reinforcing use of social and emotional skills taught throughout the school day and during recess and meal times.
Note: There is also a treatment version of this program where students meet in small groups of no more than 6 children, weekly for 2 hours for a minimum of 18 weeks, ideally while their parents are in the parent 2-hour groups. A model exists for offering this small group treatment approach in schools twice weekly for 1 hour.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Not available at this time.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
Elementary (K-5)
Setting
Classroom
Language
English
Cost
Curriculum Costs: The costs for the Incredible Years child program package can be found at http://www.incredibleyears.com The package includes leader manuals, DVDs or USBs, teacher book, stickers, feeling wheels, child books, and Wally’s detective kits which includes laminated feeling, problem solving and rules cards. One time up front costs for delivering groups include: 3-day training group leaders, child program package, toys, easel, child size chairs, pocket chart, carpet or mat for play time and puppets. (If delivering in a classroom, some of these supplies will already be available. Child and dinosaur puppets are purchased separately from package). On-going costs of running a child group include venue and therapist salary as well as handouts for children, art supplies for projects, snacks, and incentives. Ongoing consultation for group leaders is a separate fee as well as for accreditation which involves video feedback of sessions via skype or in person consultation day workshops. The Incredible Years administrative staff works with sites to calculate specific budgets that take into consideration the agency’s implementation and consultation needs. Contact incredibleyears@incredibleyears.com for a customized budget estimate.
# Lessons
59-83
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Technology Requirements
Video Machine
Staffing Requirements
Two trained group leaders are needed to conduct either the classroom or treatment versions of the child program. Classroom teachers may be trained to deliver the program in their own classrooms. If the classroom has an assistant, that person should also be trained. A preferred method of delivery is to have classroom teachers trained alongside another school professional (school counselor or school psychologist) and to have a team of 2 people to deliver the program in each classroom.
Professional Development
Group leaders or teachers participate in a 3-day initial training. Following the initial training, group leaders or teachers begin leading the program and receive consultation from The Incredible Years trainers and mentors. Group leaders/teachers participate in an accreditation process to ensure that they are delivering the program with fidelity. When group leaders/teachers have completed the accreditation process, they are certified in the program.
Evidence of Effectiveness
The Incredible Years Child Dinosaur Curriculum was evaluated by Reid, Webster-Stratton, & Hammond (2007) with students identified as having conduct problems, in 14 Seattle-area schools. The schools were randomly assigned to IY or control conditions in a 2-year evaluation. Students in IY scored better than the control group on aggression/conduct disorders (ES=+0.31), qualifying for the “Promising” rating, but there were no differences on disruptive behavior, social skills, anxiety/depression, emotional regulation, or pro-social behavior.
Problem Behaviors
Promising
Published Studies
Refer to the provided ESSA for the most up-to-date published studies.
Reid, M. J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Hammond, M. (2007). Enhancing a classroom social competence and problem-solving curriculum by offering parent training to families of moderate- to high-risk elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 26 (4), 605-620.