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Strengthening Early Childhood Protective Factors Through Safe and Supportive Classrooms: Findings from Jump Start +

Ruby Natale1, Tara Kenworthy LaMarca1, Yue Pan2

  • 1Mailman Center for Child Development, School of Medicine, University of Miami Miller, Miami, FL 33136, USA.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The Jump Start Plus COVID Support (JS+CS) program improved child protective factors and teacher practices in early childhood education centers. This whole-child approach supports teachers to foster better social-emotional development in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Mental Health Interventions

Background:

  • Early care and education programs are crucial for social-emotional development and school readiness.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing youth mental health challenges and increased teacher stress.
  • Infant and early childhood mental health consultation models are needed to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of the Jump Start Plus COVID Support (JS+CS) model in reducing child behavioral problems post-pandemic.
  • To assess the impact of JS+CS on children's social-emotional development.
  • To explore mediation and moderation effects of teacher stress, classroom practices, and self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted across 30 ECE centers in low-income areas.
  • The JS+CS intervention was compared against an active control (Healthy Caregivers-Healthy Children).
  • Teacher-reported child social-emotional development was measured using standardized assessments (DECA, SDQ) at baseline and post-intervention.

Main Results:

  • While direct group-by-time differences were limited, JS+CS showed significant within-group improvements.
  • Teachers reported enhanced child protective factors, improved behavior support, and safer classroom practices.
  • Classroom safety and behavior support practices mediated positive changes in child behaviors and attachment.

Conclusions:

  • The JS+CS model shows promise for strengthening protective systems around children.
  • Intentional teacher support is key to positive child outcomes in early intervention.
  • Whole-child, whole-environment approaches are valuable for addressing developmental needs in ECE settings.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19behavior problemsinfant and early childhood mental health consultationprotective factorssocial–emotional development

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