Puerto Rican parents' understanding of their young children's development: PIAGET Program impacts on family involvement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations'

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of a parent involvement program, Project P.I.A.G.E.T., on parents' understanding of their children's development. Subjects were 29 Puerto Rican parents whose Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) children were enrolled in the parent involvement program. With the help of home visiting paraprofessionals provided by the project, parents were trained, for six months, to use various strategies and skills in helping their children learn. The program effects were measured by a commercially available test, Alpern-Boll Developmental Profile II. The study revealed that P.I.A.G.E.T. parent involvement program was effective in improving the involved parents' understanding of their children's various developmental areas. Implications for increasing CLD parents' involvement on educating their children are also presented. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.