Delivering Take Root to Military Families with a Child 0-to 3-Years-Old: Examining Feasibility and Proof-of-Concept

Parents influence their child’s positive development, and this is especially true during early childhood. In military families, the largest percentage of children are between 0 and 5 years old, and there is growing interest in developing and disseminating parent-focused interventions that target this age range for military parents. The present study examines the feasibility and proof-of-concept of the universal, web-based, Take Root parenting program, which was designed to empower military and civilian parents with a 0- to 3-year-old child in their parenting role and support positive child development. Seventy-nine participants were recruited from two Armed Services YMCA locations in fall 2019 and summer 2020. Results indicate that executing the research protocol and implementing the program among military families with young children were feasible. Further, significant pre- to post-changes in self-reports of parenting efficacy, mindful relaxation, and family functioning were found; however, when a Bonferroni-Holm correction was applied to account for multiple testing, only parenting efficacy remained significant. Collectively, the favorable results indicate the potential usefulness of Take Root for military families with young children and support the need for further, more rigorous evaluations of the program.