Our methodologies

Good Start

Research shows that...
10% of pre-school children show signs of disobedient and aggressive behaviour. In the case of children from socially disadvantaged families, the proportion is as high as 35%.
20% of children in kindergartens (and 30% from socially disadvantaged backgrounds) do not have developed socio-emotional skills. This proportion of children means that the teacher spends more time on disciplining and calming children with challenging behaviour than on learning itself.
40–60% of children who have behavioural problems at an early age go on to face more serious problems, such as truancy, reducing their chances of success at school and in life.
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How do we know that the Good Start really works?

The effectiveness of the Incredible Years® program, on which the Good Start® methodology is based, has been extensively tested and evaluated by both its creators and independent experts for over 30 years.

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Situation in the Czech Republic

The programme can respond to the difficulties we encounter in our country – often children do not have firm boundaries, parents do not have time, aggression is growing and individual psychosocial problems are increasing.

The Good Start methodology has proven effective results in supporting inclusive approaches and promoting social, emotional and cognitive skills of preschool children and has proven positive impacts on children's and parents' behaviour.

For the methodology we disseminate, we observe its impact on more than 2600 children in kindergarten using SDQ questionnaires (Strengths and Weaknesses Questionnaire, R. Goodman, 2005).

We use a research design with intervention and control groups, where we compare the change in behaviour and experience of children in intervention classes in perschools (trained teachers working with the Good Start methodology) with the change in children in control classes in preschools not working with the methodology.

Children's social-emotional skills develop better with the Good Start

Children’s negative behaviours decrease significantly faster over time in kindergartens where teachers use the Good Start methodology than in others. The positive area of prosocial behaviour then grows faster.

Research with a longitudinal quasi-experimental design was conducted 1. January 2017 – 1. June 2021 on a non-representative sample of 2603 kindergarten children across the Czech Republic. The areas presented are based on the standardized Strenghts and Difficulties Questionnaire, which was used by the kindergarten teachers to assess the children’s behaviour.

Research reports (in Czech)

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