Using Apps to Engage All Families in Science Exploration

To engage parents and young children in exploring science together, media producers from WGBH (Boston’s public media station) and researchers from Education Development Center (EDC) collaborated with two home-visiting organizations—Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY USA) and AVANCE—to design and test PEEP Family Science, an app-based intervention with science-focused digital media resources and associated supports for diverse, low-income families. Both organizations target families whose children do not attend preschool. These home visiting organizations play a unique role in promoting school readiness by bridging formal and informal education contexts. This article describes how PEEP Family Science was iteratively developed in collaboration with HIPPY USA and AVANCE and offers recommendations for educators and program coordinators about how to engage families in science using media-based apps, based on findings from our research.