Families with children age three to five who are "high-risk" in terms of poverty will receive training as part of the research done by UA Associate Professor Angela Taylor and her colleagues.
The training includes education in effective discipline, communication, reducing conflicts, healthy eating habits, physical education and improving children's readiness for school, Taylor said.
The program will train families while allowing researchers to gauge the success of the training, she said.
"Clearly we're looking for significant gains following the program in each of those targeted areas," Taylor said.
Teaching family skills will be the main focus, but researchers also want to help support existing family strengths, she said.
One possible benefit of the program may be the children's ability to climb out of poverty through the education their families receive, Taylor said.
"I think a very long-term goal might be to see a lessened involvement in poverty situations," Taylor said.
The program will most likely start working with selected families in January 2011.
The grant will cover two cycles of training per year over a five-year period.
