EasyPeasy is a digital intervention for families with a preschool child. A smart phone app provides families with tips and strategies for supporting their child’s early learning, with no fixed end point. The phone app activities may be augmented through support from an individual practitioner and group activities made available to a local cohort of EasyPeasy users at community centres or early years settings.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
2 to 5 years old
Online or app
EasyPeasy is an app-based digital intervention for families with a child between the ages of 0 and 5.
EasyPeasy can be delivered as a universal intervention but is more typically targeted at families living in disadvantaged communities. It may be downloaded and used by parents individually, or accessed through a community or early years setting, where parents are connected to local cohorts and offered more locally curated content. There is no fixed end point of the intervention, although the content is designed to be accessed over a period of 18 to 20 weeks.
Parents discover the EasyPeasy app via health or education practitioners, or through digital advertisements on social media and via local community sign-posting (e.g. libraries, word of mouth). Parents can register to the EasyPeasy app for free using codes that connect them to their local cohort (e.g. a local authority area, school, or nursery). Once the app is downloaded, parents receive EasyPeasy communications via text message (SMS). An initial SMS invites them to join EasyPeasy through a personalised message from their local practitioner or teacher and includes a link to ‘get started’. When the parent clicks on the link, they are taken to a personal dashboard that presents them with an initial bank of games to explore. Each game is presented through a short video clip, and a short set of written instructions. Parents then receive a series of SMS reminders throughout the intervening weeks, releasing new games (weekly), and encouraging them to play with their children.
Although families can access the app on their own, it has been designed specifically to function as a digital outreach service that extends the reach and impact of early years settings. A secondary desktop component allows practitioners in these settings to share and communicate with parents, as well as capture information on parent engagement with the app. When used by settings, parents are typically organised into small groups or ‘Pods’ on the app, providing a virtual support network where they can discuss the games, and the challenges and successes of using them to engage their children. Each ‘Pod’ is overseen by a Pod Administrator, a practitioner from the setting who monitors parents’ progress and offers remote support.
0 to 5 years old
All families with a child aged between 0 and 5 years old.
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
School readiness skills (including vocabulary and self-regulatory skills) during the preschool years are strongly associated with children’s later success in primary and secondary school.
Science-based assumption
An enriching home learning environment during the early years is known to support young children’s school readiness.
Science-based assumption
Family disadvantage negatively impacts parents’ ability to provide an enriching home learning environment.
Intervention
A smartphone app provides parents with personalised advice based on their profile for supporting their child’s early learning
Advice provided on the app can be augmented with support from an individual practitioner or group-based activities.
Short-term
Parents are better able to support their child’s early learning and school readiness
Parents are better able to understand their child’s early developmental and learning needs.
Medium-term
Improved parent–child interaction
Improved school readiness.
Long-term
Improved school achievement in secondary and primary school
Reduced income-related learning gaps.
There are no eligibility requirements, but the content is suited for families with a child aged between the ages of 0 and 5.
EasyPeasy is delivered through an app, with no fixed period for the intervention.
A wide range of practitioners may provide additional support to parents using the EasyPeasy app, including health visitors, family workers, and early years educators.
The practitioners receive basic training about the intervention. Booster training of practitioners is not required.
Supervision is not required.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Contact person: Jen Lexmond
Organisation: EasyPeasy
Email address: hello@easypeasyapp.com
Website: www.easypeasyapp.com
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
EasyPeasy has evidence from three RCTs conducted in England, consistent with Foundations’ Level 2+ ‘mixed’ evidence strength criteria.
The first two studies were small-scale evaluations, observing improvements in EasyPeasy parents’ reports of their child’s cognitive self-regulation (task persistence) in comparison to the children whose families did not receive the intervention.
However, a third, more rigorously conducted RCT failed to replicate these benefits with different but more objective measures. These measures included teacher-led assessments of children’s behaviour at school, as well as professionally administered validated tests of child language ability.
EasyPeasy’s Level 2+ ‘mixed’ rating means it has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the intervention caused the improvement.
| Identified in search | 5 |
| Studies reviewed | 3 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 3 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 2 |
| Study design | RCT |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | 144 families with a child aged 2 years 4 months to 6 years, accessing children’s centres in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Bournemouth, England |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | 76% White British (parents) |
| Population risk factors | Accessing a children’s centre in a disadvantaged neighbourhood |
| Timing | Baseline, and post-intervention |
| Child outcomes | Child cognitive self-regulation/persistence (Parent report) |
| Other outcomes | Parent self-efficacy on discipline and boundaries (Parent report) |
| Study rating | 2+ |
| Citations | Jelley, F., Sylva, K. & Karemaker, A. (2016) EasyPeasy Parenting App: Findings from an efficacy trial on parent engagement and school readiness skills. University of Oxford, Department of Education. |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | 302 families with a child 3 to 4 years old, accessing children’s centres in the London borough of Newham, UK |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities | For retained sample:
|
| Population risk factors | Any families attending one of the participating children’s centres could take part in the study |
| Timing | Baseline, post-intervention |
| Child outcomes | Improved cognitive self-regulation (Parent report) |
| Other outcomes | Improved parental self-efficacy (Parent report) |
| Study rating | 2 |
| Citations | Sylva, K. & Jelley., F. (2018) EasyPeasy: Evaluation in Newham: Findings from the Sutton Trust Parental Engagement Fund (PEF) Project. The Sutton Trust. |
| Study design | Cluster RCT |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | 1,488 children aged 3 to 4 years old attending 102 nurseries with high levels of deprivation in nine local authorities across England |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities |
|
| Population risk factors | Nurseries were recruited from disadvantaged areas; the majority of nurseries had over 30% of pupils ever eligible for free school meals |
| Timing | Baseline, post-intervention |
| Child outcomes | No significant child outcomes |
| Other outcomes | No other outcomes |
| Study rating | – |
| Citations | Robinson-Smith, L., Menzies, V., Cramman, H., Wang, Y. L., Fairhurst, C., Hallett, S., Beckmann, N., Merrell C., Torgerson C., Stothard S. & Siddiqui, N. (2019) EasyPeasy: learning through play. Evaluation report. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Doherty, N. (2019) Family disadvantaged negatively impacts parents’ ability to provide an enriching home learning environment. EasyPeasy.
Hilders, A, Sylva, K. & Jelley, F. (2019) The effect of the EasyPeasy app on children’s self-regulation and social development (University of Oxford, presentation, 9 November 2019).
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
Click here for more information.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
Click here for more information.
