Search

Research Findings: The classroom physical literacy environment is a malleable and domain-specific contributor to children's emergent literacy acquisition. However, what shapes the physical literacy environment remains unclear. In this study, we drew on a sample of 895 4-year-olds across 223 classrooms from the Professional Development Study and tested the role of classroom age composition in shaping the physical literacy environment. Additionally, we examined the extent to which the physical literacy environment explained the associations between classroom age composition and emergent literacy outcomes. We found that classrooms with a higher proportion of younger children (2- or 3-year-olds) provide less book use, writing materials, and writing around the room. Notably, the lack of writing displayed around the room served as one potential reason why 4-year-olds demonstrate smaller gains in expressive language skills in these classrooms. Practice or Policy: Together, these findings highlight the need for investing in the classroom physical literacy environment to ensure that it meets the needs of all children in mixed-age classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this preregistered study, we used latent change score models to address two research aims: (1) whether preschool‐aged children's language gains, over a year of early childhood education, were associated with later performance on state‐mandated, literacy‐focused kindergarten readiness and Grade 3 reading achievement assessments, and (2) whether gains in language, a more complex skill, predicted these outcomes after controlling for more basic emergent literacy skills. There were 724 participating children (mean = 57 months; 51% male; 76% White, 12% Black, 6% multiple races, and 5% Hispanic or Latino). We found that language gains significantly predicted kindergarten readiness when estimated in isolation (effect = 0.24 SDs, p <.001), but not when gains in letter knowledge and phonological awareness were also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Multiple factors likely influence the language development of young children growing up in low-income homes, potentially including stressors experienced by parents. Here, we ask: (1) What is the association between stress (i.e., economic hardship and parenting stress) and toddlers' language development? and (2) Does number of hours spent in nonparental childcare moderate the relation between stress (i.e., economic hardship and parenting stress) and toddlers' language development? Participants were 100 mother-child dyads participating in a longitudinal study when children were 0 to 24 months of age. Results showed a significant interaction between hours spent in nonparental childcare and parenting stress when predicting language growth: when parenting stress was high, childcare hours showed a positive relation with language growth; on the contrary, when parenting stress was low, the relation between childcare hours and language growth showed a negative tendency. Conversely, economic hardship did not predict language growth. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that one potential approach to facilitate language development for low-income children is to help high-stress families secure early years childcare. Furthermore, programs to reduce parenting stress may help to promote children's language growth, especially when families are not using nonparental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the extent to which residential mobility in the first 15 years of life was cumulatively associated with high school truancy at age 15 and whether there were specific developmental periods during which residential mobility was more consequential. To address these aims, we used data drawn from 4,848 children and families who participated in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (now called the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study). Results from covariate-adjusted regression models provided some evidence that children who experienced more residential moves across the first 15 years engaged in more truant behavior at age 15 and that these associations diminished with each additional move. With that said, the associations between cumulative residential mobility and adolescent truancy were not robust to different analytic specifications and there was no evidence for timingspecific associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that the ways in which early childhood classrooms are organized may facilitate children's language learning. However, different measures of classroom organization often yield inconsistent findings regarding child outcomes. In this study, we investigated multiple aspects of classroom organization across two time points in classrooms where children made varying language gains. Using a purposeful sample of 60 early childhood classrooms, 30 in which children made higher language gains and 30 in which children made lower language gains, we explored the organization of the physical classroom literacy environment, classroom management, classroom time, and classroom activities. Research Findings: Results indicated that the organization of classroom time and classroom activities, but not of the classroom literacy environment nor of classroom management, differed across classrooms. Differences between classrooms were particularly salient in the fall. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest similarities and differences in the organizational patterns of classrooms, both at the start of the school year and across time. This has implications for how early childhood classrooms are organized to facilitate children's language learning and highlights the importance of supporting teachers with establishing classroom organization early in the school year. Furthermore, these results emphasize the value of using multiple measures when exploring classroom organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Preschoolers' vocabulary skills and inhibitory control have been demonstrated critical for later school success; however, the ways in which the individual classroom experiences dynamically interchange with these skills is still unclear. In this paper, we examine the role of children's individual engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks in facilitating children's skill development across the school year. Using a sample of 895 preschoolers across 223 classrooms drawn from the Professional Development Study, the current study examined engagement as both outcomes of children's vocabulary and inhibitory control in the fall of the preschool year and as mediators of linkages between them across the preschool year. Results suggested that vocabulary skills and inhibitory control each shape different aspects of classroom engagement. Children's vocabulary was associated with positive engagement with teachers and peers, whereas inhibitory control was associated with positive task engagement and negative engagement. We also found that negative engagement as composited by conflicts with teachers and peers and off-task behaviors mediated the association between fall inhibitory control with spring vocabulary and inhibitory control. Practice or Policy: Together, these findings suggest the critical role of individual classroom experiences in explaining children's vocabulary and inhibitory control development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using unique data from an economically and racially diverse sample of 448 caregivers with young children (ages 4–9 years) in Ohio, we assess multiple sources of family social and economic disruptions and their associations with parenting activities during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Caregivers reported extensive social and economic challenges during this time, while also increasing (on average) their time spent in play/learning activities. Time spent in discipline was less likely to increase during this period. We found significant associations among disadvantaged social conditions/experiences and parenting, and that some effects were moderated by 2019 household income status. Unexpectedly, changes in economic conditions, particularly caregiver job loss, were associated with higher odds of increases in reading/telling stories time across household income groups. Overall, findings indicate that social conditions associated with the stay-at-home period of COVID-19 might have been more disruptive to parenting for caregivers with young children than the short-term economic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Strong connections between children's teachers and their parents fosters their learning and development in early childhood and throughout their schooling. Developing strong connections in preschool may ease the transition to elementary school for children. Objective: The goal of this study is to examine the initial implementation of the Kindergarten Transition Practices intervention, its impacts on parental engagement, and how these impacts varied by family race/ethnicity, maternal education, and children's behavior problems. Method: Children (N = 391) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: KTP-Classroom, where they received a classroom-level intervention; KTP-Plus, where they received both the classroom intervention and an additional home visiting component; or the business-as-usual control group. Transition Coordinators worked with both teachers and parents throughout the intervention to build connections between parents and their children's teachers and schools. Results: Results showed that the classroom intervention (KTP-Classroom) led to significantly higher levels of teacher-reported parent involvement and that, for Hispanic families, the classroom plus home visiting intervention (KTP-Plus) led to more positive teacher perceptions of parent involvement, parent-teacher relationships, and parent values. Conclusions: These findings suggest that connection-focused models may be one way to enhance parental engagement during preschool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: The present study examined the extent to which instructional practices, including curriculum, in pre-K through third grade are vertically aligned. Attention was directed to teachers' grouping practices, academic content, and pedagogical methods given their importance for students' learning. Variable- and person-centered analyses examined these practices for a sample of 1,095 students in 179 pre-K through third-grade classrooms. A comparison of practices indicated that pre-K practices were significantly mis-aligned from those used in kindergarten through third grade, whereas kindergarten practices were well aligned with practices used in the older grades. Examination of profiles of classroom practices showed there to be four profiles, one of which was considered as "academic-light group work," which was dominated by pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. Practice or policy: Overall, this study found that instructional practices in pre-K were starkly different from those in kindergarten through third grade, and that kindergarten appears to be highly academic for about two-thirds of classrooms. This work underscores the importance of practices and policies that promote alignment from pre-K into the primary grades and how it might be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many young adults in countries with advanced economies make linear career transitions from school to work. However, there is a great variability in youth's postsecondary education and early work experiences and more work is needed to identify the career trajectories of modern youth. Using longitudinal data on 1747 young adults from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth–1997, the current study identifies work and school pathways commonly seen in the transition to adulthood and investigates multiple levels of adolescent precursors. Using latent class analysis, we identified four work and school pathways centered on educational attainment. Whereas parental education and future educational expectations in adolescence significantly shaped the career pathways, local labor market conditions played a limited role in predicting these pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our study investigates how changes in family contexts were associated with child behaviors during Ohio's COVID‐19 shutdown of early 2020. Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic caused major economic and social changes for families. Rapid research was conducted to assess these changes and their potential impacts on child behaviors. Method: Using a diverse sample of families with children aged birth to 9 years (N = 559), we describe key economic changes and parent‐reported stressors experienced during Ohio's shutdown period. Then, we use regression models to examine how these family conditions were associated with child emotional distress and changes in sleep routines. Results: When parents experienced more total COVID‐19 pandemic‐related stressors, they also reported that their children exhibited more anxious and withdrawn, fearful, acting out, and COVID‐19 pandemic‐related behaviors (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Families and children living at home in Ohio experienced significant stress during the shutdown. These findings can be used to inform future studies of the social and economic consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic for parents and children. Implications: Families and children have experienced multiple stressors during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Researchers and practitioners should continue to monitor and support families and children to mitigate potential lasting consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: The amount of time and type of program that children experience in early childhood settings may be associated with children's kindergarten-entry skills, or kindergarten readiness. Taking a person-centered perspective, in the present study, we examined the extent to which reliable and unique profiles of early childhood experiences among a heterogeneous group of preschool children could be identified (N = 422). Based on parent reports of children's early education experiences in the year before kindergarten, three distinct profiles were identified. The three groups (Part-Time Head Start, Public Preschool and Other Care Programs, and Full-Time Head Start) significantly differed based on family and child characteristics. Children in the Public Preschool and Other Care Programs profile resided in families with greater maternal educational levels and incomes, and were more likely to be white than children in the other profiles. However, differences in children's kindergarten readiness by profile were not observed. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest that time spent in different care arrangements was not associated with children's kindergarten readiness. It is important for future work to examine other factors, such as quality of care, that may promote children's learning across settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Using a sample of 568 students from 61 kindergarten classrooms whose primary caregivers completed a questionnaire describing their child's early childhood education and care (ECEC) by year from birth to pre-kindergarten, we identified seven pathways characterizing children's ECEC experiences using a latent class analysis. Once identified, profile membership was included as an independent variable in a multilevel model to predict children's cognitive and social-behavioral outcomes at kindergarten entry. Although a considerable body of work has examined dosage of time in (ECEC) and its associations with children's skills in later grades, we extend this work by expanding the definition of dosage to include multiple care arrangements from birth to kindergarten entry and by examining if profiles of ECEC participation have associations with kindergarten-entry skills. Our findings show membership in profiles in which children spent consistent time in center-based care from birth to five were associated with adverse socialbehavioral outcomes including behavioral aggression, school adjustment, peer social skills, and self-efficacy. Practice or Policy: Our findings suggest the importance of considering more nuanced differences in children's experiences with ECEC and the need for possible interventions to support the social-behavioral development of children with exposure to 5 years of center-based care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost 5 million children attend preschool in the United States each year. Recent attention has been paid to the ways in which preschool classrooms shape children's early language development. In this article, we discuss the importance of peers and classroom composition through the lens of age and socioeconomic status and the implications for children's early learning and development. We also discuss the direct and indirect mechanisms through which classroom peers may shape each other's language development. As part of this discussion, we focus on exposure to peer language and engagement with peers, along with teachers' classroom practices. We conclude by discussing the ways in which teachers can ensure that children in classrooms of different compositions reap the maximum benefit, along with implications for research, policy, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most children experience some form of grouping in the classroom every day. Understanding how teachers make grouping decisions and their impacts on children's social development can shed light on effective teacher practices for promoting positive social dynamics in the classroom. This study examined the influence of teachers' grouping strategies on changes in young children's social experiences with peers across an academic year. A total of 1,463 children (51% girls, M age = 6.79, SDage = 1.22) and 79 teachers from kindergarten to third-grade classrooms participated in this study. Teachers rated children's behavioral problems as the most important consideration when creating seating charts or assigning children to small groups. Promoting existing or new friendships was rated as the least important consideration. Heterogeneous ability grouping, rated as somewhat important by the teachers, was associated with a decrease in children's friendships and yet also a decrease in girls' experience with peer conflicts. Our findings begin to fill in the gaps in the literature on the social impacts of ability grouping for young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The health impact of youth mentors serving in the delivery of child nutrition and physical activity (PA) interventions on youth mentors themselves has been understudied. Objective. The primary objective of the current study was to examine the impact of engaging youth mentors in the delivery of a summertime childhood obesity prevention intervention on youth mentors' behavioral health. Method. Data were collected at baseline and postintervention. A survey of validated nutrition, mental health, PA, and psychosocial questionnaires was administered. Diet was assessed via 24-hour recall. Height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured. In-depth interviews were conducted with youth mentors. Results. Eleven youth mentors enrolled: 60% were female, mean age was 16.1 ± 0.38 years, and 100% were Black. Mean kilocalories (p =.05), sugar-sweetened beverage intake (p =.08), and waist circumference (p =.04) decreased. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 youth mentors, and three themes emerged: perceived improvement in nutrition, PA, and mental health-related behaviors; formation of a positive role modeling relationship with the child campers; and strengthening of higher education goals and future career aspirations. Conclusions. Youth mentor staffing may be an important intervention strategy for changing health behaviors among youth mentors. Results from this study can be used to inform utilization of youth mentors in the delivery of this and similar health behavior interventions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions with teachers and peers are critical for children's social, behavioral, and academic development in the classroom context. However, these two types of interpersonal interactions in the classroom are usually pursued via separate lines of inquiries. The current study bridges these two areas of research to examine the way in which teachers influence child-perceived peer social support and peer victimization for 2,678 children within 183 classrooms in preschool through grade three. Two levels of teacher influence are considered, namely teacher–child closeness and conflict relationships at the child-level, and teacher management of interpersonal interactions at the classroom-level. Results of multilevel regression models showed that teacher–child closeness was associated with the growth of child-perceived peer social support from fall to spring, whereas teacher–child conflict and teachers' behavior management practices were associated with the change in child-perceived peer victimization across the academic year. These associations were unique and above and beyond the influence of children's actual peer social interactions, including reciprocal friendships and the collective classroom reputation of peer victimization. Collectively, findings highlight the multi-faceted teacher roles in shaping children's perceptions of their peer social experiences during the earliest years of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining work while attending college is a common strategy for youth with limited financial means to pursue postsecondary education. However, we know relatively little about the socioeconomic contexts behind the different work and school decisions and whether the meaning of each work and school experience vary by different socioeconomic backgrounds. Following a national sample of young adults, this study explored how personal financial responsibilities and parental social support are associated with employment or enrollment in college and youths' perceived relevance of them for their prospective careers. Youths' personal financial responsibilities were associated with higher odds of working only and combining school and work, compared to attending college only. Youths' personal financial responsibilities were positively linked to the career relevance of their work and school experiences, but only when they were experiencing low parental social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media use could be detrimental to children's language and literacy skills because it may displace other language-enhancing activities like shared reading and caregiver-child interactions. Furthermore, the extent to which children use media with adults (joint media engagement), the extent to which they use interactive media (apps/games), and the time of the day and week during which media use occurs may attenuate any negative effects. The current study examines the relation between characteristics of children's media use and gains in first graders' language and literacy skills. Children (N = 488) completed direct assessments of language and literacy skills in the spring of kindergarten and the spring of first grade. Parents reported how many hours children used both interactive and non-interactive media during different times of the day on the most recent weekday and weekend day and responded to items about the extent to which they engage with their children during media use. A quadratic relationship between media use and language gains showed that a moderate amount of media use was related to larger language gains, whereas high use was related to smaller gains. For literacy, an interaction between media use and joint media engagement showed a small negative effect of media use at low levels of joint media engagement and little to no relation between media use and literacy gains at higher levels of joint media engagement. Children's language and literacy skills were not predicted by either the proportion of media time that was spent with apps/games or morning and weekday media use. These results show that moderate amounts of media use may not be a negative influence on children's developing language skills, whereas high levels may displace other language-enhancing activities. Additionally, joint media engagement may play an important buffering role in the relation between media use and early literacy skills, aligned with current recommendations encouraging co-viewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media use is a pervasive aspect of children's home experiences but is often not considered in studies of the home learning environment. Media use could be detrimental to children's language and literacy skills because it may displace other literacy-enhancing activities like shared reading and decrease the quantity and quality of caregiver–child interaction. Thus, the current study asked whether media use is associated with gains in children's language and literacy skills both at a single time point and across a school year and whether age moderates any association. Children (N = 1583) were from preschool through third grade classrooms and language and literacy skills were measured in the fall and spring of the school year. Parents reported how much time their child spends using media on a typical school day. Regression analyses showed that using 4 h or more of media was related to lower literacy gains, but not to language gains. Multilevel models conducted as a robustness check showed that this effect did not hold when accounting for classroom. In neither set of models was there an interaction between age and media use. Single-time-point models did show some associations that did not manifest in more stringent models, highlighting the limitations of correlational designs that do not have measures of children's skills over time. Given the concern and popular press coverage around children's media use, it is important to acknowledge non-significant effects in this domain. These non-significant associations suggest that societal fears around children's media use may be exaggerated. Notably, however, characteristics of children's media use, like educational content or adult co-use, may moderate any effects. The relation between media use and language and literacy growth did not differ across the age range investigated suggesting that, within this range, younger children are not more vulnerable to detrimental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing recognition that young children's self-regulation provides a foundation for overall wellness later in life. Yet, infants reared in poverty may exhibit less-developed self-regulation compared to their more economically-advantaged peers. Factors associated with poverty that may influence early self-regulation include maternal depression and parenting self-efficacy. However, few researchers have examined how both parenting self-efficacy and maternal depression may affect young children's self-regulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among maternal depression, parenting self-efficacy, and infant self-regulation for a racially diverse sample of 142 mother–infant dyads living in low-income households in the United States. Maternal depressive symptomatology was determined with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale. Parenting self-efficacy was determined with a self-report measure, reflecting caregivers' mindset or feelings reflecting competency as a parent of an infant. Infant self-regulation was measured by parental report of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Short Form Effortful Control subscale. While maternal depressive symptomatology and self-efficacy were directly and significantly correlated with infant self-regulation, results of a mediation model suggested that parenting self-efficacy mediated the relationship between maternal depressive symptomatology and infant self-regulation. Lower maternal depressive symptomatology predicted better parenting self-efficacy, in turn predicting better infant self-regulation. This study increases our understanding of how early factors shape the self-regulation of infants reared in low-income homes—highlighting the potential role of targeting parenting self-efficacy for parenting interventions for mothers experiencing depressive symptoms. Highlights: We investigated infant self-regulation in low-income homes in the US. Maternal self-efficacy mediated depression and infant self-regulation relation. Lower maternal depression predicted better self-efficacy and better self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindset is a term commonly used to represent an individual’s beliefs about the role of ability and effort in learning. In this study, we assessed parental mindset—ability mindset and effort mindset—for 497 parents in two countries (United States and Denmark), all of whom had at least one child between 3 and 5 years of age. Of primary interest was assessing the relations between parental mindset and home-learning activities of four types: family learning activities, learning extensions, parental time investment, and parental school involvement. Findings showed that parents in the United States and Denmark held similar ability and effort mindsets, but differed significantly in homelearning activities, with US parents providing significantly more family learning activities, learning extensions, and parental time investment than Danish parents, although the latter had significantly higher levels of school investment. Furthermore, findings showed that parents’ effort mindset was a significant predictor of family learning activities and parental time investment and that country moderated the relations between effort mindset and parental time investment. For US parents, higher levels of effort mindset were associated with higher levels of parental time investment, but this was not the case for Danish parents. We call for experimental work to determine the causal relations between parental mindset and home-learning activities, and rigorous cross-cultural research to explore the universality of parental mindset in distinctive cultural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classroom social networks are influential to young children's cognitive, social–emotional, and language development, but assessment and analyses of social networks are complex. Findings have been mixed regarding whether different informants (teachers, children, researchers) are congruent in perceiving classroom social networks. There is also a lack of discussion about the roles of network transformation (converting value networks into binary networks), a required data step for widely used statistical network analyses. This study addressed these issues based on network data of 16 preschool children containing 240 potential dyadic interactions collected from teacher ratings, child nominations, and researcher observations across 44 observation cycles over four school days. Results showed that the three informants were congruent in perceiving the classroom social network, whereas the level of congruency between the teacher-report and the researcher-report networks was the highest. Binary transformation of social networks tended to decrease the level of congruency across informants, although the level of congruency tended to be higher when more stringent binary transformation thresholds were selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nearly 13 million American children experience food insecurity. Research suggests that maternal depression is associated with food insecurity, such that mothers who experience depression are more likely to be food insecure. Maternal self‐efficacy may be an important protective factor against depression during the postpartum year, interrupting the link between depression and food insecurity. We extend prior research by examining food insecurity in households with infants and investigating the potential for maternal efficacy to moderate the relation between depression and food insecurity. Methods: Data were drawn from the Kids in Columbus Study, a longitudinal study of diverse, economically disadvantaged mothers and their young children in Columbus, Ohio (N = 219). Data for this study were drawn from data collected between July 2014 and June 2016. Results: Over one‐third of families experienced food insecurity. Further, depression was positively and significantly related to household food insecurity; this relationship, however, was dependent on maternal efficacy. When maternal efficacy was high, the relationship between depression and food insecurity was nonsignificant; when maternal efficacy was low, there was a significant, positive association between depression and food insecurity. Conclusions: Increasing maternal self‐efficacy during the postpartum period may reduce food insecurity in low‐income mothers who are experiencing depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable evidence has highlighted the heightened susceptibility of developmental delay in children from low-income homes; consequently, this study explored whether environmental toxicant exposure may be a contributing factor to disruption in language and cognitive development for children reared in poverty. Using a sample of 190 low-income mothers and their young children, mothers completed questionnaires on toxicant exposure in the home environment. Exposure to toxicants, especially pesticides, was reported by about 20% of mothers at or around pregnancy, and 30% when their children were between 1 and 2 years of age. Toxicant exposure was significantly associated with lags in language and cognition even when controlling for socioeconomic factors. Study findings highlight the importance of the American Academy of Pediatrics' policy statements arguing for pediatricians to take a strong anticipatory guidance role in counseling parents to limit chemical exposure in the home and engage in safe storage practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a broad, macro-analysis of how the home literacy environment (HLE) manifests among Mayan families with preschool-aged children in Yucatan, Mexico. Despite a substantial body of work showing the significant contribution of the HLE to children's reading achievement in the U.S., little work examines the HLE and children's learning outside of European American contexts. The aims of the present study were to examine the dimensions of the HLE in Mayan communities in the Yucatan Peninsula and whether the HLE was related to children's emergent-literacy skills. Mayan caregivers (n = 413) completed questionnaires asking about their literacy practices and beliefs. Children completed direct assessments of their emergent-literacy skills. Research Findings: Results indicated there were two dimensions of the HLE and there was substantial variability in the frequency of home literacy activities reported. Further, aspects of the HLE were related to children's emergent literacy. Practice or Policy: The variability of the HLE and the associations with children's emergent literacy has practical implications for the support of literacy development in these communities. For instance, increased parent involvement in children's education may increase literacy materials and activities in the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of our study is to explore the relationships between neighborhood context, perceived social support, and parenting for low-income mothers with young infants. Methods: Data were collected during the first three time points from the Kids in Columbus Study, a 5-year longitudinal study on low-income families. Mother–child dyads (n = 228) were recruited from five Women, Infants, and Children Centers located in a Midwestern Metropolitan area. Data for the present study represents mother–child dyads that had completed time point 1 (infant age birth to 3-months), time point 2 (infant age 4 to 7 months), and 3 (infant age 9- to 12-months old). Results: Social support and neighborhood quality were associated with both maternal perceptions and observed parenting outcomes. Social support positively predicted maternal perceptions of self-efficacy whereas neighborhood quality was positively related to parent involvement. Discussion: Overall, social support and neighborhood quality were related to aspects of parenting in the first year of children's lives. There was no evidence that the association between social support and parenting varied as a function of neighborhood quality. This finding suggests the neighborhood qualities captured in our study do not influence mothers' ability to access social support during infancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linguistic environment of the classroom is influential to young children’s language development. To date, however, literature on the linguistic environment of child-care centers has largely examined teacher practices or children’s aggregate environment, overlooking the child’s first-person experiences and differentiated experiences within the classroom. In this study we used a new method in the educational setting that captures the learner’s perspective: head-mounted cameras. Thirteen children in one preschool classroom wore a head-mounted camera to capture their first-person experiences in one morning session, including interactions with others and the features of the child-directed speech (CDS) addressed to them. Results revealed that, from children’s personal view, the linguistic environment of the classroom is more dynamic from what previous studies have reported. Children interacted for longer with their teachers than their peers and heard more CDS from them, but for some children peers served as an additional source of language. Further, our analysis highlighted within-classroom variability in language experiences in terms of the properties of the CDS addressed to target children and how they were exposed to this input over time. Results are discussed with respect to peer influence on children’s learning, heterogeneity in learning opportunities in classrooms, and the variability of the linguistic environment over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The study examined the relations between parent–child interaction in the first year of life to toddlers' language skills at age 2 years for a sample of children reared in poverty; of specific interest was testing the Family Stress Model, which proposes that the conditions of poverty influence children's language skills through caregiver well-being (e.g., distress, depression) and interaction dysregulation. Methods Participants were from the Kids in Columbus Study, a birth-cohort study of children born to urban families experiencing material hardship. Caregiver questionnaires were collected when the child was 4–7 months to document poverty conditions (maternal hardship, institutional resources), caregiver well-being (depression, distress), and dysregulation in parent–child interactions. The Bayley-III assessed receptive and expressive language skills when the children were 2 years. Results On average, receptive language skills were nearly 1 SD below the normative mean. Path models showed a significant effect of caregiver-child dysregulated interactions on toddlers' language skills, and an indirect effect of maternal distress on parent–child interactions and, in turn, toddlers' language skills. Conclusions for Practice This study confirmed the theoretical Family Stress Model as a viable representation of the effects of poverty on the language skills of toddlers reared in homes experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk for experiencing workplace instability in the form of absence from paid employment and job loss. In a cross-sectional study, we investigate if experiences of IPV inhibit work stability among low-income women as well as if the receipt of child care subsidies has a moderating effect on the relationship. Using data from the Illinois Families Study, we tested the relationships between IPV, work outcomes, and recipient of child care subsidies in a series of multivariate regressions. Findings indicate IPV is associated with reduced hours worked among low-income mothers and increased unemployment among low-income mothers. However, both of these relationships are moderated by receipt of child care subsidies suggesting that mothers who experience IPV can maintain employment at the same level as women not experiencing IPV with receipt of child care subsidies. Our findings indicate the importance of receiving child care subsidies among low-income mothers and support subsidy accessibility to survivors of IPV. Results of our study are limited in regard to the age of the data, the cross-sectional use of the data, and the lack of a control group that was not receiving any type of government assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from age 3 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the current study explores the complex relationships between U.S. childcare subsidies and neglect. Specifically, the study examines two research questions: (i) Are U.S. childcare subsidies associated with self‐reported neglect among low‐income mothers? (ii) What individual types of self‐reported neglect are significantly reduced by receipt of childcare subsidy? Using negative binomial regression examining the relationships among mothers who were income‐eligible for childcare subsidy, we found that childcare subsidy was associated with lower levels of supervisory neglect, indicating an important role of subsidy in the lives of low‐income families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 cohort (n = 2,842), this study examined the implications of 3- and 4-year-old's absences from Head Start for their early academic learning. The findings from this study revealed that children who missed more days of school, and especially those who were chronically absent, demonstrated fewer gains in areas of math and literacy during the preschool year. Moreover, excessive absenteeism was found to detract from the potential benefits of quality preschool education and was especially problematic for the early learning of children who entered the Head Start program with a less developed skill set. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 Cohort (n = 2,798), this study examined patterns of absenteeism and their consequences through the transition to kindergarten. Overall, children were less likely to be absent in kindergarten than from Head Start at ages 3 and 4. Absenteeism was fairly stable across these early years, but children who experienced two years of Head Start were less likely to be absent in kindergarten than their classmates who only attended the program for one year. Ultimately, absenteeism at both ages 3 and 4 was associated with lower math and literacy achievement. However, children who experienced two years of Head Start and were more frequently absent demonstrated greater language development through the end of kindergarten as compared with children who only attended the program for one year. Policy implications are discussed in light of the complexity of early childhood education attendance in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the Head Start Impact Study ( n = 3,696), this article examines whether one year of Head Start differentially benefited parents as a function of their initial parenting behaviors. Four outcomes are examined, namely, parents' rates of engaging in cognitive stimulation, reading to their child, and spanking, as well as their depressive symptoms. In general, most parents demonstrated improvements in their reading practices and cognitive stimulation regardless of their parenting behaviors at baseline. However, depressive symptoms and spanking behavior showed improvements only among parents who began the Head Start program with the most depressive symptoms and the most frequent spanking, respectively. These findings suggest that treatment-induced changes in parenting can vary by parents' incoming attributes and that heterogeneity of effects should be considered. Implications for Head Start and other parenting interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerted cultivation is the active parental management of children's educations that, because it differs by race/ethnicity, nativity, and socioeconomic status, plays a role in early educational disparities. Analyses of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (n=10,913) revealed that foreign-born Latina mothers were generally less likely to engage in school-based activities, enroll children in extracurricular activities, or provide educational materials at home when children were at the start of elementary school than were U.S.-born White, African American, and Latina mothers, in part because of their lower educational attainment. Within the foreign-born Latina sample, the link between maternal education and the three concerted cultivation behaviors did not vary by whether the education was attained in the United States or Latin America. Higher maternal education appeared to matter somewhat more to parenting when children were girls and had higher achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The objective of this study is to examine the associations between fast food consumption and the academic growth of 8544 fifth-grade children in reading, math, and science. Method. This study uses direct assessments of academic achievement and child-reported fast food consumption from a nationally representative sample of kindergartners followed through eighth grade. Results. More than two thirds of the sample reported some fast food consumption; 20% reported consuming at least 4 fast food meals in the prior week. Fast food consumption during fifth grade predicted lower levels of academic achievement in all 3 subjects in eighth grade, even when fifth grade academic scores and numerous potential confounding variables, including socioeconomic indicators, physical activity, and TV watching, were controlled for in the models. Conclusion. These results provide initial evidence that high levels of fast food consumption are predictive of slower growth in academic skills in a nationally representative sample of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]