Socioeconomic attainment gaps in mathematical ability are evident before children begin school, and widen over time. Little is known about why early attainment gaps emerge. Two cross-sectional correlational studies were conducted in 2018-2019 with socioeconomically diverse preschoolers, to explore four factors that might explain why attainment…

This cluster-randomized controlled study examined dual language learners (DLLs) in Norway who received a book-based language intervention program. About 464 DLLs aged 3-5 years in 123 early childhood classrooms participated in the study. The children were acquiring Norwegian as their second language in preschool and spoke a variety of first…

The current study was designed to investigate how the quality of stimulation and support available to children in the home interacts with participation in Early Head Start to determine children's development. Data were obtained as part of the national evaluation of Early Head Start (EHSRE), a randomized trial involving 3,001 children and families…

The relationship between depressive symptoms in young adults, the quality of the early home environment, and early educational child care was investigated in young adults randomly assigned to receive early childhood intervention in the Abecedarian study. Of the original 111 infants enrolled (98 percent African American), 104 participated in an…

Examined processes in socialization that might account for an observed relationship between early socioeconomic status (SES) and later child behavior problems. Subjects were 585 children, followed from preschool to grade 3. Found that SES in preschool significantly predicted teacher-rated externalizing problems and peer-rated aggressive behavior.…

Examines home environments of children aged ten and eleven when they were six months and two years old. Significant correlations were observed between the home environments at two and ten years, children's achievement test scores, and classroom behavior. Home environment at six months was related to a minimal number of classroom behaviors. (RJC)

Studies influences and interrelations of family dynamics and of varying quality of child-care on the child's capacity for compliance and self-regulation. Multiple regression techniques were used to examine relationships between child care, family, and child and parent behaviors. (Author/DR)

Examined caregiving environments for 243 premature, low birthweight infants living in poverty to determine effects on health and development. Found that children's health and development benefited significantly from six protective caregiving factors: (1) increased parental responsiveness; (2) availability of toys and learning materials; (3)…

Examined the impact of day-care participation during the first 3 years of life on the cognitive functioning of 867 school age children who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Found that children from impoverished homes who started day care before age one had higher reading scores than children from similar homes who did not…

Examined relationships between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development. Subjects were 79 African American 1-year-olds. Found that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessment of cognitive development, language development, and communication skills. Quality of care in…

Examined the relative contribution of maternal, household, child, and poverty characteristics to the quality of the home environment through an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Improvements in family income had the strongest effect on the quality of home environment for children who had lived much of their lives in…

Examines relations among early social and familial experience, social problem-solving skills, and social competence in the classroom, in sample of 46 children, aged four and five years, from economically distressed backgrounds. Finds family experience predictive of both social competence and problem solving. (Author/RWB)

Reviews current large-scale, longitudinal studies focusing on children. Describes the data collected, including child outcomes, process-oriented information on child-parent interactions, child care quality, parental mental health, family violence, fathering, employment patterns, and community characteristics. Notes that several studies incorporate…

Using maternal reports of child behavior, evaluated child, maternal, and environmental predictors of behavior problems in 83 African American and Puerto Rican preschoolers of disadvantaged adolescent mothers. Children of teenage mothers were less likely to have behavior problems by age three if the mothers received emotional support from peers and…