Early childhood education
and high-risk children
Promises and Pitfalls
Brenda Jones Harden, PhD
University of Maryland
OMEP Conference
August 1, 2015
Poverty and
Child Development
► Major
risk factor for maladaptive outcomes
► Larger associations with cognition and academic
achievement than behavior, mental health, and
physical health
► Largest impacts of poverty for children at lower
end of low-SES continuum
► Poverty in early childhood matters more for
development than poverty in adolescence
_______________________________________
Aber et al., 2007; Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 1997; McLoyd, 1998
Physical Effects of Poverty
► Stunted
brain growth and CNS disorders
► Delayed physical growth
► Delayed motor skills
► Higher rates of infant mortality, prematurity, low
birthweight
► Higher rates of injuries
► Increased morbidity (e.g., asthma, HIV
seropositivity, obesity, dental decay)
___________________________________________
Aber et al., 2007; Barker et al., 2005; Frongillo, 2003; Crum et al., 2005; Iida et al., 2007
Cognitive Effects of Poverty
► Compromised
development
brain
 Cognitive selfregulation
► Lower
DQ’s and IQ’s
► Language delays
► School readiness
► Later academic
difficulties
Aiken & Barbarin, 2008; Duncan & Brooks
Gunn, 1997; Perlman & Fantuzzo, 2010
Socioemotional Effects of Poverty
► Compromised
prosocial skills
 Empathy, cooperation
► Affective
dysregulation
 Aggression, emotional lability
► Higher
rates of mental health difficulties
 Internalizing/externalizing behavior problems
► Later
difficulties with peers
____________________________________
Conroy & Brown, 2004; Webster-Stratton et al., 1998; Campbell 1994; 2002
What are the mechanisms
by which poverty affects
children?
To what extent is poverty
itself the cause of negative
child outcomes?
Attention to Omitted Variables
(Duncan et al., 2010)
► Demographic
variables
 Family structure
 Race/ethnicity
► Prenatal
factors
 Prematurity/low birthweight
► Larger
ecological factors
 Neighborhood disadvantage
► Poverty-related
risk factors
Risk Factors Linked to Poverty
► Low
socioeconomic status linked with multiple
contextual risks which increase child vulnerability
(Chase-Lansdale & Brooks-Gunn, 1995)






Inadequate nutrition / food insecurity
Environmental toxins
Parental psychopathology
Parental substance abuse
Compromised parenting & child maltreatment
Lower quality child care and schools
► Higher
quality child care in some studies due to
availability of government-sponsored child care
Developmental Consequences of
Pre/Post-Natal Substance Exposure
 Prematurity/low birthweight
 Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (opiates)
 Respiratory difficulties (tobacco, methamphetamine)
 Intellectual disabilities (alcohol)
 Language delays
 Neurobehavioral deficits
 Affective dysregulation
 Attentional deficits and hyperactivity
 Impulsivity and aggression
 Internalizing behaviors
_______________________________________________
Lester et al., 2009; Frank et al., 2001
Developmental Consequences of
Maternal Depression
► Prenatal effects
► Differential emotion
 Frontal EEG asymmetry
► Neurointegrative
processing
deficits
 Distractibility; Hypersensitivity
► Emotional
distress
► Emotion
expression
 Gaze aversion; fussiness
 Restricted range; Negative responsivity
► Internalizing/externalizing
problems
 Inattention; Aggression/impulsivity
_______________________________________________
Murray & Cooper, 1997; Hay et al., 2010; Beeber et al., 2007
Developmental Consequences of
Family/Intimate Partner Violence
►Unintended injuries
►Cognitive/academic difficulties
►Physiologic and emotion dysregulation
 Irritability, sleep disturbance, stress symptoms
 Traumatic stress
►Later behavioral, social, and emotional problems
 aggression, anger, and oppositional behavior
 poor peer and sibling relationships
 Social skills deficits
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gewirtz & Edleson, 2007; Edleson, 1999; Lieberman & Van Horn, 2009
Developmental Consequences of
Maltreatment
Prematurity; low birth
weight; failure to thrive
► Injuries/diseases re:
maltreatment
► Increased illnesses &
poorer medical care
► Developmental and
language delays
► Traumatic stress symptoms
► Attachment difficulties
► Emotion dysregulation
________________________
►
Cicchetti et al., 2010; Jones Harden, 2007
Implications for Early
Childhood Education
Programs
Research re: Risk and Prevention
► Focus
on specific risk factor
 Coercive parenting as predictor of child abuse
(Oregon Social
Learning Center; Patterson, Fisher, Chamberlain, etc.)
► Focus
on high-risk sample (multiple risks)
 Reducing maternal depression in low-income, immigrant
families (Beeber et al.)
►
Early intervention (prior to risk effects)
 Parent-infant programs
► Focus
(Olds et al.)
on multiple systems (school, family)
 Prevention of behavior problems
(Webster-Stratton et al.)
Early Childhood Education
► Primary
prevention strategy with
documented benefits for children from
impoverished backgrounds
► Risk factor: poverty
► Timing: early intervention
► Multi-systemic focus: child, parent,
community, school
► What
about focus on high-risk children?
Early Childhood
Education as
Protective Factor
…compensates for high-risk
environments
(Watamura et al., 2011)
Relation of Risk to Program Effects
► Early
Head Start
 Program had least effect on families with 5 or
more risk factors and most effect on medium
risk families (3-4 risk factors)
► New
Hope
 Poverty-related cumulative risk partially
mediated effect of welfare reform program on
child behavior and academic outcomes
Implications for ECE Programs
Addressing omitted variables!
► Perinatal
Services
 Services begun during pregnancy
 Focus on healthy birth outcomes
► Residential
Stability
 Program as facilitator of neighborhood cohesion
 Housing stability focus
Implications for ECE Programs
► Race/Ethnicity/Culture
 “entering the developmental niche”
(Harkness & Super, 1999)
► Physical
and social settings
► Customs and practices of care
► Psychology of caretakers
 Capitalizing on cultural processes that are protective
► Extended
family
► Latino family paradox (e.g., birth outcomes)
► Strong African American Families program
 Services for immigrant groups
► Engagement
► Family
support
Implications for ECE Programs
► Comprehensiveness
 Formal collaboration with
other service systems
(Rouse & Fantuzzo, 2009)




Two-generational
Child care/family support
Focus on “whole child”
Emphasis on core
developmental processes
► Emotion
regulation
► Cognitive self-regulation
► Prosocial skills
► Oral language
Implications for ECE Programs
►Services
within ECE programs designed for
families at environmental risk
 Child care/education as major goal
►Dosage/quality
for children in families at risk
►Teacher-child relationships
 Import of family support
►Parent
long-term well-being (e.g., health)
►Siblings (e.g., parentified children)
►Self-sufficiency (e.g., EITC, EHS)
Implications for ECE Programs
 Focus on specific
parental risk factors
►Parental
psychopathology
 Depression
►Child
maltreatment
 Neglect
►Substance
use
►Homelessness
►Criminal involvement
►Family Violence
 Intimate partner
violence
Implications for ECE Programs:
Early Childhood System of Care
 Evidence-based
interventions
►Incredible
Years
(Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1997)
►Family
Check-Up
(Dishion et al., 2008; Shaw, 2006)
►Parent-Child
Interaction
Therapy (Eyberg et al., 2001)
►ALAS (Beeber et al., 2007)
Implications for ECE Programs:
Early Childhood System of Care
 Evidence-based
interventions
►Attachment
and
Bio-behavioral
Catch-up (Dozier et al., 2005)
►Nurse-Family
Partnership (Olds, 2007)
►Play and Learning
Strategies (Landry et al., 2008)
►Early childhood
mental health
consultation (Gilliam, 2014)
Implications for ECE Programs
► Staff
Development
 Training
 Supervision/monitoring
 Knowledge to skills
transformation
► Resource
Distribution
 Child AND family
intervention
 Classroom and
caseload size
 External resources
Early Childhood
Education
A necessary but
insufficient intervention
for high-risk children