Head Start and Nonresident Fathers' Involvement with Children

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis study explores the associations of children's Head Start participation with the involvement and material contributions of their nonresident fathers.BackgroundHead Start, which provides comprehensive child care services to over 1 million low‐income children annually, aims to enhance relationships and increase parental involvement among participating families. Prior studies indicate that Head Start increases engagement among mothers of participating children; however, little is known about its effects on father involvement, particularly that of nonresident fathers.MethodAnalyses are based on longitudinal data from the first five waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and focus on children with nonresident biological fathers at years 5 (N = 1,464) and 9 (N = 1,173). Associations are estimated between children's Head Start participation prior to kindergarten entry (at Age 5) and nonresident fathers' material contributions and social involvement at years 5 and 9, controlling for a rich set of individual, family, and contextual factors, including fathers' involvement prior to Head Start participation.ResultsResults indicated that Head Start participation was associated with increased levels of nonresident fathers' contact and engagement with children, and more frequent provision of in‐kind support, but not more formal or informal cash child support. These associations appeared to operate through improving the strength and quality of coparenting and parents' relationships.ConclusionHead Start may be an effective intervention for increasing nonresident fathers' involvement with children, which is another pathway through which Head Start can reduce socioeconomic inequalities and improve well‐being among children in low‐income families.