Mediating effects of early childhood programs and high quality home environments on the cognitive development of poor children involved in the child welfare system

Abstract

Abstract The current study used the data from the National Survey of Children and Adolescents (NSCAW II) to examine the effects of early childhood program (ECE) participation and high-quality home environments on the cognitive outcomes of 16–46 months children (N = 342) living in poverty and investigated by the child welfare system (CWS) for possible child maltreatment. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct and indirect pathways from family income to children’s early cognitive development as well as the role of ECE participation and the quality of home environments in mediating the negative effects of poverty on children’s outcomes. The results of the study suggest that poverty affects children’s cognitive development indirectly via the quality of the home environment. Also, poverty was directly linked to the ECE participation of CWS involved children, however the effect of ECE attendance on cognitive development of young children was not confirmed. The findings also show that maternal education is the strongest determinant of the quality of children’s home environment as well as children’s cognitive outcomes. The study findings point to the salience of early home interventions and opportunities for low-income mothers to further their educational attainment.