Multiple risks, multiple systems, and academic achievement: A nationally representative birth-to-five investigation

Abstract

This study examined individual and cumulative relations between child and family experiences from birth to school entry and kindergarten reading and mathematics achievement. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this study documented prevalence and co-occurrence rates of publicly monitored risks, uncovering higher rates of relevant risks than prior research for poverty, low maternal education, maternal depression, and birth to a single parent. Findings demonstrated significant relationships between multiple risks (i.e., poverty, preterm/low birthweight, low maternal education, single mother, inadequate prenatal care, teen mother, and maternal depression) with academic outcomes. Findings also demonstrated the incremental disadvantages of cumulative risk exposure to academic outcomes, adding to our understanding of cumulative risk with this specific combination of relevant experiences. Findings provide actionable intelligence for public service systems charged with improving child outcomes that goes beyond intractable characteristics of poverty or race, and have implications for cross-sector partnerships among departments of education, public health, and child welfare to address early achievement gaps.