Welfare reforms and the cognitive development of young children.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether the cognitive development of young children in poverty is affected by activities of their primary caregiver and by household income source, which are two components of family poverty experience that have been affected by recent welfare reforms.


METHODS
Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships that caregiver activity, household income source, and family characteristics (family income adequacy, caregiver depressive symptoms, caregiver education) have with the cognitive development of 59 impoverished children less than three years old.


RESULTS
Of the three poverty experience variables included in the multivariate analysis, only employment as the exclusive source of household income had an independent relationship (positive) with children's cognitive development. Two of the family characteristics, income adequacy and caregiver education, also were associated with the children's cognitive score, and they were both better relative predictors than the employment-only income source variable. Income adequacy was positively associated and caregiver education was negatively associated with children's cognitive development.


CONCLUSIONS
Although recent welfare reforms, in combination with economic growth and declining unemployment, have changed the poverty experience of young families by increasing the proportion that secure at least part of their income from employment, our study provides preliminary evidence that these reforms have made little difference for most young impoverished children. Instead, our findings suggest that the cognitive development of young children is influenced as much by the actual amount of household income as by their parents' activity and source of income.
Williamson
Deanna L
DL
Department of Human Ecology, 302 Human Ecology Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2N1. deanna.williamson@ualberta.ca
Salkie
Fiona J
FJ
Letourneau
Nicole
N
D000416:Alberta; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty; D011632:Public Assistance / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*