title: Children enrolled in public pre-K: the relation of family life, neighborhood quality, and socioeconomic resources to early competence.
abstract: This article presents data on the family and social environments of 501 children enrolled in public sponsored pre-K in 5 states and tests the relation of these resources to child competence. Structured interviews and questionnaires provide information from parents about the family's social and economic status. Direct assessments and teacher reports provide data on children's literacy, numeracy, and behavioral problems. A majority of the children served in public pre-K lived in poverty and showed decrements in language but not in other domains. A socioeconomic resource factor consisting of parental education, household income, and material need predicted all domains of children's functioning. Children from households high in socioeconomic resources entered pre-K with more well developed language and math skill but fewer behavioral problems than their disadvantaged peers. Neighborhood quality status was related to language competence and mother's marital status to math competence. Neighborhood quality and income level may have their impact on child competence through their relation to dyadic quality and the health and the psychological well-being of the parents.
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barbarin
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McCandies
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burchinal
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Early
authors.affiliation: Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clifford
authors.affiliation: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6280-8051
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pianta
authors.affiliation: School of Education, University of California.
authors.forename: Carollee
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Howes
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000191:economics*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003710:Demography; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires