Family socioeconomic status and consistent environmental stimulation in early childhood.
The transition into school occurs at the intersection of multiple environmental settings. This study applied growth curve modeling to a sample of 1,364 American children, followed from birth through age 6, who had been categorized by their exposure to cognitive stimulation at home and in preschool child care and 1st-grade classrooms. Of special interest was the unique and combined contribution to early learning of these 3 settings. Net of socioeconomic selection into different settings, children had higher math achievement when they were consistently stimulated in all 3, and they had higher reading achievement when consistently stimulated at home and in child care. The observed benefits of consistent environmental stimulation tended to be more pronounced for low-income children.
Crosnoe
Robert
R
Department of Sociology and Population ResearchCenter, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1700, Austin, TX 78712-1088, USA. crosnoe@austin.utexas.edu
Leventhal
Tama
T
Wirth
R J
RJ
Pierce
Kim M
KM
Pianta
Robert C
RC
D000124:Achievement; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007858:Learning; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011932:Reading; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors