Neighborhoods, Families, and Children’s School Readiness

• In Event: Examining School-Community Intersections

Abstract

Drawing upon a rich history of literature on neighborhood and household inequality in the U.S., this paper examines how neighborhood and household disadvantages relate to young children’s school readiness. In particular, we investigate these relationships using multivariate statistical analysis of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, 2008). By closely examining this relationship, our work explicates how the neighborhood, as a dimension of stratification, may produce differences in children's development prior to school entry. We aim to contribute to the design and implementation of child care and education programs that guarantees for all children a good preparation for the future.

Authors

• Maria Pia Otero, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Sara Bastomski, Yale University