Measuring Community Involvement Among Head Start Families: A Closer Look at the Community Involvement Survey

• In Event: Early Childhood Assessment

Abstract

This paper rigorously examines the properties of the Community Involvement Survey, a measure commonly used in large-scale datasets to gauge family involvement in community resources that could foster young children’s early learning and development. Families completed the Community Involvement Survey just as the Head Start preschool year began. Results reveal that, among these participants from low-income backgrounds, families were involved with the community in a variety of ways; however, for some families, there was room for more connections. Further, at least in samples such as this one, the Community Involvement Survey may have multiple distinct dimensions rather than just one, and mothers with more education might engage with community resources in slightly different ways from peers without high school degrees.

Authors

• Annemarie H. Hindman, Temple University

• Leigh McCormack, Temple University