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Family Routines as Protective Mechanisms for the Sleep Health and School Readiness of Low-Income Pre-Kindergarteners

Fri, April 9, 12:55 to 1:55pm EDT (12:55 to 1:55pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

This study examines parent-reported routines and practices characterizing newly enrolled Pre-kindergarten (PreK) attendees from diverse, low-income backgrounds, and examines connections between routines and practices, sleep health, and academic and cognitive school readiness indicators in the domains of language, literacy, mathematics, and executive functioning, at PreK entry.

Research has revealed a vital role of family routines and practices for key school readiness competencies. For example, household disorganization is negatively associated with cognitive and academic skill development (e.g., Garrett-Peters et al., 2016; Vernon-Feagans et al., 2016), whereas regular and predictable routines are associated with stronger self-regulation and cognitive abilities (Ferretti, & Bub, 2014). Bedtime routines have been identified as a particularly beneficial practice for child development and sleep health (Mindell & Williamson, 2018). Sleep health is linked to multiple school readiness indicators, including academic achievement (Berger et al., 2018) and behavior regulation (Astill et al., 2012), and healthy sleep may help buffer negative impacts of low SES on children’s school readiness, including executive functioning (Wetter et al., 2019) and vocabulary development (Henderson et al. 2012), among other areas. Because parents and caregivers regulate and facilitate child sleep by establishing routines and setting limits, this study incorporates a person-centered analysis approach that accounts for the multidimensional nature of family routines and practices to address the following research aims: (1) To identify family routine and practice profiles of pre-kindergarteners from diverse, low-income backgrounds; 2) To investigate the extent to which family routine and practice profiles relate to child sleep health and aspects of academic and cognitive school readiness at PreK entry.

Participants include 387 PreK-aged children (mean age, 52.8 + 3.5 months; 49% female) from a multiple-cohort longitudinal observational study examining school readiness. Demographic information appears in Table 1. Parents reported on aspects of family routines and practices and child sleep health as part of a family survey administered during the first month of PreK. Academic and cognitive school readiness was measured using a battery of direct assessments, and teacher-report and observation instruments at PreK entry.

Planned analyses include the following: First, we will conduct Latent Profile Analyses (LPA) to identify family routine and practice profiles. Next, we will conduct multivariate regressions to examine connections between family routine and practice profiles, child sleep health, and aspects of school readiness. We hypothesize that families will exhibit various, distinct routine and practice profiles, and that children who experience more consistent and organized household routines and practices will exhibit more optimal sleep health, and stronger academic and cognitive school readiness competencies. Preliminary descriptive findings (Table 2.) indicate children with greater weeknight/weekend bedtime discrepancies had poorer sleep health (r=0.17, p< 0.01), and lower scores on measures of executive functioning (r=-0.13 to -0.16, p< 0.05), and vocabulary (r=-0.13, p< 0.05). Also, children whose parents reported more inconsistent parenting practices had poorer sleep health (r=0.35, p< 0.01), and lower scores on measures of executive functioning (r=-0.12, p< 0.05), and vocabulary (r=-0.11, p< 0.05). Data collection concluded in spring of 2020 and analyses will be complete prior to the SRCD meeting.

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