Comprehensive Family Services in Early Care and Education Programs Serving Infants and Toddlers

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

This session is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, a leader in the measurement of family needs and well-being and a champion of programs designed to address the health, nutrition and safety of young children. For instance, Leanne and her team developed the Family Map Inventories to assist Head Start programs in their family engagement efforts. At the end of the session there will be an opportunity to share thoughts about Leanne and the impact of her work.


Early Head Start programs, and some other community-based programs, provide low-income families with comprehensive services, in addition to center-based or home visiting services for infants and toddlers. This symposium is comprised of three complementary papers which examine types of services that are offered, who receives them, and the potential of these services to benefit children and families. The discussant will provide a perspective that incorporates developmental science and policy to understand and interpret the findings.

The first paper used data on the Family Map Inventory, a research-based interview conducted by ECE providers with families to identify needs and prioritize delivery of services. It examined early literacy activities in homes with infants and toddlers, and found positive correlations between these activities and play and other family activities. The second paper described the different types of services that Early Head Start programs refer families to and tested whether referrals differ based on child and family characteristics. Some of the findings indicated targeting of referrals according to specific risk factors, while other findings suggested less alignment of risk factors and referrals. The third paper utilized a sample of families who enrolled in Early Head Start during pregnancy to examine whether services that are available during pregnancy are linked with children’s behavioral outcomes at age 2, finding that having more comprehensive services available was associated with decreased problem behaviors.
Together, these papers aim to deepen our understanding of comprehensive family services offered through ECE programs for infants and toddlers from families with low-income.

Sub Unit

• Social Policy

Chair

• Eleanor Fisk, James Bell Associates

Discussant

• Kathleen M. Dwyer, United States Administration for Children and Families

Individual Presentations

• Linking Literacy Activities and Family Routines: A Strengths-Based Approach using the Family Map Inventories - Presenting Author: Jason T Hustedt, University of Delaware; Deborah Drain, University of Delaware; Myae Han, University of Delaware; Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); Rubie Marie Eubanks, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); Christina Joe, University of Delaware; Imani Lawson, University of Delaware

• Understanding Comprehensive Service Referrals Among Families in Early Head Start - Presenting Author: Caitlin S Lombardi, University of Connecticut; Rachel Chazan Cohen, University of Connecticut; Martha Zaslow, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)

• Associations Between Services Available to Pregnant Women Through Early Head Start and Toddlers’ Socioemotional Development - Presenting Author: Eleanor Fisk, James Bell Associates; Caitlin S Lombardi, University of Connecticut