Hyun-Joo Jeon

Children's Individual Experiences in Early Care and Education: Relations with Overall Classroom Quality and Children's School Readiness.

This study examined relations among childrens individual experiences, global classroom quality, and school readiness. Preschool children from low-income backgrounds (N = 138; M = 62.16 months; SD = 3.93; range = 55−70) were observed in their early care and education settings, and their language and cognitive skills were assessed. Research Findings: Individual children in classrooms with small group sizes had higher quality individual experiences even though global classroom quality was not necessarily better. Higher levels of global classroom quality did not ensure that every child in the classroom was engaged fully in available interactions and activities. Children with disabilities were generally enrolled in classrooms with higher global quality and had higher quality individual experiences than those without disabilities; however, children without disabilities enrolled in these inclusive classrooms did not necessarily have a higher level of individual experiences than those in non-inclusive classrooms. Childrens individual experiences and the global quality of their classrooms were associated with their social skills. Only the quality of childrens individual experiences was found to be related to the quality of their relationships with teachers. Practice or Policy: Ratings of childrens individual experiences provide information beyond that provided by global ratings of classroom quality and have potential for informing efforts to individualize educational programs.

Child Care for Low-Income Children with Disabilities: Access, Quality, and Parental Satisfaction.

Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study analyzed the similarities and differences of variables associated with child care services for low-income families with young children with disabilities and low-income families with typically developing children. Four major variables were analyzed: access to child care; maternal participation in self-sufficiency activities, such as work or education; quality of care; and parental satisfaction with care. Rates of child care utilization and maternal self sufficiency activities were similar for both groups. At age 3, however, children with disabilities received care of lower quality than their typically developing peers, and their parents were less satisfied with the child care arrangements. Policy and research implications, stressing the importance of improving child care quality for low-income children with disabilities across all types of settings, are presented.

Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children with Disability Risks Identified Early

This study examined school readiness at kindergarten entry for low-income children whose disability indicators were identified before age 3. Data were collected as part of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-up study. Children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services had lower preacademic skill scores at kindergarten entry than those who had no disability indicators. In contrast, the preacademic skills at age 5 of children who received Part C services did not differ from those who had no disability indicators. A large proportion of children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services by age 3 received Part B services later. Results highlight the importance of early intervention for low-income children who have suspected developmental delays to enhance their school readiness skills.

Mothers' and fathers' parenting challenges, strategies, and resources in toddlerhood

This study examined mothers’ and fathers’ parenting challenges and strategies/resources used when parenting toddlers. Through a qualitative interview protocol, implemented with mothers and fathers separately at a university laboratory, this study found that both fathers and mothers appeared to be transitioning from traditional gender roles towards co-parenting practices. Thirty-eight, mostly Caucasian and middle-class, mothers and fathers of toddlers reported many similarities in parenting challenges, coping strategies, and resource use. Common sources of parenting stress for both mothers and fathers were developmental and behavioural concerns about their toddler and time management concerns in balancing between various responsibilities. Some fathers reported difficulty and less perceived competence in taking care of children during daily routines than did mothers. Mothers used a greater variety of emotion regulation strategies than fathers did. These strategies, which included support-seeking from more diverse sources (e.g. families, friends, books), were used to reduce their stress. Implications for the content and delivery methods of co-parenting and parenting education programmes are discussed.

Identification of Disabilities and Service Receipt Among Preschool Children Living in Poverty

This study examined the prevalence of indicators of disability or potential disability among preschool-aged children enrolled in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up. Three categories of indicators were established: received Part B services, developmental risk, and biological risk. The majority of participating children (62%) were classified into at least one category. Children living in poverty from birth through preschool and of minority status were among those most likely to be classified; these children were likely to have received a variety of services. The majority of children who received Part C services (79.8%) received Part B services as preschoolers, but 33% of the children with a developmental risk identified before age 3 continued to have a developmental risk during preschool yet did not receive specialized services. Results highlight the importance of understanding the relations among child and family characteristics and service receipt to inform policy and practice.

Coding Group Behaviours for Preschool Children in the Playground and the Effects of Teachers' Proximity on Preschool Children's Playground Behaviours.

Preschool-age children (range: 2.5–5 years old) were videotaped while in the sandbox and the climbing apparatus areas of a preschool playground prior to (i.e. baseline) and after a teacher zone defence training. The zone defence involved teachers being assigned to specific playground areas to monitor safety and facilitate the children’s play and peer interactions. The pretest data revealed less complex play behaviours in the sandbox area (i.e. greater aimless behaviour and solitary play) compared to the climbing area, and greater onlooker behaviour in the climbing area than in the sandbox area. Pre-to-post zone defence revealed a decrease in teacher interaction with other adults and an increase in teacher–child interactions in the playground as well as overall decreases in children’s play behaviours on the playground. Methods for coding and analysing group playground behaviours and the implications of teacher proximity in the playground are discussed.

Using Early Indicators of Academic Risk to Predict Academic Skills and Socioemotional Functioning at Age 10.

Early indicators of academic risk were used to predict the academic skills, socioemotional functioning, and receipt of special education services at age 10 among children from low-income families who participated in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Pairwise comparison of academic skills and socioemotional functioning among early academic risk indicator groups was used, and logistic regression modeling was used to predict receipt of special education services. Children who received early intervention or early childhood special education services or were suspected of having developmental delays before age 3 or at age 5 scored lower on academic skills and poorer on socioemotional functioning at age 10 than those without academic risk indicators. Children who had only biological risks before age 3 or at age 5 did not differ in academic skills or socioemotional functioning at age 10 compared to children without any academic risk indicators. Generally, children’s academic risk indicators identified later (at age 5) were stronger predictors of poor academic skills and socioemotional functioning at age 10 than were earlier academic risk indicators (before age 3). Only children who received early intervention services before age 3 or early childhood special education services at age 5 were more likely to receive special education services at age 10 than other groups. Early universal screening, monitoring, and continuous provision of appropriate services for children from low-income families and with academic risks are discussed.

Links among coparenting quality, parental gentle guidance, and toddlers’ social emotional competencies: Testing direct, mediational, and moderational models

Abstract The present study examined three hypothesized models that describe associations among coparenting quality (as perceived by both parents), parents’ gentle guidance, and toddlers’ social emotional competencies: (a) direct associations; (b) mediational associations (coparenting quality is associated with toddlers’ social emotional competencies through individual parents’ gentle guidance); and (c) moderational associations (co-parenting quality moderates the relations between parents’ gentle guidance and toddlers’ social emotional competencies). Sixty-seven mostly middle-class, two-parent families with toddlers were observed in a laboratory setting. Parents completed a questionnaire describing their perceived coparenting quality and their children’s social emotional competencies. As hypothesized, there was evidence for a mediational association of coparenting quality with toddlers’ social emotional competencies through mothers’ gentle guidance but not fathers’ gentle guidance. The direct and moderational models of associations between coparenting quality and children’s social emotional competencies were not supported by the data.