This continuation study will investigate relations between participation in an established, federally-funded early childhood program and social competence in early adulthood (15 to 20 years postprogram) for a large sample of children who grew up in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Five major questions are addressed: (a) Is the duration and timing of participation in the Child-Parent Center Program associated with greater social competence in early adulthood? (b) What are the estimated effects of extended intervention (for 4 to 6 years) relative to less extensive intervention? (c) Do the estimated effects of program participation vary by child/family risk, program attributes, and neighborhood poverty? (d) What are the pathways through which the very long-term effects of program participation are achieved? (e) What are the costs and benefits to participants and to society of the Child-Parent Center Program? Indicators of social competence up to age 25 include educational attainment, employment, social behavior (i.e., crime), participation in social welfare services, and quality of life. Similar family outcomes also will be obtained. By expanding the Chicago Longitudinal Study into adulthood, the proposed investigation will uniquely add to knowledge about the effects of preventive interventions for children and families. Extensive longitudinal studies beginning in early childhood are rare, especially for children from under-represented populations in central cities. Over the next five years we will conduct young adult interviews with 1,282 program and comparison-group participants (93% African American, 7% Hispanic), obtain administrative data from educational, justice, and social-service system, and analyze and update information from the existing 13-year data base. We are aware of no other prospective longitudinal studies of a public early childhood program that have continued into adulthood. The study will provide unique evidence about the long-term effects of Head Start-type extended childhood interventions. The long-term goals of the study are (a) to increase knowledge about the optimal duration and timing of early childhood programs, (b) to identify who benefits most from early intervention, (c) to identify the pathways through which the effects of early interventions affect later development, and (d) to enhance theoretical understanding of the role of post-program environments.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 54 publications
