Eighteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Well-known within the United States, Early Head Start (EHS) is a multigenerational early childhood intervention program with multiple program types, including a home-visiting program and a classroom program. This program intends to assist families with pregnant people and children under three years old in a wide variety of different needs, including employment, education, and child development. Within the classroom intervention, some classrooms may be more effective at improving childhood socio-emotional development based on classroom-level factors, such as the parent-staff relationship quality, the physical classroom space, classroom structure, teacher sensitivity, and the facilitation of learning and development. The effectiveness of the classroom-style intervention regarding children’s socio-emotional development is examined using linear regression analysis with clustering at the child level. Independent variables include results on the Parent-Caregiver Relationship Scale and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System – Toddlers, whereas the dependent variable includes the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. By utilizing regression analysis, potential effects across time of children’s involvement within the classroom can be considered. Implications and policy considerations are discussed.