Family Factors Associated With High Academic Competence Among Former Head Start Children

From a database generated by the multi-site National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project, a subsample of the 154 children with the highest academic achievement was drawn from the 5,142 non-handicapped participants from English-speaking homes with relatively complete data collected in Spring of first grade. Their families reported higher educational and income levels and had fewer children, more of the families were Caucasian, children's caretakers less often reported prolonged depression, parenting practices were more responsive and flexible and less restrictive, and the children were seen by parents and teachers as more socially skilled than were the comparison group. Within this low-income group (half reporting monthly incomes of $1,000 or less), conditions propitious for child development are demonstrated to be associated with high academic competence.