Caregiver-Child Interactions and Early Literacy Development of Preschool Children From Low-Income Environments

Children growing up in low-income environments have lower-than-average levels of reading achievement and higher-than-average rates of special education placement. Research suggests that this discrepancy can be linked to differences in experiences during the early childhood years. A group of Head Sta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Topics in early childhood special education 1999, Vol.19 (1), p.3-14
Main Author: Rush, Karen L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregiver Child Relationship
Child Development
Development
Early Childhood Education
Early Reading
Emergent Literacy
Expressive Language
Family Environment
Grade 1
High Risk Students
Language Acquisition
Language Skills
Literacy
Low Income
Low income families
Parent-Child interactions
Phonemic Awareness
Phonological Awareness
Preschool Children
Primary Education
Project Head Start
Reading Achievement
Reading Skills
Receptive Language
Relationship
Secondary Education
Skill Development
Thinking Skills
USA
Vocabulary Development
Young Children
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Summary:Children growing up in low-income environments have lower-than-average levels of reading achievement and higher-than-average rates of special education placement. Research suggests that this discrepancy can be linked to differences in experiences during the early childhood years. A group of Head Start children's (n = 39) early literacy skills (letter-naming, phoneme blending, and onset recognition) and expressive and receptive vocabulary skills were assessed and correlated with measures of caregiver-child interactions observed in the home. Caregivers also were asked to report rates of early literacy activities. Results indicated that the children in Head Start demonstrated a range of early literacy and language abilities, and variation in these skills was related to some aspects of the children's home environments. In particular, degree of caregiver involvement, rate of language interactions, and participation in early literacy activities were related to early literacy and language skills. This exploratory research provides a basis for experimental research to determine the effects of manipulating these caregiver variables on early literacy development.
ISSN:0271-1214
1538-4845
DOI:10.1177/027112149901900101