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Achievement Gap
2009: A study tracking a group of children born in 2001 found that those living in poverty are less likely to have someone read to them, tell them stories or sing to them. About 36 percent of 9-month-olds in families at or above the poverty line were read to each day, compared with 22 percent of those in the poorest families. (National Stat) [Secondary Source] [Original Source]
2009: At age 4, children in families at or above the poverty line were better able to recognize letters, numbers and shapes. (National Stat) [Secondary Source] [Original Source]
2009: Mothers who had completed higher levels of education were more likely to read to their children. More than 60 percent of 4-year-olds whose mothers had at least a bachelor's degree were read to each day, compared with 20 percent of 4-year-olds whose mothers had not finished high school. (National Stat) [Secondary Source] [Original Source]
2003: By age three, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from poor families. By kindergarten the gap is even greater. The consequences are catastrophic [source].
2000: 35% of U.S. children enter kindergarten unprepared to learn, with most lacking the vocabulary and sentence structure crucial to school success.[source]
1995: Studies have found that by age 3, the observed cumulative vocabulary for children in professional families was 1,116, for working class families it was about 740, and for welfare families it was 525.[source]
Healthy Child Development:
2009: A national poll of parents with young children found that 76 percent believed child care programs were regularly inspected, and 78 percent believed all child care providers were required to have training in child development.[source] In reality, very few states hold centers or family child care homes to standards linked to better quality care, such as recommended provider-to-child ratios, small group size, and obtaining age-specific teacher education and training prior to caring for children.[source]
2009 March: According to official figures, the Department of Children and Families recorded more than 23,000 cases of reported abuse and neglect of children last year -- the highest total the state has seen in at least five years.[Source]
2008: More than 5 million babies and toddlers—43 percent of all children under age 3—live in low-income families (those with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level) [Secondary Source] Original: Ayana Douglas-Hall and Michelle Chau, Basic Facts about Low-Income Children Birth to Age 3, National Center for Children in Poverty, 2008.
2008: Children classified as hungry are twice as likely as their non-hungry peers to be receiving special education services and to have repeated a grade.[Source] [original source: Kleinman 1998]
2007: Over half (57 percent) of women with children under 3 are employed. Working parents need to arrange care for their young children while they work and often need help identifying and securing quality care, particularly first-time parents with infants. [source]
2007 Dec: Massachusetts ranks last on a list of states ranked on the basis of well-being for children in low-income families.[source]
2007: a third of all Massachusetts children are exposed to risk factors in their early years which threaten their healthy social and emotional development, and subsequent success in school.[Source]
2005: On average, socioeconomic status predicts a battery of key mental abilities, with deficits showing up in kindergarten and continuing through middle school. [source]
2002: Children who are emotionally healthy have a significantly greater chance of achieving success in school compared with those who have emotional difficulties.[source]
2000: A child’s early years are critically important. In the first five years of a child’s life, development
proceeds at a faster pace than any other stage in life. [source]
Children and Homelessness (see homeless wiki for more info)
2008: The number of homeless families living in Boston has jumped for the fourth straight year, making children without a home the fastest-growing group. [Source: Boston Homeless Census]
2008: The number of families living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or even in motels jumped 22 percent in the past year, from 3,175 in 2007 to 3,870 in December. The number of children without a home rose 24 percent in 2008, from 1,850 to 2,288. [Source: Boston Homeless Census]
2008: Child and family homelessness is at an all-time high in Massachusetts. [source]
2008: As of the beginning of October of 2008, there were 2,472 families with 4,413 children temporarily housed in emergency shelter in the Bay State, including 2,379 children under the age of six. [source]
2008: more than 1,000 of the 4,413 children in the emergency shelter system are living with their families in state-funded motels without access to kitchen facilities and with limited access to supports and limited ability to meet other basic family needs, while they wait for a room in a shelter to open up. [source]
2008: Quality early education and care makes a significant difference in the well-being and school-readiness of young homeless children, and helps the parents of those children begin to move towards self-sufficiency. 64% of children living in homeless shelters in Massachusetts are now accessing early education and care, up from 47% in 2007. [source]
2007: compared with both middle-class and poor housed peers, young homeless children experience more developmental delays, emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, and behavioral issues. [source]
Home Visiting
2001: Parents participating in high quality home visiting programs tend to become more about child rearing, use more positive discipline, have less parenting stress, and are more involved with and securely attached to their children.[source]
1998: Participation in home visiting is associated with higher rates of high school graduation.[Source]
1993: Home visiting has been associated with long-term improvement in children’s reading and language skills. [source: Drazen, S. & Haust, M. Raising reading readiness in low-income children by parent education.]
Parents and Professional Care Givers
1996: Parents who maintain direct and regular contact with the early educational setting and experience fewer barriers to involvement have children who demonstrate positive engagement with peers, adults, and learning…. [In addition] family involvement in early childhood sets the stage for involvement in future school settings [source]
1984: The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.[source]
United Way and Children:
2008: United Way served 20,938 children in high quality programs, of which 85% were within priority communities. Research in the out-of-school time and early childhood education fields demonstrates that high-quality services improve future outcomes for children and that the key to quality programming is a high-quality, skilled, stable, educated, and motivated workforce.
2008: Over 1,500 staff were trained in social-emotional development. These professionals have an enormous impact on the language development, learning, self-confidence and social skills of young children. By investing in training and professional development programs, ensure that staff provide the highest- quality learning opportunities possible
2008: Nearly 500 children were retained in community child care programs through consultation. We know that the expulsion rate can be decreased when staff receive the training and supports needed to increase their knowledge about behavioral causes, detect problems early on and develop classroom techniques to manage behaviors.
2008: 125 program sites used research-based assessment tools. Using these tools helps analyze the strengths and weaknesses of staff, provides a platform for improving program outcomes for children and helps programs build better partnerships to better serve the needs of youth.
2008: To date, 8,406 children have been assessed using research-based tools. Of those, over 500 have been recommended for evaluation or additional services and over 200 children received additional services for social and emotional concerns. We know that the earlier we detect these problems, the earlier we can intervene with the services and supports children need to enter school ready to learn.
2008: 57 program sites used family support practices to care for young children. Family support practices have positive effects for children’s social emotional and cognitive development. These programs reduce conduct and emotional disorders, aggressive behavior and improved social competence, self-control, and social skills
