Parent Involvement As a Generative Mechanism of Impact in the Child-Parent Centers

Introduction: Given that family support (e.g. parent involvement) has been documented to aid children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development, family support services are promoted in not only schools and prevention programs (e.g., Head Start), but have also been integrated into public policy (e.g. No Child Left Behind). The CPC requires parent involvement in the home and school as key elements of this intervention. Which aspects of parent involvement are most critical for later well-being is unclear, however. This study examines specific aspects of parent involvement as important pathways in the relation between CPC preschool intervention and later well-being.  Furthermore, we examine whether this association differs by both the type of parent involvement and the type of outcome examined (e.g. educational, socio-economic, health).

Methods: Data from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS) of the CPC is analyzed in this study. The CLS included an intervention group (n = 989) and a comparison group (n = 550). Independent variables include: parent rated parent involvement at home and teacher rated parent involvement in the schools in elementary school, parent expectations of children’s academic achievement, and childhood maltreatment (as a proxy for negative family support). Outcomes include: 3^rd and 8^thgrade achievement, on-time graduation, occupational prestige, crime, and substance abuse assessed by age 24 (sample size averaged 1,300 across outcomes).

Mediation analyses were conducted as described by Baron and Kenny’s four-step approach. After the fourth step, early risk factors were also included in the model: single parenthood, gender, mother’s age, TANF use, mother’s employment status, free lunch eligibility, 4 or more children in the household, high poverty school neighborhood, as well as kindergarten achievement.

Results: Preliminary analyses indicate that there are significant main effects of CPC and parent involvement variables on all well-being outcomes examined. Furthermore, parent involvement mediated the relation between the CPC intervention and well-being. School parent involvement, parent expectations, and child maltreatment mediated the association between CPC and on time graduation, criminal activity, substance abuse, and occupational prestige – even after controlling for early risk factors. The mediational effect of school parent involvement accounted for 10% (crime) to 55% (achievement) of the CPC effect on outcomes (mean mediational effect was 39%). 

Conclusions: Parent involvement in the school is a critical element in the PK-3 system. This study supports family support as an important pathway leading from the CPC program to adult well-being.