Exploring Variability in Social and Behavioral Adjustment Among Children in Head Start Experiencing Homelessness

Abstract

A large body of literature demonstrates that children who experience unstable housing and homelessness are at risk for developmental delays and social–emotional challenges. However, there is also evidence of variability in the functioning of these children. Our primary aims were to identify unique profiles among preschool-aged children who were unstably housed and determine whether family-level and classroom-level factors predicted children’s profiles. Participants, drawn from the national Head Start CARES study, were 314 4-year-old children in one of 107 Head Start centers. Teachers’ reports of children’s behavior and social skills were entered into a latent profile analysis that revealed a four-profile structure with four subgroups of unstably housed children that were distinct in their functioning. Potential predictors of profiles included parent self-reports of their own psychological distress and education, teacher reports of the quality of relationships with the children, and observed teacher emotional support of students. Multinomial regression analyses revealed that the quality of the student–teacher relationship was a significant predictor of children’s profile membership. We provide practice and policy implications, study limitations, and suggestions for future investigations.

Keywords:

• Prekindergarten
• poverty
• academic risk
• housing instability
• teacher–student relationships
• head start

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial interest and have received no benefit from the direct applications of this research.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available via Morris, Pamela. Head Start CARES Demonstration: National Evaluation of Three Approaches to Improving Preschoolers’ Social and Emotional Competence, 2009-2015. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2017-03-06. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR35510.v3