Parent Engagement in Early Childhood Education Christopher Henrich, Ph.D. Department of Psychology
What is Parent Engagement? Participation in school activities (e.g., volunteering, attending events, going on field trips). Engagement in learning at home (through activities ranging from reading to going to the library, etc.) Involvement in school decision-making (e.g., Policy Council) Connections with teachers (e.g., parent-teacher meetings) and other parents.
Why is it important? Parent involvement at school and in learning at home is associated with higher academic achievement. More research on school-aged children than in preschool, and findings are mainly correlational. In preschool, there is some longitudinal and intervention research on the effects of parent involvement on school readiness. Effect sizes range from small to medium Chicago Longitudinal Study: Preschool involvement predicts school involvement, which is associated with long-term outcomes (Reynolds et al., 2002) (Henrich & Blackman-Jones, 2006)
Multiple Pathways from Parent Engagement to Student Learning Parent participation at school is linked to engagement at home; Involvement at school and engagement at home directly linked to child achievement; Both forms of engagement also have effects on student motivation and social behavior, which in turn have effects on achievement; Parents who are engaged in preschool are more likely to stay engaged in elementary school. (Henrich & Blackman-Jones, 2006)
Engaging Parents in Early Education Head Start has long been a leader in engaging parents. Head Start s commitment to engaging parents goes back to original 1964 law mandating maximum feasible participation of community residents. Focus on maximum feasible parent participation persists in current program performance standards. (Henrich, 2010)
Head Start Program Performance Standards Family partnerships broadly defined (45 CFR Section 1304.40): Collaborative partnership-building with parents; Assistance in accessing services/resources; Services to pregnant mothers; Opportunities for program participation & volunteering; Provision of child development and parenting education, including two parent-staff conferences per year; Parental health, nutrition, and mental health services; Parental involvement in community advocacy; School transition assistance; Offering at least two home visits per year. Parents must be involved in Head Start governance (Section 1304.50).
Head Start Parents Engagement Head Start parents tend to be highly engaged in their children s education, in spite of a number of potential barriers. E.G., in Head Start FACES study (DHHS, 1998; O Brien et al., 2002): 83% received home visits; 82% attended parent-staff conferences; 83% spent time in child s classroom 59% volunteered in child s classroom 55% attended workshops 36% participated in program governance 67% read to their children at least three times per week.
Barriers to Parent Participation Common barriers to participation noted by Head Start parents across studies include work and education schedules, childcare issues. Mental health problems also present a barrier to participation. In response, a number of Head Start programs offer job training, wrap-around childcare, and mental health services. (Henrich & Gadaire, 2008)
Factors Promoting Parent Participation The parent involvement process model (Hoover-Dempsey, Walker, et al) focuses on several levels of factors influencing parent involvement in school: Parents beliefs & self-efficacy; Invitations to become involved; Family life context (parents backgrounds, skills, and demands on their time/energy).
Parent-Level Factors Associated with Parent Involvement in Early Education Which parent (mother/father) Education level Employment status Mental health (e.g., depression) Locus of control & self-efficacy (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Classroom & Program Factors Associated with Parent Involvement in Early Education Teacher education-level; Teacher experience; Quality of parent-teacher relationships; Classroom quality; Program focus (e.g., two-generational) (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Multilevel Examination of Parent Engagement in Head Start Examined parent- and classroom/program-level factors associated with parent participation in Head Start and parent engagement in learning activities at home. Secondary analysis of data from nationally-representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) study, 2000 cohort. (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Nested Design Parents (n = 1,450) (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Nested Design Parents (n = 1,450) Classrooms (n = 250) (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Nested Design Parents (n = 1,450) Classrooms (n = 250) Centers (n = 175) (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Nested Design Parents (n = 1,450) Classrooms (n = 250) Centers (n = 175) Programs (n = 42) (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Measures of Parent Engagement Head Start Participation Volunteering Observing in classroom Preparing food/materials Helping with field trips Attending HS events Attending parent-teacher conferences Parent education Policy council participation Home Involvement Telling stories Teaching letters, words, numbers Teaching songs, music Arts & crafts Playing games, sports Taking child on errands Cooking with child Involving child in household chores Going to play, concert, etc. Visiting museums, zoos, aquariums Talking with child about ethnic identity/heritage Attending community events.
Multi-level Structural Equation Modeling Constructed latent factors of Parent Participation in Head Start and Home Involvement Multi-level SEM partitions the latent variance to tease apart: a. Variability in parent engagement across classrooms/centers, and b. Variability in parent engagement between parents within classroom/centers. (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Findings Approx. 17% of variance in parent participation in Head Start was between classrooms/centers Approx. 8% of variance in home involvement was between classrooms/centers. (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Multilevel Predictors of Parent Engagement Parent Employment Education Marital Status Ethnicity Mother Depression Locus of Control Classroom Teacher education Teaching experience ECERS score Center Full- vs Half-day Center- vs Home-based Parent outreach (incentives for participation, transportation, childcare, interpreters, served food, other forms of encouragement) Program Metropolitan status (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Findings: Parent Participation in Head Start Parent Predictors More educated parents participated more; Hispanic parents participated more; Parents with higher locus of control participated more Classroom/Center/Program Predictors Parents in full-day classrooms participated less. Parents in urban programs participated less. (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Findings: Involvement in Home Activities Parent Predictors More educated parents were more involved at home; African-American parents were more involved; Parents with higher locus of control were more involved. Classroom/Center/Program Predictors None of the predictors was statistically significant (Grogan & Henrich, 2011)
Policy Implications & Questions How can program policies promote the engagement of parents in school and in learning at home?
Policy Implications & Questions What strategies are needed to engage different types of parents?
Policy Implications & Questions How can early childhood education programs create partnerships to promote parents continued engagement in their children s education?
References Henrich. C. C. (2010). Head Start's perennial leadership on parental engagement. (NHSA Dialog Briefs Vol. 13 Issue 2). Alexandria, VA: National Head Start Association.1D09-3519- AD9F7B81B8AD8D8A/14744_Dialog Briefs_vol13issue2_v2_Volume 13_Issue 2 (1).pdf. Henrich, C. C., & Blackman-Jones, R. (2006). Parent involvement in preschool. In E. F. Zigler,W. S. Gilliam, & S. M. Jones (Eds), A vision for universal preschool education. (pp. 149-168) Cambridge University Press. Henrich, C. C., & Gadaire, D. M. (2007). Head Start and parent involvement. Infancy & Young Children, 21(1), 41-54. Henrich, C. C. * Grogan, K. G. (2011). A Multilevel Examination of parent involvement in Head Start: Parent, classroom, and program factors. Manuscript under review. O' Brien, R. W., D Elio, M., Vaden-Kiernan, M., Magee, C., Younoszai, T., & Keane, M. J. (2002). A descriptive study of Head Start families: FACES technical report I. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/reports/technical_report/technical_report_pdf. Reynolds, A. J., Ou, S., & Topitzes, J. D. (2002, June). Pathways of effects of early childhood intervention on educational attainment and delinquency. Paper presented at Head Start s Sixth National Research Conference, Washington, DC. Walker, J. M. T., Wilkins, A. S., Dallaire, J. R., Sandler, H. M., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2005). Parental involvement: model revision through scale development. Elementary School Journal, 106(2), 85.