Skip to main content

Family Engagement in Rural and Urban Head Start Families: An Exploratory Study

Early Childhood Education Journal volume 43, pages 69–76 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

An exploratory, cross-sectional study was conducted to examine parents’ levels of perceived family engagement to the Head Start program from different community locations. Data collected from this study were obtained from a survey provided to Head Start families from rural and urban areas that had a child currently receiving Head Start services. Participants included 419 urban and rural parents from the Midwest. All participants were surveyed using the Parent and School Survey (PASS). There was one independent variable, community location. The independent variable had two categories: rural and urban families whose children attended Head Start. The dependent variable was parents’ levels of perceived family engagement to the Head Start program. Results using the PASS instrument found an overall difference in family engagement in rural and urban Head Start parents. The need for further research and implications of these findings for the Head Start program are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Fig. 1

References

  • Allen, M. D. (2008). Attributes of effective Head Start mental health consultants: A mixed methods study on rural and urban programs (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books/about/Attributes_of_effective_Head_Start_menta.html?id=2YhMugjEypEC.

  • Barnes, H. V., Guevara, M. D., Garcia, G., Levin, M., & Connell, D. B. (1999). How do Head Start staff characteristics relate to parent involvement and satisfaction? Poster session presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Albuquerque, NM.

  • Bartlett, J. E., Kotrlik, J. W., & Higgins, C. C. (2001). Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 19, 43–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bender, S. L., Fedor, M., & Carlson, J. (2011). Examining protective factors and risk factors in urban and rural Head Start children. Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 908–921. doi:10.1002/jcop.20477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership, 60, 40–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro, D. C., Bryant, D. M., Peisner-Feinberg, E. S., & Skinner, M. L. (2004). Parent involvement in Head Start programs: The role of parent, teacher and classroom characteristics. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 419–430. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2004.07.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. (1992). School and family partnerships. In M. C. Alkin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of educational research (6th ed., pp. 1139–1151). New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fantuzzo, J., McWayne, C., & Perry, M. A. (2004). Multiple dimensions of family involvement and their relations to behavioral and learning competencies for urban, low-income children. School Psychology Review, 33, 467–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fantuzzo, J., Perry, M. A., & Childs, S. (2006). Parent satisfaction with educational experiences scale: A multivariate examination of parent satisfaction with early childhood education programs. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 142–152. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2006.04.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fantuzzo, J., Tighe, E., & Childs, S. (2000). Family involvement questionnaire: A multivariate assessment of family participation in early childhood education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 367–376. doi:10.1037//0022-0663.92.2.367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope, T. L., & Bierman, K. L. (1998). Patterns of home and school behavior problems in rural and urban settings. Journal of School Psychology, 36, 45–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohl, G. O., Lengua, L. J., & McMahon, R. J. (2000). Parent involvement in school conceptualizing multiple dimensions and their relations with family and demographic risk factors. Journal of School Psychology, 38, 501–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaForett, D. R., Mendez, J. L., & Porter, F. (2010). Parent involvement, parental depression, and program satisfaction among low-income parents participating in a two-generation early childhood education program. Early Education & Development, 21, 517–535. doi:10.1080/10409280902927767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McWayne, C., Campos, R., & Owsianik, M. (2008). A multidimensional, multilevel examination of mother and father involvement among culturally diverse Head Start families. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 551–573. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2008.06.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office of Planning Research and Evaluation. (2011). Family-provider relationships: A multidisciplinary review of high quality practices and associations with family, child, and provider outcomes (GS1050030R). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringenberg, M., Funk, V., Mullen, K., Wilford, A., & Kramer, J. (2005). The test-retest reliability of the parent and school survey (PASS). The School Community Journal, 15, 121–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn-Brown, K. (2012). OACAC Head Start management report-enrollment (Fact Sheet). Springfield, MO: Author.

  • Shinn-Brown, K., & Bauer, D. (2009). 2009 community assessment. Paper presented at the Head Start Policy Council, Springfield, MO.

  • Simpson, E., and Braun, B. (2007). Dental health among rural, low-income families: Implications for policy and programs. Retrieved from US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/food/pdfs/oral_health.pdf.

  • The Head Start parent, family, and community engagement framework: Promoting family engagement and school readiness, from prenatal to age 8. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/policy/im2011/pfce-framework.pdf.

  • US Department of Commerce United States Census Bureau. (2013). State and county quickfacts. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29225.html.

  • Vaden-Kiernan, M., D’Elio, M. A., Obrien, R. W., Tarullo, L. B., Zill, N., & Hubbell-McKey, R. (2010). Neighborhoods as a developmental context: A multilevel analysis of neighborhood effects on Head Start families and children. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 49–67. doi:10.1007/s10464-009-9279-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westmoreland, H., Bouffard, S., O’Carroll, K., & Rosenberg, H. (2009). Data collection instruments for evaluating family involvement. Retrieved from Harvard Family Research Project: www.hfrp.org.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest Baptist University, 1600 University Ave, Bolivar, MO, 65613, USA

    Amanda Keys

Authors
  1. Amanda Keys
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amanda Keys.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Keys, A. Family Engagement in Rural and Urban Head Start Families: An Exploratory Study. Early Childhood Educ J 43, 69–76 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0643-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0643-8

Keywords

  • Family engagement
  • Rural community
  • Urban community
  • Head start
  • Preschool
  • Families
  • Family involvement