Sustainable early literacy outcomes for young children of poverty: Influences of attendance, social competence, and problem behaviour

Abstract

This study examined the role of children’s early school attendance and social competency skills in their early literacy development. Participants were 286 African American pre-schoolers from low-income homes enrolled in Head Start classrooms in the Unites States of America (mean age = 44.4 months, SD = 6.92 months; boys = 156). We gathered data on their program attendance, social competence, and early literacy skills. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated children’s attendance predicted the pre-schoolers’ early code-related reading measures, while the children’s positive social competence predicted both code-related learning and story comprehension. Positive social competence was a more prominent predictor of early literacy outcomes than children’s challenging behaviour. Findings highlight attendance, literacy, and social-emotional factors important to evidence-based practices aimed at improving and sustaining school readiness among young children of poverty.