Family and Community Resource and Stress Processes Related to Income Disparities in School-Aged Children's Development

Educational Impact and Implications Statement Communities are becoming increasingly segregated by household income, raising questions regarding the role of community factors in explaining income gaps in children's functioning. This project used geospatial data to explore how differences in community- and family-level resources and stressors help to explain income gaps in achievement, executive functioning, and externalizing behaviors in third grade (age 9). Family income was associated with more community resources and fewer community stressors. These community factors, both directly and through their links to parenting, partially explained income gaps in children's functioning. These findings are useful for researchers and educators aiming to narrow skills gaps related to family income as well as housing and community planners working with low-income families. Income disparities in children's academic and behavioral skills have grown larger over the past 50 years. At the same time, economic segregation across communities has increased, raising questions regarding the role of community factors in explaining income gaps in children's functioning. Combining geospatial data with longitudinal survey data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011, an ethnically diverse, nationally representative sample of kindergarteners (N approximate to 17,600), this project explored how differences in community- and family-level resources and stressors help to explain family income gaps in achievement, executive functioning, and externalizing behaviors in third grade (age 9). Family income had small to medium associations with more community resources and fewer community stressors, which in turn exhibited small associations with parenting practices. These relations helped explain income gaps in children's functioning. Results have implications for researchers and practitioners focused on narrowing economic skills gaps as well as housing and community planning efforts designed to foster children's positive development.