Caregiver-child interactions and early literacy development of preschool children from low-income environments

Children growing up in low-income environments have lower-than-average levels of reading achievement and higher-than-average rates of special education placement. Research suggests that this discrepancy can be linked to differences in experiences during the early childhood years. A group of Head Start children's (n = 39) early literacy skills (letter-naming, phoneme blending, and onset recognition) and expressive and receptive vocabulary skills were assessed and correlated with measures of caregiver-child interactions observed in the home. Caregivers also were asked to report rates of early literacy activities. Results indicated that the children in Head Start demonstrated a range of early literacy and language abilities, and variation in these skills was related to some aspects of the children's home environments. In particular, degree of caregiver involvement, rate of language interactions, and participation in early literacy activities were related to early literacy and language skills. This exploratory research provides a basis for experimental research to determine the effects of manipulating these caregiver variables on early literacy development.