FAMILY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH ACADEMIC COMPETENCE AMONG FORMER HEAD-START CHILDREN

From a database generated by the multi-site National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstrated Project, a subsample o f the 154 children with the highest academic achievement was drawn fro m the 5,142 non-handicapped participants from English-speaking homes w ith relatively complete data collected in Spring of first grade. Their families reported higher educational and income levels and had fewer children, more of the families were Caucasian, children's caretakers l ess often reported prolonged depression, parenting practices were more responsive and flexible and less restrictive, and the children were s een by parents and teachers as more socially skilled than were the com parison group. Within this low-income group (half reporting monthly in comes of $1000 or less), conditions propitious for child development a re demonstrated to be associated with high academic competence.