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Health, Neighborhoods, and School Readiness from the Parent Perspective: A Qualitative Study of Contextual and Socio-Emotional Factors

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  • Lauren E. Futrell Dunaway

    (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

  • Alessandra N. Bazzano

    (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

  • Sarah A.O. Gray

    (Psychology Department, School of Science and Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA)

  • Katherine P. Theall

    (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA)

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative study was to address existing gaps in the literature by gathering parent perspectives on both health and school readiness in regard to neighborhood context, specifically parents’ perceived level of neighborhood safety and support, on physical health and the behavioral and cognitive domains of school readiness. Focus groups were conducted with a total of 28 parents or caregivers whose children attended Early Head Start/Head Start Centers or who received Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services in New Orleans, Louisiana during fall 2015. Parents discussed concepts of school readiness, neighborhood, the intersection between the two, and parental stress; however, few expressed a clear connection between their concerns about safety, their own stress, and their child’s readiness for school. Disparities in both health and school readiness exist between both racial and socioeconomic groups in the United States, and this study offers a unique and enhanced understanding of the impact of non-academic factors on the well-being and development of young children.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren E. Futrell Dunaway & Alessandra N. Bazzano & Sarah A.O. Gray & Katherine P. Theall, 2021. "Health, Neighborhoods, and School Readiness from the Parent Perspective: A Qualitative Study of Contextual and Socio-Emotional Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:17:p:9350-:d:629057
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McAllister, C.L. & Wilson, P.C. & Green, B.L. & Baldwin, J.L., 2005. ""Come and take a walk": Listening to early head start parents on school-readiness as a matter of child, family, and community health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(4), pages 617-625.
    2. James McDonell, 2007. "Neighborhood Characteristics, Parenting, and Children’s Safety," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 83(1), pages 177-199, August.
    3. Eric A. Hanushek & Steven G. Rivkin, 2006. "School Quality and the Black-White Achievement Gap," NBER Working Papers 12651, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Carpiano, Richard M. & Lloyd, Jennifer E.V. & Hertzman, Clyde, 2009. "Concentrated affluence, concentrated disadvantage, and children's readiness for school: A population-based, multi-level investigation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 420-432, August.
    5. Roland G. Fryer & Steven D. Levitt, 2004. "Understanding the Black-White Test Score Gap in the First Two Years of School," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(2), pages 447-464, May.
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