This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (3)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related letters  • Related articles  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Patient Education/ Health Literacy  • Child Development  • Prognosis/ Outcomes  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A 19-Year Follow-up of Low-Income Families

Arthur J. Reynolds, PhD; Judy A. Temple, PhD; Suh-Ruu Ou, PhD; Dylan L. Robertson, PhD; Joshua P. Mersky, PhD; James W. Topitzes, PhD; Michael D. Niles, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):730-739.

Objective  To determine the effects of an established preventive intervention on the health and well-being of an urban cohort in young adulthood.

Design  Follow-up of a nonrandomized alternative-intervention matched-group cohort at age 24 years.

Setting  Chicago, Illinois.

Participants  A total of 1539 low-income participants who enrolled in the Child-Parent Center program in 20 sites or in an alternative kindergarten intervention.

Interventions  The Child-Parent Center program provides school-based educational enrichment and comprehensive family services from preschool to third grade.

Main Outcome Measures  Educational attainment, adult arrest and incarceration, health status and behavior, and economic well-being.

Results  Relative to the comparison group and adjusted for many covariates, Child-Parent Center preschool participants had higher rates of school completion (63.7% vs 71.4%, respectively; P = .01) and attendance in 4-year colleges as well as more years of education. They were more likely to have health insurance coverage (61.5% vs 70.2%, respectively; P = .005). Preschool graduates relative to the comparison group also had lower rates of felony arrests (16.5% vs 21.1%, respectively; P = .02), convictions, incarceration (20.6% vs 25.6%, respectively; P = .03), depressive symptoms (12.8% vs 17.4%, respectively; P=.06), and out-of-home placement. Participation in both preschool and school-age intervention relative to the comparison group was associated with higher rates of full-time employment (42.7% vs 36.4%, respectively; P = .04), higher levels of educational attainment, lower rates of arrests for violent offenses, and lower rates of disability.

Conclusions  Participation in a school-based intervention beginning in preschool was associated with a wide range of positive outcomes. Findings provide evidence that established early education programs can have enduring effects on general well-being into adulthood.

Author Affiliations: Institute of Child Development (Drs Reynolds and Ou), Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (Dr Temple), and Department of Applied Economics (Dr Temple), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Dr Robertson); School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (Drs Mersky and Topitzes); and School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix (Dr Niles).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED LETTERS

Improving Preschool for Low-Income Children With Programmatic Randomized Controlled Trials
David Olds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):807-809.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Why Prison Instead of Preschool?
James Forman, Jr
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):809-810.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Strong Design and Comprehensive Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Study
Arthur J. Reynolds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(11):1099-1100.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Strong Design and Comprehensive Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Study—Reply
David L. Olds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(11):1100.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

RELATED ARTICLES

Improving Preschool for Low-Income Children With Programmatic Randomized Controlled Trials
David Olds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):807-809.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Why Prison Instead of Preschool?
James Forman, Jr
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(8):809-810.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Health Disparities Beginning in Childhood: A Life-Course Perspective
Braveman and Barclay
Pediatrics 2009;124:S163-S175.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Creating a Healthier Future Through Early Interventions for Children
Mercy and Saul
JAMA 2009;301:2262-2264.
FULL TEXT  

Do Early Childhood Interventions Prevent Child Maltreatment?: A Review of Research
Reynolds et al.
Child Maltreat 2009;14:182-206.
ABSTRACT  

Disparities in Academic Achievement and Health: The Intersection of Child Education and Health Policy
Fiscella and Kitzman
Pediatrics 2009;123:1073-1080.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

"You Get What You Get": Unexpected Findings About Low-Income Parents' Negative Experiences With Community Resources
Silverstein et al.
Pediatrics 2008;122:e1141-e1148.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Strong Design and Comprehensive Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Study
Reynolds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:1099-1100.
FULL TEXT  

Re: Strong design and comprehensive analysis of the child-parent center study.
Olds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:1100-1100.
FULL TEXT  

Strong Design and Comprehensive Analysis of the Child-Parent Center Study--Reply
Reynolds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:1101-1101.
FULL TEXT  

Adult Mental Health Effects of Early Childhood Intervention
Narendorf
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:995-995.
FULL TEXT  

Adult Mental Health Effects of Early Childhood Intervention--Reply
Reynolds and Temple
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162:995-996.
FULL TEXT  

Does Quality Preschool Improve Future Health and Social Well-Being?
JWatch Pediatrics 2007;2007:3-3.
FULL TEXT  

Improving Preschool for Low-Income Children With Programmatic Randomized Controlled Trials
Olds
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007;161:807-809.
FULL TEXT