Buffett Early Childhood InstituteStart early. Start well.
Predictors of Infant and Toddler Black Boys’ School Readiness Skills: Determining Promotive Contexts and Environments
Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D.Buffett Early Childhood InstituteUniversity of Nebraska
2016 CYFS Summit on Research in Early ChildhoodApril 7, 2016
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Outline of Talk
• Urgency!!• Theory of Black Child Development• Black Boys’ Developmental Contexts and
Experiences• Keys to Optimal Development• Implications for Research, Policy, Practice, &
Outreach
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Take Home Points• Black infant and toddler children are likely to
reside in more challenging circumstances compared to White boys.
• Family social position and parenting are critical predictors of boys’ optimal development.
• Community environment plays a complex and mixed role in Black boys’ development.
• Black boys need strong foundation and afforded best opportunities in the earliest years to combat their challenging circumstances and increase their chances for school and life success.
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Some Basic Facts
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U.S. Population in 2010
White57%Black
13%
Hispanic16%
Asian5%
Other9%
5
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U.S. Population 2050
White46%
Black14%
Hispanic27%
Asian8%
Other5%
6
Increase of 1%, but…
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Number of Infant/Toddler Black Boys
• Over 12 million children under three years of age in the United States.
• Fourteen percent are Black (~1.7m), and slightly more than half are boys (~900k)
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Blacks make up 13% of population but over 40% of prison population!
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Frameworks to Examine the Contexts of Black Boys
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Black Child Development
García Coll, C., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., & García, H. V. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891-1914. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01834.x
#2Racism
PrejudiceDiscrimination
Oppression
#1Social Position Variables
RaceSocial Class
EthnicityGender
#3SegregationResidentialEconomicSocial &
Psychological
#4Promoting/Inhibiting
EnvironmentsSchools
NeighborhoodsHealth Care
#6Child
CharacteristicsAge
TemperamentHealth Status
Biological FactorsPhysical
Characteristics
#5AdaptiveCulture
Traditions & Cultural Legacies
Economic & PoliticalHistoric
Migration & Acculturation
Current Contextual Demands
#8Developmental Competencies
CognitiveSocial
EmotionalLinguistic
BiculturalismCoping with Racism
#7Family
Structure & RolesFamily Values, Beliefs, & Goals
Racial SocializationSocioeconomic Status
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Key Research Aims
• Explore the early environments of infant and toddler Black boys
• Examine whether early environments differ between Black boys and girls, and White boys
• Whether the link between early environments/experiences and children’s preschool outcomes differ by gender and race
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Black Children’s Contexts
• Data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort
• Data from approximately 900 Black boys and their families
– And 900 Black girls & 2300 White boys
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Child CharacteristicsBirth Weight
72%
64%56%
28%
36%44%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
Normal Birth Weight Low Birth Weight
*
*
*
Health Status
97% 94% 96%
3% 6% 4%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
Good to Excellent Fair to Poor
*
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Child Characteristics
• Black children were also rated by parents as being more irritable than White children
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Family Demographics
Living in Poverty (1.85 INR)
33%
74% 75%67%
26% 25%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
Below Poverty At or Above Poverty
*
No. Public Assistance Used (0-4)
1.14 1.23 1.22
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
*
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Family Demographics
• Black children likely to be in single-parent households (30% vs. 79%)
• Black children less likely to have parents with BA degree or higher(mothers: 10% vs. 34%; fathers: 18% vs. 36%)
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Social Support Availability
• White males’ families have more social support than Black children
• No differences in availability of financial and community support
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77%
90% 89%
23%
10% 11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White Males Black Males Black Females
Urban Areas non-Urban Areas
*
Neighborhood
Black males less likely to: • know more
neighbors by name• live in safer
communities• live in rural
communities
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Promoting and Inhibiting Environments
Depressive Symptomatology (1-4)
1.381.57 1.53
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
Child Care Attendance
48%
62% 60%52%
38% 40%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
White Males Black Males BlackFemales
In Child Care Not in Child Care
*
*
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Promoting and Inhibiting Environments
Black males were likely to be in environments with:• Low parental drinking• High parental argument• Fewer parental risky behaviors
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Parenting
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
Positive Parenting Intrusiveness
White MalesBlack MalesBlack Females
*
*
*
3.172.92 3.00
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
Whitemales
Blackmales
Blackfemales
Literacy Activities
*
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Parenting
Black boys more likely to experience:• Authoritarian parenting• Negative regard parenting• Limited play with parents
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Early differences translate to later outcome differences!
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Differences between Black and White Boys at 9 and 24 months
-0.18
-0.16
-0.14
-0.12
-0.1
-0.08
-0.06
-0.04
-0.02
0
0.02
Without Controls With Controls Without Controls With Controls
9 month 24 month
Socio-emotional Development Cognitive Development
Source. Aratani, Y., Wight, V. R., & Cooper, J. L. (2011). Racial gaps in early childhood: Socio-emotional health, developmental and education outcomes among African-American boys. New York, NY: National Center for Children in Poverty.
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Odds Stacked Against Black Boys
Living in Poverty Living in PovertyLiving in Poverty
Low maternal education
Low maternal education
Single parent Single parent Single parent
Unemployed parents
Unemployed parents
VL Birth weight
VL Birth weight
VL Birth weight
Birth to unmarried women
Birth to unmarried women
Birth to unmarried women
Birth to teen moms Birth to teen moms
Infant immortality Infant immortality Infant immortality
Asthma hospitalization
Asthma hospitalization
Asthma hospitalization
Asthma hospitalization
ObesityPTSD PTSDPTSDPTSD
No health insurance or care
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS
No health insurance or care
Witnessing domestic violence
Witnessing domestic violence
Exposure to other violence
Exposure to other violence
Exposure to other violence
Abused or neglected Abused or neglected Abused or neglectedGoing to prison Going to prison Going to prison
Going to prison Going to prison Going to prison
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Incarcerated parents
Juvenile arrest
Juvenile arrest
Juvenile arrest
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Homicide death
Suspension Suspension Retention Retention
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Overcoming Obstacles in the Midst of Challenges
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What matters the most for young black boys’ early development?
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Emergent Language
Emergent Numeracy
Expressive Language
Color Knowledge
Health
Family Status ✓ Maternal education (+)✓ Poverty level (-)
✓ Maternal education (+)✓ Paternal education (+)
✓ Poverty level (-) ✓ Paternal education (+)
Social Support ✓ Communitysupport (-)
✓ Communitysupport (-)
Neighborhood ✓ Quality (+) ✓ Quality (+)
Environment ✓ Depressivesymptomatology (-)
Parenting ✓ Positive Parenting (+)
✓ Positive Parenting (+)
What mattered for all children?
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Emergent Language Emergent Numeracy Expressive Language
Color Knowledge
Health X X X X
Family Status ✓ Maternal education (+)✓ Poverty level (-)
✓ Maternal education (+)✓ Paternal education (+)
✓ Poverty level (-)
✓ Paternal education (+)
Social Support ✓ Community support (-)-- more positive for BB
✓ Community support (-) X X
Neighborhood ✓ Quality (+) ✓ Quality (+)-- more positive for BG than BB
X X
Environment ✓ Depressivesymptomatology (-)
X X -- Depressive Symp. more positive for BB
Parenting ✓ Positive Parenting (+)-- intrusiveness more positive for BB
✓ Positive Parenting (+) X X
What mattered most for Black boys?
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What is the key for Black boys in the first three years of life?
Strong Social Positioning
Responsive and Language-Rich Parenting
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Findings Support What We Know
• Early years are critical (e.g., Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000)
• Toxic stress and multiple risks regardless of type diminish optimal child development (Burchinal et al., 2000; Sameroff et al., 1998)
• Black children, especially boys face additional risk (Davis, 2003; Noguera, 2003; McLoyd, 1998)
• Sensitive interaction and attachment between child and primary caregiver is important (Ainsworth, 1969; Bowlby, 1958, 1988, Iruka, 2009)
• Family social position and parenting largest predictor, and parenting is culturally-bound (Burchinal et al., 2011)
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Conclusion• LOVE of and for Black boys
and males
• Begin early, begin well
• Begin to focus on Black boys that are successful and resilient and “mimic”
• Social Position & Parenting
• Holistic view of Black boys –there are many successful black boys and males, we just need to SEE them
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There are vast OPPORTUNITIES to change the trajectories of our Black boys!
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