Neighborhoods as a Developmental Context: A Multilevel Analysisof Neighborhood Effects on Head Start Families and Children

摘要

Neighborhoods have been recognized in theoryand research as an important context for child develop-ment. This study used data from the Head Start Family andChild Experiences Survey (FACES) and Census 2000 toassess the underlying factor structure and impact ofneighborhood factors on child cognitive and behavioraloutcomes, including the critical family and social factorsthat may mediate and/or moderate these relationships.Factor analyses found five factors described Head Startneighborhoods. After controlling for family and childfactors, multilevel analyses found significant direct effectsof neighborhood factors on Head Start children's cognitiveand behavioral outcomes. There were no mediation effectsfound for family or social variables between neighborhoodfactors and child outcomes. A large number of moderationeffects were found although there was not a clear pattern tothe results. Future research, policy, and practice implica-tions are discussed.