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Journal Article Single motherhood has long been linked to the risk for child maltreatment. However, little is known about the role of fathers in buffering mothers' risk for child maltreatment. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this paper investigates (1) the ways in which non-resident fathers' economic contributions and involvement in parenting may moderate associations between mothers' transitions to being single and the risk for child maltreatment, and (2) whether these processes vary by race/ethnicity. Results indicate that mothers' transitions to being single are not…
This report summarizes findings from a number of research reports relevant to the theme of Australian National Child Protection Week 2016 “Stronger Communities, Safer Children”. Key messages are shared from research on building safe and supportive families and communities for children in Australia, building safe and supportive families and communities for Indigenous children in Australia, and what children value in their communities and what changes children would like to see in their communities. A paper on the concept of community capacity is also summarized, as well as a paper that applies…
This fact sheet focuses on the implementation of the Head Start program in South Dakota. It begins by explaining the establishment of the South Dakota Head Start State Collaboration, the history of Head Start, and the beliefs and goals of Head Start related to school readiness. Head Start program options are reviewed, as well as an early learning framework and the racial characteristics of children enrolled in Head Start in South Dakota in 2012/2013. It is reported that in 2013-2014 a total of 3,990 families participated in Head Start, 22% of the parents had less than a high school diploma,…
This fact sheet focuses on the implementation of the Early Head Start program in South Dakota. It begins by explaining the history of the Early Head Start program, the establishment of 8 Early Head Starts in South Dakota, and the goal of Early Head Start programs to prepare children to be ready for school. It is reported that in 2013-2014 a total of 868 families participated in Head Start, 18% of the parents had less than a high school diploma, and 53% were single parent families. Data on parental employment, racial characteristics of children enrolled in Early Head Start, pregnant women in…
This report provides a statistical portrait of progress in the reduction of poverty and economic hardship over the past five decades in the United States. The poverty measures presented in this volume show that the federal safety net has advanced the economic circumstances of low- income children and families since 1964. Three key metrics assess whether families were able to secure resources to meet their basic human needs and avoid severe material deprivation: the official poverty measure developed by Mollie Orshansky in 1963-1964 and designated as the federal government’s official…
This 2014 fact sheet on children living in low-income families in the United States begins by explaining that there are more than 11 million infants and toddlers under the age of 3 in the United States, and 47% live in low-income families and 24% live in poor families. Statistics are provided that indicate the percentage of infants and toddlers living in low-income families has been on the rise, increasing from 44% in 2008 to 47% in 2014, children under age 3 are nearly three times as likely as adults 65 years and older to live in poor families, children under age 3 are more likely to live in…
Unpublished Paper
Guided by ecological resilience perspectives this study examined the association between various risk factors (neighborhood risk, discrimination, peer victimization, fathers' risk behaviors) and African American and Latino adolescent boys' physical and relational aggression. Fathers' parenting behaviors were examined primarily as mediators and moderators of those associations to determine how they might exacerbate or protect against those risks. Both adolescents and their fathers reported on fathers' parenting behaviors. Data were collected from 234 adolescents (mean age of 15.17, 34.2%…
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Journal Article We examined the activities that low-income, ethnically diverse fathers of sons versus daughters engage in with their children in the preschool years. African American, Latino, and White fathers ( N = 426) from research sites across the United States, were interviewed about their caregiving, play, literacy, and visiting activities when their children were 2 years, 3 years, and preschool age. Fathers of boys engaged more frequently in physical play than fathers of girls, whereas fathers of girls engaged more frequently in literacy activities. Moreover, gendered patterns of father engagement…
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Journal Article Although research increasingly focuses on non-resident biological fathers, little attention has been given to the role of other men in children s lives. The authors examine the factors associated with social father presence and their influence on preschoolers development. Findings indicate that the majority of children have a social father and that mother, child, and nonresident biological father characteristics are all related to social father presence. These associations differ depending on whether the social father is the mother s romantic partner or a male relative. The social father s…
