Investigating Challenges and Opportunities for Parental Participation in Central Virginia’s Head Start Programs
Cassie Robertson
Longwood University
Social Research and Program Evaluation
Dr. JoEllen Pederson
November 27, 2024
Abstract
This study explores parental involvement in Head Start programs and identifies ways to increase engagement. Conducted in seven Central Virginia counties, the mixed-methods study includes surveys and interviews with parents and guardians to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data covers demographics, participation rates, and responses to involvement-related questions, while qualitative data comes from open-ended questions about barriers and suggestions for improvement. Research shows that active parental involvement supports children’s academic and social development (Nokali et al., 2010). However, barriers like time constraints, socioeconomic challenges, and racial/ethnic differences can hinder participation (Markowitz et al., 2020; Driebe, 1996). Themes include obstacles to involvement, teacher-parent relationships, and links between engagement and school readiness. The findings aim to inform strategies for overcoming these barriers, improving parent-school involvement, and boosting educational outcomes for young children, particularly from underserved communities.
Keywords: Parent involvement, survey research, Headstart, family engagement, race, culture, socioeconomic factors, early childhood education.
Introduction
What if the key to a child’s academic success lies not just in the classroom but in the support they receive at home? Parental participation is essential for children to do well in school, especially in early education programs like Head Start. Researchers have found that children whose parents are involved at school and at home do better in school, especially in reading, and have fewer behavior problems (Nokali et al., 2010; Dearing et al., 2006). However, racial and cultural differences between parents and teachers can make it challenging for parents to be involved, so it’s important to know how these things affect parental participation (Markowitz et al., 2020). Many studies have looked at the link between parents’ involvement and their children’s school success, but many of them don’t look at how national, racial, and socioeconomic barriers affect Head Start programs (Mendez, 2010; Driebe, 1996). This study aims to fill that gap by looking into how these factors affect family involvement and, in the end, how well children do academically in school.
It’s crucial to establish diverse and inclusive environments that influence family involvement. This study has the potential to enhance educational results for children of all races. Head Start programs can come up with better ways to get families involved and help students become their best academic selves. This study is especially useful for families and teachers because it shows how to make schools more culturally aware and aware of problems that families from different backgrounds face. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for parents to get involved and promote more inclusive methods to help all children succeed in school.
Literature Review
Parental involvement is important early on, especially in Head Start programs. Parent involvement usually involves the behaviors of parents in school and home settings, which are meant to support their child’s educational progress (Nokali et al., 2010). Head Start and preschool children were found to excel in reading achievement in earlier school years as well as later on in life, such as in eighth grade when they had parental involvement in school (Nokali et al., 2010). Dearing et al. (2006) conducted research on parental participation and reading achievement, and it was found that differences in levels of parental involvement increased literacy growth in early childhood. It was found that children with less parental activity had externalizing problems such as delinquent behavior and aggressive, anxious, and depressed behaviors (Nokali et al., 2010). Parents are said to be less involved when their child’s teacher is racially/ethnically mismatched (Markowitz et al., 2020). Parents believe it is important for their children to have a teacher who is of the same ethnic background as them, according to a peer-reviewed article (Markowitz et al., 2020). This paper will examine race’s impact on education and parental involvement, the barriers to parental involvement, and the significance of inclusion of race and culture.
An increasing body of literature indicates that cultural differences in parenting are adaptations to the social and political contexts in which parents nurture their children (Fagan, 2000). Research states that race, class, and ethnicity have an effect on parental involvement. A study was conducted on families of the African American and Puerto Rican cultures to see the relationship between parental involvement and engagement differences among race and gender. The study found that there was a slight difference in how the diverse cultures engaged with their children. Puerto Rican parents exhibit a more nurturing and responsive approach, while African American parents lack these nurturing characteristics, according to research. Puerto Rican Parents are reported to show a much higher level of communicative support compared to African American families (Fagan, 2000). This verbal support plays a crucial role in the development of children enrolled in Head Start. While this article effectively recognizes Puerto Rican families’ engagement and involvement with their children, it does not adequately address African American families’ involvement with their children. In contrast, another study highlights the influence of African American families and the role they play on their children who are enrolled in Head Start. It is believed that African American families with positive educational experiences are more likely to engage in their child’s education, emphasizing the importance of achieving an education (Davis-Kean, 2024). With this positive association, children are more likely to want to learn and be active in the world of education when their parents are engaged. It is stated that educational attainment and how seriously you view education predict how successful your children are going to be.(Davis-Kean, 2024). This statement is more directly applicable to African American families in the article than to White families per the data collected.
Children from low-income backgrounds may face challenges in school preparation due to limited access to resources in their households compared to those from higher-income backgrounds. Participation in academically enriching activities is more likely when parents are actively involved in their children’s Head Start programs. Parent-child relationships are critical in promoting child development as well as a child’s academic success (Mendez, 2010). It is stated that poverty is detrimental to a parent’s ability to provide education or emotional support for their children due to the inaccessibility to resources, which means their child has low exposure to educational material due to their absence in school. It also states that they may have language barriers (Mendez, 2010). In the article “Barriers to Parent Involvement in Head Start Programs, it is stated that high hours of employment compete with a parent being able to be involved in their child’s academic life (Driebe, 1996). When changes in the household environment happen, factors, such as divorce or a new child, are determined to be known as barriers. A study conducted by the U.S. Comptroller General found that, in two of the four Head Start centers examined, 46% of parents were actively involved, whereas in the other two centers, parental participation was notably lower, with less than 17% of enrolled parents engaged. These findings highlight a significant disparity in parental involvement across the centers (Driebe, 1996). The Educational Development Center drew on sources stating that less parental involvement (1977) resulted from lack of transportation and lack of time (Driebe, 1996).
Implementation of culture-based learning is crucial and requires engagement from parents. Engaged families who value their culture and want their children to succeed in education must be involved in their children’s school. This involvement may include stimulation of the mind by parents reading a book to their toddler, where characters of their culture are included in the story. Parents’ involvement in reading with their children has a direct correlation to academic achievement and success (Gershoff, 2015). Therefore, the direct relationship families have with being involved in their children’s Head Start programs, they can still implement their culture and race. Therefore, their children are informed of school’s importance even if they are only toddlers. According to Epstein’s research, families and Head Start programs should work together to help children succeed (Epstein, 2010).
In conclusion, parental involvement is crucial to a child’s academic success. These sources have proven just how important parental participation is to children’s well-being physically and emotionally. Families should be involved in school activities to teach children the value of education and success. Children excel best in school when they have active role models at their events or activities, regardless of age, because it shows they have supporters. Children will also have fewer behavioral issues when parents are actively engaged in not just their home life but school life as well. All of these studies have proven statistically that the more parental involvement a child has, the better their academic success and accomplishments, and when the involvement starts at a young age, their academic achievements usually continue throughout the rest of their time in school.
Data and Methods
Instrument
An online survey questionnaire was created by a research collaborative at Longwood University. The survey created in Qualtrics included an informed consent question and open and close-ended items. There are 23 closed-ended items that cover parents needs, including resources, comfort, time, finances, mental health needs, and demographics. The questionnaire included three open-ended items. The questionnaire had an estimated completion time of 10 minutes.
Sample
The convenience sample for this project is parents and guardians of Head Start children who are between the ages of three and five who reside in seven counties in Central Virginia. There are approximately 119 families in this sample population. Head Start headquarters emailed the online survey to county Head Start teachers. Teachers then e-mailed the survey to all families in their classroom. Surveys were e-mailed home at least three times during data collection. This resulted in 26 surveys being submitted. The response rate was approximately 25%. No incentive was offered for completing the survey.
Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The dependent variable operationalized was parent involvement. The chosen survey question asks parents to rate their level of involvement in their child’s education on a scale of zero to ten; this scale represents the attributes. The independent variable of interest was race. The survey question stated was “Choose one or more races that you consider yourself to be.” The attributes included: White or Caucasian, Black or African American, American Indian/Native American or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Other, and or prefer not to say.
Qualitative Analysis
Qualitative analysis was based on the open-ended items. Thematic coding was used to analyze parent responses.
Findings
Quantitative Findings
My dependent variable was “How involved are you in your child’s education?” On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely involved). The independent variable is race. Respondents answered “white” or “black.”
The mean of my dependent variable is 8.81 on a scale of 1-10. This mean shows a lot of parental involvement. The standard deviation is 2.06. This shows that respondents answers on this variable varied greatly.
Figure 1. Majority of respondents are African American (76.19%). Only five respondents were White
Note. N=21
Table 1.
Percent of respondents based on race
| Race of respondents | Count | Percent |
| White | 5 | 23.80 |
| Black | 16 | 76.19 |
| Note: N= 21 |
Table 1 shows that 23.81% of respondents, or 5 of them, were white and 76.19% of respondents, or 16 of them, were black. None of the respondents recorded another race.
Table 2.
Mean of parent involvement by race
| Race | Means | Standard Deviation |
| WhiteBlack | 16.4029.67 | 13.0520.72 |
| Note. N=25 |
Table 2 shows the comparison between the respondent’s race and parental involvement in Head Start. White respondents showed a lower mean for parental involvement, and Black respondents showed a higher mean for parental involvement in their children’s education.
The data shows that the mean is higher for involvement among black parents than it is among white parents. The rate of participation was higher among black parents than it was among white parents.
Qualitative Findings
Three open-ended questions were posed. The first question inquired about the activities that respondents enjoyed engaging in with their children. The second question focused on asking how respondents manage stress. The final question asked participants if they would like to share any additional information with us, contingent upon their needs. We encountered two themes in our initial open-ended question: education and outdoor activities. In our second open-ended question, we identified two themes: communication and self-care.
When we asked about what activities respondents enjoyed doing with their children, our two themes were outdoor activities and education. Respondent 1 stated that they enjoyed “outdoor adventures.” Respondent 23 stated that they enjoyed “playing at the park.” Respondent 11 stated that they enjoyed “horseback riding.” For the educational theme, Respondent 2 stated that they enjoyed “[helping] them learn and go over what they learn every day.” Participant 12 stated, “[going over] their school work and seeing how much they learn from being here.” Respondent 15 stated “teaching and learning.”
Communication and self-care were the two themes that emerged when we inquired about the strategies by which participants manage stress. Respondent 2 reported that they “go for a walk.” Respondent 10 reported that they alleviate stress through “yoga and relaxation.” According to Participant 17, they cope with stress by “journaling.” Respondent 18 reported that they “pray and take deep breaths.” For the communication theme, Respondent 1 indicated that they “engage in conversations with their family and friends.” “Communication” was the response of Respondent 9. “Therapy” was the response of participant 23.
Conclusion
This paper underscores the critical role of parental involvement in the academic success of children, particularly in early education programs like Head Start. Researchers have found that when parents are involved in their child’s learning, both at home and at school, the child does better in school and has fewer behavior problems (Nokali et al., 2010; Dearing et al., 2006). But problems like racial and cultural differences between parents and teachers can make this less likely. This shows how important it is to learn more about how these things affect parental participation (Markowitz et al., 2020). Puerto Rican and African American families are two examples of how cultural differences in parenting affect how parents support their children’s schooling. However, poverty and work obligations can make it challenging for parents to fully participate (Fagan, 2000; Mendez, 2010; Driebe, 1996).
Findings from this paper show how important it is to make schools welcoming places that value and accept cultural differences. Head Start programs can help children do better in school and improve their skills by building strong relationships between families and teachers. The bigger picture of these results is that everyone needs fair educational chances that take into account cultural differences and get rid of the problems that many families have. We must put parental involvement first and create educational systems that are open to everyone and meet the needs of all kinds of groups if we want to make sure that all childrens, no matter where they come from, get the help they need to do well. In the end, these efforts will lead to a more fair society where every child has the chance to do well in school and beyond.
References
Ansari, A., & Gershoff, E. (2015). Parent Involvement in Head Start and Children’s Development: Indirect Effects Through Parenting. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(2), 562–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12266
Davis-Kean, P. E., & Sexton, H. R. (2009). Race Differences in Parental Influences on Child Achievement: Multiple Pathways to Success. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 55(3), 285–318. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23096259
Driebe, N. M. (1996). Barriers to Parent Involvement in Head Start Programs.
El Nokali, N. E., Bachman, H. J., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2010). Parent Involvement and children’s academic and social development in elementary school. Child Development, 81(3), 988–1005. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40599147
Epstein, J. (2010.). School/Family/Community/Partnerships: Caring For The Children We Share
Fagan, J. (2000). African American and Puerto Rican American Parenting Styles, Paternal Involvement, and Head Start Children’s Social Competence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 46(4), 592–612. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23092566
Markowitz, A. J., Bassok, D., & Grissom, J. A. (2020). Teacher-Child Racial/Ethnic Match and Parental Engagement With Head Start. American Educational Research Journal, 000283121989935. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831219899356
Mendez J. L. (2010). How can parents get involved in preschool? Barriers and engagement in education by ethnic minority parents of children attending Head Start. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 16(1), 26–36. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016258