Temporal Effects of Distressed Housing on Early Childhood Risk Factors and Kindergarten Readiness

Authors

Claudia J. Coulton, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow
Francisca García Cobián Richter, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow
Robert L. Fischer, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow
Youngmin Cho, Case Western Reserve University

Author ORCID Identifier

Robert L. Fischer

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-21-2016

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.017

Abstract

Poor housing quality and housing crises have been linked to adverse outcomes for children. However, few studies have focused on the early childhood period or been able to pinpoint how the timing and duration of housing problems contributes to early educational success. This longitudinal study draws on linked administrative records from housing, education, social service and health agencies to examine the influence of exposure to housing neighborhood conditions since birth on school readiness of all children entering kindergarten over a four-year period in a big city school system. Using marginal structural models that properly account for dynamic housing and neighborhood selection, we find that children exposed to problematic housing and disadvantaged neighborhoods have lower kindergarten readiness scores after accounting for other factors. The negative effects of housing problems on kindergarten readiness are partially mediated by child maltreatment incidences, residential instability, and elevated blood lead levels. Communities are advised to pay more attention to distressed housing as a cause of disparities in early child development and school readiness.

Keywords

housing, early childhood, kindergarten readiness, neighborhood effects, integrated data systems

Publication Title

Children and Youth Services Review

Volume

68

First Page

59

Last Page

72

Rights

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Comments

This is a peer reviewed Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Children and Youth Services Review, available at: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.017

Recommended Citation

Claudia J. Coulton, Francisca Richter, Seok-Joo Kim, Robert Fischer, Youngmin Cho. Temporal effects of distressed housing on early childhood risk factors and kindergarten readiness. Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 68, 2016, 59-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.017