Grant funds Head Start study
By Kurt Esposito
Assistant
Campus Editor
A Purdue professor has received a grant to study
what factors contribute to early childhood development in Early Head
Start programs.
James Elicker, associate professor of child development
and family studies, said the research project will help assess the support
of a child's development in the program, which includes support from
personnel as well as families.
Early Head Start is a branch of Head Start that
was started in 1995. It serves as a full-day childcare center for children
from the pre-natal stage to the age of 3. Families at or below the poverty
line are eligible for the program.
Early Head Start is designed to assist a child
in all areas by making sure adequate stimulation and nutrition are provided.
The parents of the children are also involved to ensure the child's
development.
The Building Relationships in Early Head Start
project will look at the interpersonal relationship between the staff
at the center and the families. Also, it will analyze whether that has
an influence on the child and his education and health. Elicker said
they will also be working on ways to assess those relationships. For
the project, Elicker received $375,000 to be used over three years.
"The question we want to answer in three years
is: Do better relationships between families and parents result in better
relationships between parents and kids?" said Elicker.
The project will work with three Early Head Start
programs in Lafayette, Kokomo, Ind. and Marion, Ind. Pam Houlton, Lafayette
Early Head Start director, said parents are important team members in
the work done at the program. The parents serve on policy councils and
attend regular meetings with the teachers where goals for the child's
development are set.
Elicker said some of the problems these parents
face include illiteracy, low income and the stress brought on by these
problems.
Houlton said the parents are also given assistance
in working with these problems.
Research for the project will be done through observations
and interviews with the personnel of the center and the families. The
researchers will also develop a questionnaire to assess to the development
of the children.
Elicker said two to four graduate students will
work with him on the project. Undergraduate students can also participate
either at part-time for pay or for a semester for credit.
|
