Heterogeneity in the household experiences of young children in head start and associations with absenteeism

Abstract

Understanding who is absent and what levers may reduce absenteeism is important for promoting not only children's attendance at school but also their learning and development across the school year. The absenteeism literature has primarily focused on socioeconomic status as a key predictor of absenteeism, which ignores the heterogeneity in the lived experiences of children from low-income households that are relevant for their absenteeism. Within a nationally representative sample of children enrolled in Head Start (N = 2,439), this study used latent profile analysis to understand whether and how patterns of household factors predicted children's absenteeism, as well as for whom two school-home connection factors may be more versus less salient levers for reducing absenteeism. Five household profiles emerged in this sample of children enrolled in Head Start. These combinations meaningfully predicted absenteeism above and beyond household income alone. Moreover, parents’ satisfaction with Head Start and programs’ provision of family support services were negatively associated with children's absenteeism, and these associations did not vary by profile. These findings highlight the importance of examining the heterogeneity in the types and combinations of household characteristics children may experience and point to school-home connections as an important focus area for programs.