The Achievement Gap Begins Early: Study Finds Disparities in Child Outcomes Among Infants

A new Child Trends study commissioned by the Council of Chief State
School Officers finds disparities between poor, at-risk children and
more advantaged children as early as 9 months of age--extending prior
research that primarily focuses on disparities at kindergarten entry and
beyond. The study, /*Disparities in Early Learning and Development:
Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Birth Cohort
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identifies low income and low maternal education as the factors most
strongly associated with poorer cognitive, social-emotional, and health
outcomes among very young children. It also finds that the more risk
factors a child has, the more profound the disparities.

Study highlights:

* Disparities by Family Income: Compared to their peers from
higher-income families, infants and toddlers from low-income
families score lower on cognitive assessments, are less likely to
be in excellent or very good health, and are less likely to
receive positive behavior ratings at both 9 and 24 months.
o Toddlers from lower-income families are also less likely to
have a secure attachment to their primary caregiver compared
to toddlers from higher-income families.
o Small effects were found for all outcomes at 9 months; these
effects were larger (moderate) by 24 months.
*
Disparities by Maternal Education: Compared to infants whose
mothers have a Bachelor's degree or higher, infants and toddlers
whose mothers have less than a high school degree score lower on
both cognitive and behavioral measures and they are also less
likely to be in excellent or very good health. Disparities are
typically small at 9 months, but become more pronounced at 24
months (moderate to large).
o
In addition, toddlers whose mothers have a Bachelor's degree
or higher are more likely to have a secure attachment to
their primary caregiver compared to toddlers whose mothers
have less education.

The study, based on a nationally representative sample of children born
in the U.S. in 2001, also includes implications for policy and practice.