Title
Playing With Daddy: Social toy Play, Early Head Start, and Developmental Outcomes
Date
2004
Author(s)
Lori A. Roggman, Lisa K. Boyce, Gina A. Cook, Katie Christiansen, and DeAnn Jones
Brief Type
data
Model(s)
- Early Head Start Home-Based Option
Description
Research on fathers in Early Head Start (EHS) has provided an opportunity to study fathers from low-income families. We examined father-toddler social toy play in relation to EHS enrollment, fathers’ psychosocial well-being, and children’s developmental outcomes in a sample of 74 father-toddler dyads. Overall, our results show that father-toddler social toy play was more complex among fathers in an EHS program than among those in a comparison group. Greater complexity in father-toddler social toy play predicted better cognitive and social developmental outcomes for young children, especially in the program group, but it was limited by fathers’ psychosocial well-being in the comparison group and by time availability in the program group. Nevertheless, the impact of EHS on father-toddler play suggests that an early intervention that targets father involvement can influence positive father-toddler interactions in ways that enhance early development. (author abstract)
Data Collection Methods
- Home Visit Observations
- Standardized assessment tools
- Surveys or questionnaires
Status
Finished
For More Information
Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., Cook, G. A., Christiansen, K., & Jones, D. (2004). Playing with daddy: Social toy play, Early Head Start, and developmental outcomes. Fathering, 2(1), 83–108. doi: 10.3149/fth.0201.83
Author Contact Information:
Lori A. Roggman
falori@cc.usu.edu.
Topics
- Participant, Family, and Program Outcomes