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
Journal Publication
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