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How women experience pregnancy as uplifting or a hassle is related to their mental and physical health and birth outcomes. Pregnancy during a pandemic introduces new hassles, but may offer benefits that could affect how women perceive their pregnancy. Surveying 118 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women, we explore (1) women's traditional and pandemic-related pregnancy uplifts and hassles and (2) how these experiences of pregnancy relate to their feelings of loneliness, positivity, depression, and anxiety. Regressions show that women who experience more intense feelings of uplifts than hassles also feel more positive, less lonely, and have better mental health. Findings suggest that focusing on positive aspects of being pregnant, in general and during a pandemic, might be beneficial for pregnant women's mental health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has financial and emotional impacts on families. We explored how caregivers' financial strain and mental health are associated with changes in their young children's behavior during the pandemic. We additionally considered whether having a sense of purpose moderated these associations. Caregivers (n = 300) in the emergency department of a children's hospital were surveyed anonymously about changes to their employment (e.g., reduced/increased hours and job loss), ability to pay for expenses and whether their child's behavior had changed. Aligned with the Family Stress Model, caregivers' financial strain was associated with poor mental health, inconsistent sleep routines, and changes in children's problematic and prosocial behaviors. A sense of purpose buffered some of these relationships. Families are differently affected by the pandemic and our findings underscore the need for supporting caregivers' mental health and connecting them with resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to shift to virtual or hybrid instruction, thrusting young adolescents into a very different educational environment. Stage-environment fit theory outlines ways in which educational contexts may, or may not, meet the developmental needs of young adolescents. Yet little is known about how virtual environments fit the needs of middle schoolers. To assess this, we surveyed 430 middle school students in California during emergency distance learning. Open- and close-ended survey questions revealed the ways in which virtual schooling was not able to match the needs of these young adolescents. Student responses included challenges related to lack of connections with peers and teachers, difficulty working independently, and general mental health issues. Though limited, these results highlight the ways in which to consider developmental stages when altering school contexts in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such findings offer insights on how to adjust online practices so that they can better support the developmental needs of middle school students.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to uncover what the at-home educational environments of low-income Latine adolescents looked like during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these environments influenced students' participation in their online classes. Additionally, the findings highlight students' perspectives on their varied engagement in virtual instruction. Design/methodology/approach: Data for this study were collected via an online survey that included both open and close-ended questions. Students were able to share about their behaviors and comfort in their online classes, as well as provide photos of the areas from which they joined their online classes. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used. Findings: Many students in the sample expressed discomfort with themselves and their homes being seen on camera and shared having to juggle multiple responsibilities during online classes. Photos uploaded revealed that at-home educational environments often lacked the resources afforded by in-school instruction, with students joining classes from areas that may not be conducive to learning. Originality/value: Research has highlighted the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated existing issues of educational equity, but the systemic reasons for these inequities remain understudied. The results from this study highlight the ways in which disparate at-home learning environments may help to explain unequal engagement in online classes.

This study examines the risk-related factors during the pandemic and protective factors that might reduce its effects on family functioning in a sample of 161 low-income Hispanic parents in the United States, recruited from an ongoing longitudinal intervention study. They were surveyed about family functioning six months into the pandemic. We focused on the associations between social (e.g., exposure to the virus) and economic (e.g., job loss) pandemic-related risks on parental stress, parenting, and children's socioemotional problems and skills, as well as the degree to which coparenting support, parents' positivity, economic support, and access to services and information mitigated (protected) the negative effects of these stressors on family functioning. We found that increases in economic risk were associated with more child competence skills, whereas increases in social risk were associated with less parental engagement. Positivity and economic support moderated the effects of economic risk on parental stress and engagement. These findings show that to intervene effectively with low-income Hispanic families, we need to strengthen and support the resources for coping with adversity.

Increasingly, children are engaging in early literacy experiences through digital devices. This raises questions about how electronic reading compares to print reading. To assess this, we randomly assigned 200 children (3-5 years) to be read the same book (1) with auto-narration on a tablet or (2) by a researcher from a print book. Reading was recorded and coded for behavioral and emotional engagement and vocalizations. Children were also tested on their story comprehension and vocabulary. Children had slightly higher posttest scores in the print condition. Older children and females also scored higher. There was an interaction between weekly tablet use and book platform. Children were equally engaged with the e-book and print book, but vocalized more about the device in the e-book condition. Findings suggest that e-books offer many of the same, but not all, of the educational affordance as print books. Additionally, novelty might be important in supporting comprehension.

The goal of this study is to examine associations among family and child protective factors, maternal and paternal levels of distress, and children's social competence in a sample of 156 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse first-time mothers, fathers, and their children, followed from 9 months to 30 months of age. Using multiple linear regression modeling, our results indicate that dyadic synchrony and children's positive temperament during infancy are significantly associated with fewer behavior problems and paternal optimism with high levels of social competence at 21 months (main effects). Father optimism and child positive temperament are only significantly related to higher levels of social competence and fewer behavioral problems, respectively, in the context of low levels of paternal distress (interaction effects). These results suggest that in our sample maternal dyadic synchrony operates in the same way across levels of maternal distress as it relates to children's behavior problems, with the exception of paternal optimism and children's positive temperament. Results also suggest that protective factors are different for mothers, fathers, and children.

Objective: To gain insight into the extent of body mass index (BMI) change during an academic year for children with overweight or obesity at entry to an early learning programme with nutrition and physical activity components ("Head Start"). We explored whether meeting with families to discuss weight and nutrition and age of entry in the programme were associated with movement towards healthy weight via a reduction in BMI. Design: Quantitative analyses of administrative Head Start data of children aged 3-5 years old who entered the programme with a BMI labelled as overweight or obese. Setting: Children who participated in a Head Start early learning programme in the Southwest USA. Method: Descriptive analyses of BMI changes over the Head Start programme year. Ordinary least square regression analyses were run to explore whether a meeting with a family regarding their child's weight and nutrition (i.e. a family service event) and age of entry predicted BMI change over the programme year. Results: Children with BMI labelled as overweight or obese, on average, reduced BMI over the academic year. Unexpectedly, having a family service event was related to an increase in BMI over the school year. Earlier age of entry predicted reduced BMI over the programme year. Conclusion: "Head Start" programming appears well suited to support decreases in prevalence of childhood obesity and that earlier entry was better. A meeting with families regarding their child's weight and nutrition predicted an increase in BMI, though several factors indicated the need for more nuanced research on the types and intensity of these events.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has been particularly harmful to economically vulnerable families with young children. We surveyed 247 low-income mothers and fathers from 142 families in the United States about changes in their family life following the economic and social restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We examined the associations between pandemic-related risk factors such as economic stressors (e.g., loss of job) and social stressors (e.g., exposure to the virus) on family functioning (e.g., parents' mental health, parent engagement, and children's socioemotional behaviors) and the degree to which coparenting support and parents' positivity protected families from the negative effects of these stressors on their wellbeing. We found both positive and negative associations. Mothers and fathers who reported more economic stressors since the pandemic also observed that their children behaved more prosocially and that fathers experienced more mental health difficulties during the pandemic. Mothers and fathers who reported more social stressors reported that they were less engaged with their children and their children exhibited more behavior problems compared to before the pandemic. We also found that mothers and fathers who reported feeling more positive also reported feeling less depressed and stressed during the pandemic and observed that their children had more prosocial behaviors compared to before the pandemic. Compared to before the pandemic, mothers and fathers who reported a more supportive coparenting relationship also reported more parent engagement and observed more prosocial behaviors in their children. In terms of protective factors, high levels of parent positivity during the pandemic protected mothers (less mental health difficulties) whereas high levels of coparenting support protected fathers (less mental health difficulties) from the negative effects of economic stress on their mental health during the pandemic. These findings highlight family processes that could promote resilience in mothers and fathers in the face of pandemic-related economic and social stressors.

Young children's use of mobile screens is increasing despite the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations to limit screen use. Research on TV has found that maternal beliefs about the effects of screens on children's learning and parental socioeconomic status influence children's media consumption. However, few studies have explored parents' beliefs about mobile screens and whether there are differences in beliefs by socioeconomic status, particularly within the largest ethnic minoritized group - Latines. Because Latines are a socioeconomically and linguistically heterogenous group, but are often represented by low-income mothers in research, it is important to understand whether there are socioeconomic and linguistic differences on how and why Latine mothers AND fathers permit their children to use mobile screens. This study used in-depth, semi-structured interviews to understand how and why Latine mothers (low-income = 10, middle-to-high income = 10) and fathers (low-income = 10, middle-to-high income = 10) permitted their children (0-4 years) to use mobile screens. Specifically, we discussed their beliefs about how mobile screens support and hinder their children's learning and how their children used them. Results from qualitative content analysis showed that mothers and fathers, across income, education levels, and language use, believed that they, as parents, were the key decision-makers in determining the extent to which mobile screens supported and hindered their young children's learning. They described mediation strategies of selecting appropriate content, setting time limits, and monitoring use, to ensure that their children primarily benefited from device use. However, two distinctions were noted. Parents with a high school diploma or beyond stressed the importance of co-using devices with their children. This was not mentioned by less formally educated parents. Additionally, low-income parents with diverse educational levels, mentioned the importance of continuously monitoring device use to avoid their children encountering inappropriate content. Findings can inform work seeking to promote optimal media habits among Latine families.

Guiding hints and challenge can help scaffold learners to progress beyond what they would achieve independently. The interactive and adaptive capabilities of mobile devices allow educational applications (apps) to support learning through scaffolding designs. However, little research has tested the effects of scaffolding features in apps on young children's learning. Using a 3 × 2 between-subjects design, this study experimentally tests how three types of app feedback (nonverbal sounds, verbal encouragement, or scaffolded verbal hints) and two types of leveling (gradual vs. random-ordered challenge) influence 4-5-year-old children's learning of novel words (N = 240). Results showed that scaffolded feedback was especially useful when provided at the beginning of app play (p < 0.01), and scaffolded leveling through gradual increases in difficulty supported faster and more accurate responses than random order challenge (p < 0.001).

BackgroundPregnant women use the Internet and social networking sites to meet a variety of pregnancy-related needs as well as to help make decisions regarding their pregnancy and/or parenting. Knowing more about the current landscape of social networking sites as it relates to pregnancy can inform future work that wants to leverage social media for education or support.MethodsAcross a 7-day period, we conducted a content analysis of 4 Facebook pregnancy-related groups and 4 Instagram pregnancy-related channels. The posts were coded based on the nature, content, and purpose of each post as well as the number of likes, shares, and comments for each. After establishing inter-rater reliability, univariate statistics were used to describe the nature, characteristics, and popularity of the posts for each group or channel. We then used logistic regressions to predict which characteristics were associated with being popular or unpopular with users.ResultsThere were 288 eligible posts within the 7-day window. Only a small proportion of the large (182,000 to 2,527,712) amount of followers responded with likes or comments (comments: mean =0.02%, SD =0.04%; likes: mean =0.36%, SD =0.89%). Facebook posts tended to give more general pregnancy-related information or opportunities for personal sharing while Instagram posts often had emotional support themes or posts meant to make pregnancy relatable. Popular posts tended to try to make pregnancy more relatable (OR =4.21, P

Young children are introduced to mobile technology at an early age, with many using touchscreens daily. One appeal of touchscreen technology is that it seems to be intuitive for very young children. As a result, many children's e-books are designed for tablets rather than for e-readers or computers. E-books often contain hotspots--interactive areas children can press to receive immediate auditory or visual feedback. This study assessed whether children's (N = 76, aged 3-5 years) interactions with hotspots increased their engagement with reading when using an e-book independently and how such interactions were related to their learning from the story. Our results suggested that interacting with hotspots enhanced children's emotional engagement and sustained visual attention but not verbal engagement. Interacting with hotspots also benefited children's recall of story elements relevant to the hotspot but not their overall comprehension of the story. These findings inform the design and use of touchscreen media in early childhood.

The COVID-19 pandemic and shifts to virtual learning drastically altered school environments, often leaving students without a say in the many changes happening in their lives. To understand how diverse adolescents experienced their school's climate during the COVID-19 pandemic and elevate youth voice in school decisions, we conducted a youth-participatory action research project in collaboration with a Title 1 middle school in California. Fourteen students participated in this YPAR study—mostly students of color. This mixed-methods study utilized both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative sources included meeting transcripts and chat logs, field notes, and responses to open-ended survey questions, all of which were coded inductively. Quantitative data sources included pre- and post-surveys on students' feelings of belonging, mattering, empowerment, and perceptions of school climate, which were compared via paired sample t -tests. Students sought to improve one of the few shared experiences of school during the pandemic, the school lunch, and showed increased feelings of empowerment and mattering over the course of the project. These findings provide insight into students' experiences of school climate during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as offer implications for both practitioners and researchers on the importance of including youth voice in the issues that impact their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New parents must decide how to divide household, childcare, and financial responsibilities. These divisions can be difficult, especially when couples' wants do not align. Interviewing ethnically and racially diverse new parents (n = 198 couples), we explore how parents' desired allocation of childcare, household, and financial tasks differ from perceived distribution and whether discrepancies relate to coparenting relationship quality. All parents perceived mothers doing more housework and childcare and fathers contributing more financially. When women reported doing more housework and childcare than wanted, coparenting relationship quality was lower. For women, discrepancies between what they and their partners report was associated with lower coparenting relationship quality. Findings reflect traditional gender roles among new parents and women's desire for their partners to take on more household and childcare work. Such findings can help inform parenting interventions for new parents, encouraging communication between partners about the division of tasks to support their coparenting relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 286 mothers and fathers from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, we tested the associations between the frequency and quality of parents' shared book reading (SBR) with infants aged 9 months, and language skills of infants aged 18 months, and whether infants' attention during SBR at 9 months mediated these associations. Frequency of SBR was parent‐report and quality of SBR (i.e., number of reading strategies) and infants' attention were coded from recorded SBR interactions at home. The majority of mothers and fathers reported reading to their 9‐month‐olds at least weekly, and mothers reported reading, on average, significantly more often than fathers. There was large variability in parents' SBR quality ranging from 0 to 15 strategies per minute, with labelling being the most common. Path analysis showed that mothers' SBR frequency at 9 months was significantly associated with infants' receptive and expressive language skills at 18 months, whereas, SBR quality by either parent was not significant. Infants' attention did not mediate these associations. These findings suggest that early SBR is beneficial for language development and programmes targeting early language development should encourage both mothers and fathers to read often to their infants during the first year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports an independent investigation of the psychometric properties of Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP), a teacher-rated measure of school readiness for preschool-aged children. In a sample of 2,031 low-income, 3- to 5-year-old children attending Head Start, we tested three measurement models: a higher order one-factor model, a seven-factor model, and a five-factor model. To explore the appropriateness of the DRDP for use with diverse populations of young children, we used multiple group and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses to determine whether the DRDP works differently for dual language learners (DLL) and non-DLLs. The proposed five-factor structure fits the data best, with greater face and statistical validity. Using this conceptually driven factor structure, the multiple group analyses were robust for DLL and non-DLL preschool students. More than half of the items on the DRDP displayed little DIF. Items measuring emergent language and literacy exhibited DIF favoring non-DLL children. [For the Grantee Submission, see ED596379.]

Preschool-aged learners process information differently from older individuals, making it critical to design digital educational games that are tailored to capitalize on young children's learning capabilities. This in-depth literature synthesis connects features of digital educational game design--including visuals, feedback, scaffolding challenge, rewards, and physical interactions to how young children learn. Preschoolers' interests and abilities (e.g., limited attention-span, early reading skills, etc.) are different than older users. As such, developmental science should be used to guide the design of educational games from aesthetic decisions that capture preschoolers' initial interest (e.g., meaningful characters) to carefully select end-of-game rewards (e.g., leveling up). This article connects learning and developmental science research to the design of digital educational games, offering insights into how best to design games for young users and how to select developmentally appropriate games for children.

LEGO® construction sets are a staple in many children’s lives. Given worldwide distribution, generations of children have grown up playing with these brightly colored, interlocking plastic bricks. Historically marketed to all children, the LEGO® Group has begun targeting male and female consumers differentially with the introduction of product lines such as LEGO® City and LEGO® Friends. Although the packaging, marketing, brick colors, and characters have changed, little is known about whether these product series encourage differences in the way boys and girls play. This content analysis compared the play narratives of sets marketed to boys (LEGO® City) and girls (LEGO® Friends). Our analysis found distinct gendered messages that encourage boys to enact various skilled professions, heroism, and expertise, whereas girls are encouraged to focus on having hobbies, being domestic, caring for others, socializing, being amateurs, and appreciating and striving for beauty. Although LEGO® City and Friends sets offer opportunities for construction, they also promote stereotyped gender roles for enacting femininity and masculinity in play. Parents, educators, and practitioners often focus on the educational affordances of LEGO® construction. We recommend that they also consider the other lessons, both explicit and implicit, being taught through gender-specific LEGO® sets.

Objective To determine whether embedding educational information about child development and optimal parenting practices from the Bright Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision into baby books can reduce women's depressive symptoms and parenting stress during the first 18 months of motherhood. Methods A sample of 167 low-income, primarily African-American, first-time mothers were randomized into three conditions while pregnant: an educational book group, a non-educational book group, or a no-book group. Depressive symptoms and parenting stress were assessed using two questionnaires during home visits when women were in their third trimester of pregnancy (baseline) and when their child was 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age. Results Hierarchical Linear Models showed that women who received books with educational information shed depressive symptoms and parenting stress at a faster rate than women who received similar books without educational information and women who did not receive books. Conclusions These findings indicate that providing women with child development and parenting information via baby books can be an effective strategy for promoting new mothers' emotional wellbeing. Since feelings of sadness and stress are risky for both mothers and their infants, this easy to implement intervention holds great promise., Author(s): Wendy Ochoa [sup.1] , Stephanie M. Reich [sup.2] , Guadalupe Díaz [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.429997.8, 0000 0004 1936 7531, Tufts University, , Medford, USA (2) grid.266093.8, 0000 0001 [...]

This study examines how low–income mothers' perceptions of their neighborhoods are associated with the home environments they provide for their young children. The connection between neighborhoods and homes is important since they are nested systems that are critical to children's healthy development. Women's perception of their neighborhoods may affect the way they set up their homes and interact with their young children. Given that various women may perceive the same neighborhood differently, this study uses subjective, rather than typical objective measures of neighborhood disadvantage. After controlling for maternal background characteristics, including stress and depression, these data find that the more women perceive their neighborhood to be disordered, the less likely they are to provide high–quality home environments and be responsive to their infants. Establishing a link between neighborhood and home environments is important and illuminates avenues for potentially improving the contexts of young children's lives.

Community-based participatory research is predicated on building partnerships that tackle important issues to the community and effectively improve these issues. Community-based participatory research can also be an empowering experience, especially for children. This article describes a university-community partnership in which students at a low-income middle school worked to improve the quality of the cafeteria food provided to the 986 students eligible for free and reduced price lunches. The project led to menu changes, improved communication between youth, school administrators, and district staff, and enabled youth to enact school improvements that were beneficial for their health.

Over half of educational apps on mobile-app markets are for preschoolers, but little research has examined whether the designs of preschool apps are truly educational. Preschoolers process information differently from older learners (i.e., shorter attention spans), so app designs should be guided by developmental science. This content analysis of popular Apple and Android math and literacy preschool apps uses a developmental framework to code and analyze apps' educational features. Findings show a wide variety of features apps used. However, few provided developmentally appropriate guidance, like scaffolded feedback. This study offers insights for improving apps to meaningfully teach preschoolers.

The impact of a baby book intervention on promoting positive reading beliefs and increasing reading frequency for low-income, new mothers (n = 167) was examined. The Baby Books Project randomly assigned low-income, first-time mothers to one of three study conditions, receiving educational books, non-educational books, or no books, during pregnancy and over the first year of parenthood. Home-based data collection occurred through pregnancy until 18 months post-partum. Mothers who received free baby books had higher beliefs about the importance of reading, the value of having resources to support reading, and the importance of verbal participation during reading. The results showed that providing any type of baby books to mothers positively influenced maternal reading beliefs, but did not increase infant-mother reading practices. Maternal reading beliefs across all three groups were significantly associated with self-reported reading frequency when children were at least 12 months of age.