Patterns of Stress and Wellbeing Among Families Enrolled in Early Head Start/Head Start During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected low-income families in the U.S., particularly those with young children (Kalluri et al., 2021). This longitudinal study describes the resources, stress, and health and wellbeing of low-income families enrolled in an Early Head Start/Head Start program for two cumulative program years before and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found having more resources (higher income, higher education levels, full time employment) prior to the onset of COVID-19 was correlated with better wellbeing and lower stress throughout the pandemic. Implications and directions for future research include understanding the specific types of supports that programs like EHS/HS provided during COVID-19 and how families benefitted from them.
Author(s): Eleanor Fisk [sup.1] , Beth Russell [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.63054.34, 0000 0001 0860 4915, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, , 348 Mansfield Road, [...]