Multiple risks and educational well being: A population-based investigation of threats to early school success

The current research study used a developmental–epidemiological approach to examine the prevalence and impact of multiple risks on educational outcomes for an entire population of second grade children in a low-income, urban public school system. The Kids Integrated Data System (KIDS) provided information about children's entire histories of involvement with public services from birth through the end of second grade. Educational risk factors identified through these systems included poverty, child maltreatment, homelessness, low-maternal education, and biological birth risks. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed the differential impacts of type and amount of risk on multiple academic and behavioral outcomes. Findings emphasized the disproportionate educational challenges that fall squarely in the purview of other publicly funded service providers outside the education system. Implications of this study include the increasing of the collaborations between early childhood educators and public service systems such as child welfare and homelessness. Enhancing the educational well being of young children with disproportionate risks requires intentional, systematic, and comprehensive interventions that can only be done through such collaboration.