Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Young children who have experienced homelessness are a vulnerable group. This study examines ongoing residential instability, access to early care and education (ECE), and their relation to developmental competence for 925 focal children age 18 to 59 months in 819 households 20 months after families entered a shelter. Families participated in the Family Options Study, a twelve site randomized control trial of housing interventions for homeless families. By this time, the majority of families were stably housed but most remained in deep poverty. Children evidenced elevated academic, behavioral, and other developmental risks compared to normative samples, based on parental reports and direct assessments. Access to center-based ECE appeared protective and enrollment rates were comparable to other low-income families in study communities. Enrollment in Head Start or center-based care was associated with stronger pre-reading and pre-math skills compared to family child care and parental care with no differences in behavioral outcomes. Instability in housing arrangements was associated with greater child behavior challenges. Families who had experienced recent housing instability were as likely to enroll their children in Head Start as more stably housed families but were less likely to access other kinds of center-based care. Experimental impacts were mixed, but effects of improved housing may take longer to emerge. Implications of results for federal and state-funded ECE programs and homeless service systems are discussed.