Needs and Aspirations of the Working Poor: Early Head Start Program Applicants

Abstract

This field study identified the characteristics, needs, and goals of 85 applicants for a new, suburban Early Head Start program, a recent federal initiative designed to address the needs of economically disadvantaged infants and toddlers and their families. Most applicants were working-poor, two-parent families with inadequate resources for meeting their basic needs, child-care needs, and personal wants; they had goals for becoming economically self-sufficient through more education, better jobs, and more income. Yet these applicants clearly were not a monolithic group. That the three distinct sociocultural subgroups identified within the sample differed significantly in characteristics, needs, and goals highlighted the critical importance of subgroup profiles for individualized family program planning. This also indicated the need for building coordinated and culturally sensitive community service systems and for developing and implementing individualized family service agreements to facilitate child well-being and family economic self-sufficiency.

The Resilience and Strengths of Low‐Income Families

“…Besides inadequate resources, living in poverty often means that there are increased barriers to obtaining social services, job training, and higher paying employment (Wall et al, 2000). In addition, there is research indicating that economic vulnerability impacts family functioning, because adult caregivers have more stress both about money and about not being able to give children the lifestyle benefits associated with having an income, even though it is marginal (Conger & Conger, 2002;Rubin, 1994).…”

The Status of Low-Income Families in the Post-Welfare Reform Environment

“…• Over half of the parent applicants to an Early Head Start Program did not have the necessary funds to cover the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter as well as a lack of health care and childcare (Wall et al, 2000).…”

“…• Lack of time, for such things as being alone, being with a spouse/partner, or for adequate sleep, was cited as a pressing need (Wall et al, 2000).…”

Making a Difference in the Lives of Infants and Toddlers and Their Families: The Impacts of Early Head Start: Volume III: Local Contributions to Understanding the Programs and Their Impacts

“…Enrollment Assessment of Family Needs and Resources. Adequacy of family resources for meeting needs was measured by the Family Resource Scale (Dunst & Leet, 1987;Wall, et al, 2000), a measure with established validity and reliability. The 33 items form five conceptual clusters denoting needs and wants for adequate level of living, needs for parenting supports, monetary resource wants, interpersonal resource wants, and personal resource wants.…”