Title

Early Childhood Residential Instability and School Readiness: Evidence from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study

Author(s)

Kathleen M. Ziol-Guest Kathleen Ziol-Guest (Institute for Children and Poverty and Statistics Norway)

Claire McKenna Claire McKenna (Institute for Children and Poverty)

Abstract

This paper assesses the consequences of residential instability during the first five years of a child?s life for a host of school readiness outcomes. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examine the relationship between multiple moves and children?s cognitive and behavioral readiness at age five. We further test this relationship for differences among poor, near poor, and not poor children. We find that moving three or more times in a child?s first five years is significantly associated with increases in several measures of internalizing and externalizing behavior. These effects are strongest for children who live in poverty.

Creation Date

2009-11

Section URL ID

CRCW

Paper Number

WP09-21-FF.pdf

URL

https://www.partnering-for-change.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Early-Childhood-Residential-Instability-and-School-Readiness.pdf

File Function

Jel

D190, D630, I210, J150, I300

Keyword(s)

housing instability; Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study; behavior problems; test scores; poverty

Suppress

false

Series

8