Engaging Families and Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences in Early Head Start

Authors

  • Lorraine M. McKelvey
  • Kanna N. Lewis
  • Nicole Edge
  • Leanne Whiteside-Mansell

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55370/hsdialog.v25i2.1459

Keywords:

early childhood education, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), screening

Abstract

Supporting parenting and home environments for children through collaborations with families is a critical function of Early Head Start (EHS)/Head Start (HS) providers. Building a strong partnership with caregivers allows educators to identify family strengths and identifying areas of concern in parenting and home environments, such as those linked to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Family Map Inventory (FMI) is a tool used to screen for ACEs among children birth to 5 years-of-age while respecting the family needs. The effectiveness of FMI in its original paper format (p-FMI) has been validated. This study examined the validity of a new, web-based Family Map Inventory (e-FMI) by (1) comparing the distribution of ACEs risks captured in e-FMI with the traditional p-FMI, and (2) investigating the association of ACEs captured through e-FMI and parental warmth. Further, this study documented decreases in ACEs risks after center-based EHS services.

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Published

2022-09-01