Perspectives of Region XI Head Start Federal, Research, and Program Partners in Carrying out a National Study of American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Children, Families, and Programs.

The American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AIAN FACES) 2015 was the first national study of children served by Region XI Head Start programs, which are those operated by federally recognized AIAN tribes. Until 2015, Region XI programs had not been included in national studies of Head Start children's experiences and development, leaving them without this critical source of data to inform policy and practice as is available to other Head Start regions. To address this gap, four groups of stakeholders gathered to plan for a study that put the needs of Region XI Head Start at the forefront, was informed by the historical context of research with AIAN communities, and was guided by community psychology and community-based and tribal participatory approaches. Engaged partnership is a common practice in research with AIAN communities, but rarely on a national scale across diverse communities. The study's success speaks to the success of the unique national partnership between the Region XI Head Start, research, and federal stakeholders who formed the AIAN FACES Workgroup. This first-person account documents the perspective of each group as they undertook this seminal effort and reviews connections with, and lessons learned for, the broader field of community psychology.

Does the amount of participation in afterschool programs relate to developmental outcomes? A review of the literature.

Contrary to the findings from previous reviews we found little support for the general notion that greater amounts of participation in afterschool programs was related to academic, behavioral, or socio-emotional outcomes. However, some relationships did emerge depending on how participation was conceptualized and measured, and the methodology used to assess the relationship between participation and outcomes. For example, some benefits occurred when participants with high levels of participation were compared to non-participants, not when they were compared to other program participants. Several suggestions are offered to improve future research on the relationship between aspects of participation and developmental outcomes.

Associations among feeding behaviors during infancy and child illness at two years.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the different combinations of early feeding practices and their association with child illness in toddlerhood (i.e., asthma, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, and ear infections). METHODS: The Early Child Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) offers a unique opportunity to address this issue, as the study features a nationally representative sample of children and includes important questions on early feeding behaviors as well as an extensive list of background characteristics on the families. Using a subsample of approximately 7,900 children from the ECLS-B, data from the 9 month and 2 year collections were analyzed to define the occurrence of three feeding practices during infancy (i.e., by age 6 months) identify the key combinations of these practices, and examine associations between these combinations and child illness via logistic regression. RESULTS: Results indicate that 70% of parents initiated breastfeeding, 78% introduced formula and/or solid food before 6 months, 74% introduced solid food, and 15% introduced finger foods before 6 months. The most frequent feeding combinations were: breast milk with formula and solid/finger food (36%), formula with solid/finger food (24%), breast milk with formula (11%), breast milk with solid/finger food (14%), exclusive breast milk (8%), and exclusive formula (7%). After controlling for key demographic and family characteristics, results indicated that children who were exclusively breastfed were less likely to experience respiratory or ear infections than those experiencing other feeding combinations. No differences were found in rates of asthma or gastrointestinal infections. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights for parents, medical professionals, and policy makers on the typical feeding practices and best practices for positive health outcomes in early childhood.