Studying the Protective Influence of a Therapeutic Childcare Center on School Readiness and Academic Success for Maltreated Children: An Exploratory Investigation

Abstract

Child welfare research indicates high rates of social-emotional and academic difficulties in children who have been maltreated. The present study was an exploratory investigation examining early social-emotional development and academic success in a sample of 155 5-to-6 year-old children. The sample included former clients of Childhaven, a therapeutic care facility serving children ages one month to five years old. The current study used analysis of variance to examine the effect of length of enrollment and number of referral reasons on children's academic and social-emotional success. Results for the full analysis sample indicate that children with more referral reasons may require longer periods of enrollment for more positive outcomes. Results for a subsample of 37 children indicate that length of enrollment appears to have a positive impact on outcomes related to school readiness and success. Interpretations of these findings, future directions for research, and limitations of the study are discussed.