Huston A C, Duncan G J, Granger R, Bos J, McLoyd V, Mistry R, Crosby D, Gibson C, Magnuson K, Romich J, Ventura A
University of Texas, Department of Human Ecology, Austin 78712, USA.
Child Dev. 2001 Jan-Feb;72(1):318-36. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00281.
We assess the impact of the New Hope Project, an antipoverty program tested in a random assignment experimental design, on family functioning and developmental outcomes for preschool- and school-aged children (N = 913). New Hope offered wage supplements sufficient to raise family income above the poverty threshold and subsidies for child care and health insurance to adults who worked full-time. New Hope had strong positive effects on boys' academic achievement, classroom behavior skills, positive social behavior, and problem behaviors, as reported by teachers, and on boys' own expectations for advanced education and occupational aspirations. There were not corresponding program effects for girls. The child outcomes may have resulted from a combination of the following: Children in New Hope families spent more time in formal child care programs and other structured activities away from home than did children in control families. New Hope parents were employed more, had more material resources, reported more social support, and expressed less stress and more optimism about achieving their goals than did parents in the control sample. The results suggest that an anti-poverty program that provides support for combining work and family responsibilities can have beneficial effects on the development of school-age children.
我们评估了“新希望项目”（一项采用随机分配实验设计进行测试的反贫困项目）对学龄前和学龄儿童家庭功能及发展成果的影响（样本量N = 913）。“新希望项目”为全职工作的成年人提供足以使家庭收入高于贫困线的工资补贴，以及儿童保育和医疗保险补贴。教师报告称，“新希望项目”对男孩的学业成绩、课堂行为技能、积极社交行为和问题行为产生了强烈的积极影响，对男孩自己接受高等教育的期望和职业抱负也有积极影响。但该项目对女孩没有产生相应的效果。儿童的这些成果可能是由以下因素共同导致的：与对照组家庭的孩子相比，参与“新希望项目”家庭的孩子在正规儿童保育项目和其他离家的结构化活动中花费的时间更多。与对照组样本中的父母相比，参与“新希望项目”的父母就业更多，拥有更多物质资源，报告的社会支持更多，并且在实现目标方面表现出更少的压力和更多的乐观情绪。结果表明，一个为兼顾工作和家庭责任提供支持的反贫困项目能够对学龄儿童的发展产生有益影响。
