Abstract
Research suggests that teacher characteristics, such as their mental health, impact child developmental outcomes and classroom quality within the Early Head Start (EHS) program (Kwon et al., 2019). Although the relationship between parents and staff is key in improving family engagement (Gerlach & Gignac, 2019; Kathan, 2023; Taylor et al., 2023), little research explores predictors of the working alliance between parents and staff in early childhood interventions. The working alliance consists of three key components needed for progress within a therapeutic environment: the agreement on goals between the therapist and patient, the agreement on tasks needed to complete these goals between the therapist and patient, and the bond between the therapist and patient (Bordin, 1979). The working alliance has been found to be a predictor of teacher-student relationships (Toste et al., 2015) and improvements in youth psychotherapy (Hawley & Garland, 2008). By examining the impact of program and staff factors on the working alliance, a deeper application of the working alliance may be achieved. Data from the Spring 2022 Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) was used to examine predictors of staff perceptions of the working alliance as they related to staff characteristics and program processes and functioning. Multiple regression analyses with clustering at the child level examined staff and program level predictors of the working alliance. Statistically significant results regarding predictors of the working alliance within EHS include both program and staff characteristics.
Presenters
Stephanie KathanStudent, Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Early Head Start, Early Childhood Education, Classroom Quality, Socio-Emotional Learning
