In general, there are many unanswered questions and misconceptions about early childhood programs. The articles here pay particular attention to long-term outcomes for children who are at significant risk for reasons noted below. They are not restricted only to research into the major early childhood programs, private or governmental, model or large-scale, but have cast a wider net. Different sources of risk may interact to have very destructive effects on children s prospects, as is amply demonstrated in these articles. Such trajectories of risk may begin very early in a child s life.
Familial factors are manifold.
They include limited parental education, child rearing skills, and expectations for children. At the extreme, there may be maltreatment or abuse, physical and psychological. Frequent family moves may handicap children s formation of social networks and school achievement. The significance of many risks is not well established. Many may be secondary manifestations of resource limits occasioned by the limited human capital of parents.