The Relations Between Parent–Educator Communication, the Home Environment, and Children’s Outcomes in Preschool

Background

The literature suggests that educators can use parent–educator communication to support parents with engaging their children in home learning activities (Epstein, 1995; Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1997).

Objective

This study examines the relations between parent–educator communication and preschoolers’ numeracy, literacy, executive function, and vocabulary, and explores if the home numeracy environment (HNE) and the home literacy environment (HLE) was a better predictor of children’s outcomes than parent–educator communication.

Method

Data for this study came from a larger quasi-experimental study evaluating a state-funded preschool program (n = 558). Regression models were run controlling for child’s age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income, group, parental education, and baseline skill scores.

Results

Analyses revealed a significant relation only between parent–educator communication and numeracy skills (β = − 0.14, p = < 0.001). Unexpectedly, more frequent parent–educator communication in preschool were related to lower numeracy skills. Additionally, there was a statistically significant association between all three predictors- parent-educator communication (β = − 0.15, p = < 0.001), the HNE (β = 0.14, p = .016), and the HLE (β = − 0.18, p = .004)- and children’s numeracy skills. Specifically, more frequent parent–educator communication and higher HLE scores in preschool predicted lower numeracy skills. Additionally, the higher quality of the HNE predicted greater numeracy skills in the spring of preschool.

Conclusion

There may be increased communication when the children are performing lower on their numeracy skills than their peers and teachers and parents are working to remediate those challenges.