UCLA

There are a limited number of programs as well as a limited structural capacity for children under four. Research indicates that 22% of four-year old children are enrolled in preschool (College Board, 2008). Currently, The United States lacks a unified system for families with children under the age of three, with opportunities to attend center-based care or specific programming (Magnuson & Waldfogel, 2005). Not all families have access to high quality care. Intervention programs that focus on the family and on parent and caregiver education have also been shown to have strong, positive influences on child growth and school readiness (Zigler, Finn-Stevenson, & Hall, 2002). The current study was designed to better understand the parents and parenting practices of low-income infants and toddlers who are not participating in center-based care and the extent to which attending community-based parenting classes influences the parenting practices