Although few programs have demonstrated the capacity to reduce future child maltreatment, recent findings from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS; Reynolds & Robertson, 2003) indicate that school-based early childhood programs may be effective prevention strategies, particularly those that increase family and school support mechanisms. Previous research has also shown that early childhood education programs have the potential to reduce antisocial behavior and delinquency in adolescence, yet it is unclear whether the same investments in children reduce adult offending. Furthermore, little is known about the processes that mediate the link between early-childhood educational programs and adult offending. Additional research is needed to understand the preventive effects of these programs on child maltreatment and adult crime along with the mediating mechanisms explaining these complex connections.

Using data from the CLS, this investigation attempts to address the aforementioned gaps in the literature by examining the effects of the Chicago Child-Parent Center (CPC) Program. The CLS follows the progress of a single cohort of 1,539 low-income, minority children who matriculated from the CPCs and other public early childhood programs in 1985-1986. Two questions were addressed: (1) Is CPC program participation associated with reduced rates of child maltreatment and what mediating processes help to explain this relation? (2) Is CPC participation associated with lower rates of criminal offending by age 24, and, if so, what are the mediating processes that may lead to reduced offending? Five discrete pathways were explored as possible mediators of long-term development: cognitive advantage, family support, motivational advantage, school support, and social adjustment.

Official child abuse and neglect records (N=1,411) from Cook County, IL were gathered from administrative data maintained at the Chapin Hall Center for Children. County-level adult arrest and incarceration histories were collected for 1,418 participants from four states in the Midwest. State and Federal incarceration data were gathered using manual Internet searches. Two dichotomous indicators of adult offending were selected for analysis: any arrest and any incarceration.

Results indicated that the CPC program was significantly associated with a reduction in indicated maltreatment reports, controlling for a host of relevant background characteristics. Additionally, we found that family support, measured by parent expectations and parent involvement in school, served as the strongest direct mediator between program participation and reduced maltreatment. School mobility also contributed a modest mediating effect. CPC program participation was associated with a reduction in adult incarceration but not adult arrests. Child maltreatment acted as a primary mediator of the program-incarceration connection. Early problem behavior also served as a direct mediator, while an early measure of cognitive ability provided indirect mediation. Findings suggest that early-childhood education programs have the potential to prevent maltreatment and adult crime by enhancing family support, school support, and cognitive functioning.

Reynolds, A.J. & Robertson, D.L. (2003). School-based early intervention and later child maltreatment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Child Development, 74, p. 3-26.