Abstract
•Experiences of match varied by child age and child race/ethnicity.•Black and Latinx children experienced less match (ages 1-3) than white children.•Latinx children who spoke non-English languages at home experienced more match.•White children who spoke non-English languages at home experienced less match.•Match was not predictive of parent or child outcomes in this sample.
Recent examinations of racial/ethnic match within early education settings have found that child-provider racial/ethnic match is associated with positive outcomes for children. However, much of this work has concentrated on preschool, with a need for more research on younger children. This study explores racial/ethnic match between children and their providers (home visitors and center-based teachers) in a sample of children and families receiving Early Head Start services (N = 407) from ages 1 through 3 years in 2009-2012. More than half of children in the full sample experienced match all 3 years in the program (63%), with a higher percentage of children in the white subsample experiencing match all 3 years (79%), and a lower percentage of children in the Black (47%), and Latinx subsamples (53%). When considering the predictors of match experiences, regression analyses found that white children experienced statistically significantly more match compared to Black and Latinx children. Some predictors functioned differently within the subsamples. For example, white children whose home language was not English experienced less match over the 3 years compared to white children whose home language was English. However, Latinx children whose home language was not English experienced more match compared to Latinx children whose home language was English. Regression assessed the associations between match and child and parent outcomes, finding that child-provider racial/ethnic match was not associated with outcomes in this study. Findings suggest the importance of better understanding the predictors and outcomes of child and provider racial/ethnic match in programs for young children and highlight the need for additional research examining racial/ethnic match for young children.