Families Living in Poverty: Perceptions of Family-Centered Practices

This study examined family-centeredness and experiences in early intervention from the perspectives of families living near or below the federal poverty level. Data were collected from 17 families (11 were single-parent families) across three early intervention service districts in Tennessee, as a subset of a larger investigation of the Pathways to Family Empowerment Project. Qualitative inquiry guided the investigation, and families participated in one-on-one interviews. Notable findings include families' satisfaction with experiences in early intervention, how demographic variables influenced families' experiences, families' suggestions to improve practices, acknowledgment of effective practices, and families' perceptions of their quality of life. Researchers found contradictions in that some families described specific practices as barriers to positive outcomes whereas other families described those same practices as effective. The study's contributions are discussed in relation to developing comprehensive early intervention practices that meet families' unique needs and are consistent with the goals of family-centeredness.