A research team, including Cook Center affiliates Imari Z. Smith and Lisa A. Gennetian, reveals that concerns about government surveillance deter Black families from enrolling in early childhood home visiting programs. Despite proven benefits—including reductions in maternal mortality and improvements in child development—Black parents are less likely to enroll due to concerns about government surveillance and child welfare system involvement.
The research, conducted by Jane Leer, Imari Z. Smith, Zoelene Hill, and Lisa A. Gennetian, combines focus group discussions, survey data, and a pre-registered field experiment to assess Black parents’ perceptions of home visiting programs. One in four surveyed parents associated the term home visit with government scrutiny, which correlated with lower participation rates.
The study underscores that while Black families recognize the benefits of home visiting, systemic concerns and historical mistrust shape their participation decisions. The authors argue that these findings highlight how broader social and political contexts influence public health engagement, suggesting that language and framing can affect trust in such interventions—but cannot fully address deeper systemic issues.
Read the article here: Social contexts and black families’ engagement in early childhood programs
