This analysis examined key protective factors among preschool children in low-income, rural areas. Teacher-reported Devereux Early Childhood Assessments for Preschoolers were completed for 182 Head Start children (54% female, 46% male) from seven rural, midwestern communities. The majority of children were in the typical range for each protective factor and for behavioral concerns. In comparison to a standardized sample, the rural sample had lower mean scores for all protective factors. Females had statistically significantly higher scores for initiative, self-regulation, attachment/relationships, and total protective factors, while having lower behavioral concerns than males. T-scores for initiative were statistically significantly higher for 4-year-olds than for 3-year-olds. Statistically significant negative correlations were also found between behavioral concerns and each protective factor, with the strongest negative correlation occurring with self-regulation. There was no statistically significant difference in T-scores between the fall (i.e., Time 1) and spring (i.e., Time 2). This analysis adds to existing literature by delineating the prevalence of with-in child protective factors among preschool children in rural, low-income communities and identifying areas in which these children are most in need of additional support.

该分析检查了低收入农村地区学龄前儿童的关键保护因素。为来自中西部七个农村社区的 182 名启蒙儿童（54% 女性，46% 男性）完成了教师报告的针对学龄前儿童的 Devereux 早期儿童评估。大多数儿童在每种保护因素和行为问题方面都处于典型范围内。与标准化样本相比，农村样本的所有保护因素的平均得分较低。与男性相比，女性在主动性、自我调节、依恋/关系和总保护因素方面的得分显着更高，而对行为的担忧则更低。吨- 4 岁儿童的主动性得分显着高于 3 岁儿童。在行为关注和每个保护因素之间也发现了统计学上显着的负相关，其中最强的负相关发生在自我调节上。秋季（即时间 1）和春季（即时间 2）之间的T分数没有统计学上的显着差异。该分析通过描绘农村低收入社区学龄前儿童的内在儿童保护因素的流行情况并确定这些儿童最需要额外支持的领域，对现有文献进行了补充。