In the News: Michah W. Rothbart

Six faculty members were granted tenure and promoted to associate professor and three were promoted to professor.

Children in low-income families who participate in food and income support programs (such as SNAP and TANF) have lower literacy skills in kindergarten than those who do not participate in these programs. 

This study finds that children in households that participate in more than one social assistance program (such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, and Free or Reduced-Price Lunch) have lower literacy skills when they enter kindergarten than children whose households participate in fewer or no social programs. 

This brief summarizes findings examining the relationship between exposure to UFM in kindergarten and attendance and weight outcomes in NYC students from grades K-3. The results demonstrate that children who receive free meals through UFM in kindergarten have better school attendance than those who do not. In addition, there is no evidence receiving free meals in kindergarten affects weight outcomes.  

"Inequality in Literacy Skills at Kindergarten Entry at the Intersections of Social Programs and Race," co-authored by public administration and international affairs professors Michah Rothbart and Colleen Heflin, was published in Children and Youth Services Review.

Pandemic research by Maxwell faculty and students is shaping policy and perception on everything from aging to opioid addiction.

This brief summarizes findings from a study examining participation in SNAP and TANF in early childhood in Virginia.