Exploring the Relationship Between Fathers’ Childcare Involvement and Children’s Educational Attainment, Using the Millennium Cohort Study, Early Years Foundation Stage Profile and National Pupil Database, 2000-2008

The Paternal Involvement and its Effects on Children's Education (PIECE) project explored whether and how fathers' childcare involvement had an association with children's educational attainment at the start of primary school (when children were about age 5), part-way through primary school (when children were about age 7) and at the end of primary school (at age 11). Structural Equation Models were run to explore the relationships between fathers and mothers' involvement, children's cognitive behaviour (measured by the strengths and difficulties questionnaire) and children's attainment in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (at age 5) and Key Stage Assessments (at age 7 and 11). (Please note that Age 7 and 11 data is secure from the National Pupil Database so datasets for that modelling have not been deposited here). Findings show how fathers' and mothers' involvement have different effects on a child's education and cognitive behaviour, which suggests that both parents bring something important and different to the child's educational development as they progress through primary school.