Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chairperson

Eleanor Brown, PhD

Committee Member

Susan Naylor, PhD

Committee Member

Lauren Brumley, PhD

Abstract

Early childhood education (ECE) has well documented school readiness benefits, especially for children facing economic hardship. Yet preschool context poses challenges that are associated with elevated stress levels and potential long-term tax on physiological systems that respond to stress. The present study examined dual language learner (DLL) status in relation to levels of the stress hormone cortisol among low-income children attending Head Start Preschool programs. Participants included 207 children ages 3- 5 years who attended preschool in 2021-22 (60.9% attending a dual-language learning school, 39.1% attending an English-instruction-only preschool; all participants meeting the criteria for low-income), and their parents or primary caregivers. Parents or primary caregivers completed demographic interviews that provided information about child language status. Cortisol was measured via salivary assays at 5 times per day on 3 different days. An ANCOVA including child age and income-to-needs as covariates yielded a statistically significant overall model, with DLL status emerging as a statistical predictor of cortisol output across the day as represented by Area Under the Curve with Respect to Ground (AUCg). Counter to study hypotheses, children designated as DLL showed lower overall cortisol output. In post-hoc analyses, separate ANCOVA models for children at the dual language versus English language only preschool suggested that the lower stress levels were unique to the dual language preschool. These findings underscore the importance of considering preschool language context when examining the associations between language status and stress physiology in early childhood.

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