What are the characteristics of the families at enrollment in the Child Outcomes Study?
Looking at the characteristics of the families in the sample when they entered the evaluation, there are numerous indications of disadvantage. For example, for the sample as a whole, a majority of mothers had never been married, though there was substantial variation across the sites (71 percent of mothers in Atlanta, 59 percent in Grand Rapids, and 43 percent in Riverside had never been married). In addition, in each of the sites, a majority of the mothers had received welfare for two years or more (about 75 percent in Atlanta; 72 percent in Grand Rapids; and 65 percent in Riverside). Between a third and half of the mothers in the three sites had limited literacy according to an assessment completed at baseline (about 48 percent in Atlanta, 33 percent in Grand Rapids, and 35 percent in Riverside). More than a third of the mothers in the sample reported a moderate to high number of depressive symptoms (about 36 percent in Atlanta; 43 percent in Grand Rapids; and 35 percent in Riverside
