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Head Start (program)

Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. The program's services and resources are designed to foster stable family relationships, enhance children's physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. The transition from preschool to elementary school imposes diverse developmental challenges that include requiring the children to engage successfully with their peers outside the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides.[1]

Washtenaw County, Michigan Head Start school in Superior Township

Launched in 1965[2] by its creator and first director Jule Sugarman and Bernice H. Fleiss, Head Start was originally conceived as a catch-up summer school program that would teach low-income children in a few weeks what they needed to know to start elementary school. The Head Start Act of 1981[3] expanded the program.[4] The program was revised and reauthorized in December 2007. As of late 2005, more than 22 million children had participated. The current[as of?] director of Head Start is Dr. Khari Garvin.[5]

History

 
First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visits a Head Start class in 1966

Head Start began as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society campaign. Its justification came from the staff of the President's Council of Economic Advisers.[6] Stan Salett, civil rights organizer, national education policy adviser, and creator of the Upward Bound Program, is also credited with initiating the Head Start program.

Johnson started the War on Poverty shortly after President Kennedy's assassination. The murder shook the nation, and Johnson attempted to gain public trust by passing legacy legislation during the subsequent months. Johnson received an initial briefing from Walter Heller, who informed Johnson of Kennedy's poverty program. By March 1964, the legislation, now known as the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, had been prepared for Congress. The legislation included training, educational, and service programs for communities, including the Job Corps.[7]

The Office of Economic Opportunity's Community Action Program launched Project Head Start as an eight-week summer program in 1965. The program was led by Dr. Robert Cooke, a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Edward Zigler, a professor of psychology and director of the Yale Child Study Center. They designed a comprehensive child development program intended to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children. The following year it was authorized by Congress as a year–round program. In 1968, Head Start began funding a television series that would eventually be called Sesame Street, operated by the Carnegie Corporation Children's Television Workshop (CTW).

In 1969, Head Start was transferred to the Office of Child Development in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (later the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)) by the Nixon Administration. Today the program is in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) division of DHHS.

In 1994, the Early Head Start program was established to serve children from birth to age three, in an effort to capitalize on research evidence that showed that the first three years are critical to children's long-term development.

In the early years, some 700,000 children enrolled at a per-capita cost of $2,000 to $3,000 (2011 dollars). Under the full-time program, enrollment dropped to under 400,000 by the early 1970s. Enrollment reached close to 1 million children by 2011.

Policy Council

The Head Start Policy Council makes up part of the Head Start governing body. Policy Council must be composed of two types of representatives: parents of currently enrolled children and community representatives. At least 51% of the members of this group must be the parents of currently enrolled children (see 45 CFR 1306.3(h) for a definition of a Head Start Parent). All parent members of the Policy Council stand for election or re-election annually through individual parent groups. Grantees/Delegates are required to provide proportionate representation to parents in all program options and settings. If agencies operate programs serving different geographical regions or ethnic groups, they must ensure that all groups being served will have an equal opportunity to serve on the Policy Council. The Policy Council is required to meet once each month. The term follows the federal government fiscal year, running November–November. Service on the Policy Council board is limited to at most five one year terms.[8] The meetings are conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules. The meeting day and time is agreed upon during the first meeting of the term year and may be adjusted as needed.

The Policy Council approval is needed for several program functions, from new hires to the program, as well as for the budget and spending. The Council can serve the program in ways that the others in the program cannot, as it is the only body that is part of Head Start that can do fundraising. In addition to monthly meetings, Policy Council may at times need to hold special or emergency meetings or have a phone vote. Policy Council representatives are required to attend classroom meetings and report back to the Policy Council with issues and needs of the classroom. They may also be asked to sit in on interviews as Head Start requires that a Policy Council representative be present for all interviews. The officers of Policy Council include vice-chairperson, secretary, and vice-secretary. Classrooms are also able to elect alternate Policy Council reps in case the main rep is unable to attend the meetings.

Services and programs

Head Start serves over 1 million children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories. Related health services include health screenings, health check-ups and dental check-ups. Family advocates assist parents in accessing community resources. All services are specific to each family's culture and experience. Head Start programs also seek to support children's social emotional development.

Programs and services include:

  • Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes, healthy families, as well as infant and toddler development beginning as early as birth.
  • Head Start helps to create healthy development and early childhood education in low-income children ages three to five.
  • Family and Community Partnerships engage and support parents to identify and meet their own goals, nurture their children, and advocate for communities that support children and families.
  • Migrant and Seasonal services are for children of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Service hours are longer and programs extend for fewer months than traditional Head Start.
  • Head Start serves indigenous Americans with centers on reservations and in urban communities.[9][10]
  • Homeless children were included explicitly as subjects with the 2007 re-authorization.[11] Programs must identify and provide services to homeless children of all ages within a reasonable period. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001[12] also requires access to early childhood education such as Head Start for homeless children and families.
  • Tri-Counties Regional Center is one of twenty-one non-profit regional centers in California providing lifelong services and supports for people with developmental disabilities residing in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.[13]
  • Early Start is California's response to federal legislation ensuring that services to eligible infants and toddlers are coordinated and family-centered. It is a statewide system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months of age. This program is coordinated by regional centers and public school districts.[14]
  • Each eligible child will be assigned a Service Coordinator who will be responsible for the coordination of early intervention services. Eligible children and their families may receive a variety of early intervention services. Services for young children are family-centered, based on family concerns, priorities and resources, and provided in a child's natural setting. Services may include, but are not limited to:
    • Infant stimulation (specialized instruction) in your home or community
    • Physical, occupational and/or speech/language therapy
    • Behavior services
    • Family Resource Centers for parent-to-parent support[15]

Eligibility

Eligibility is largely income-based, although each local program includes other eligibility criteria, such as disabilities and services needed by other family members. Families must earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level. Programs may accept up to 10% of the total children over poverty given the program has unfilled spots and the over poverty is less than 130%.

2023 Federal Poverty Level[16]
Family Size Income
2 $19,720
3 $24,860
4 $30,000
5 $35,140
6 $40,280
7 $45,420
8 $50,560

The federal poverty line measure is NOT absolute and does change from year to year, to account for inflation.[17] Families may also qualify under a categorical eligibility category—receipt of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),[18] Supplemental Security funds, or Homeless, as per the McKinney-Vento Act. Up to 10% of any funded program's enrollment can be from higher income families or families experiencing emergency situations. All programs are required to provide services to children with disabilities, who must comprise 10% of their total enrollment. Per the Head Start Act (2007), programs may elect to serve families whose income is between 100-130% under certain circumstances. Programs must also complete additional reporting requirements if this is appropriate for their community.

Military families stationed abroad, in Europe, the Pacific, and Cuba, can apply for Sure Start.[19] Sure Start is the military version of Head Start and is overseen by the Department of Defense Education Activity.[20] There are four priority tiers for Sure Start, and like Head Start, not all eligible families are guaranteed a spot. The tiers are based on the sponsor's rank and are, in order, E1-E4, E5, E6-E7, and E8-E9.[19]


HHS POVERTY REGISTER [21]
YEAR First Person Each Additional Person Four Person Family Page with Complete Details
2023 $14,580 $5,140 ($30,000) Federal Register 2023
2022 $13,590 $4,720 ($27,750) Federal Register 2022
2021 $12,880 $4,540 ($26,500) Federal Register 2021
2020 $12,760 $4,480 ($26,200) Federal Register 2020
2019 $12,490 $4,420 ($25,750) Federal Register 2019
2018 $12,140 $4,320 ($25,100) Federal Register 2018
2017 $12,060 $4,180 ($24,600) Federal Register 2017
2016 $11,880 Varies ($24,300) Federal Register 2016
2015 $11,770 $4,160 ($24,250) Federal Register 2015
2014 $11,670 $4,060 ($23,850) Federal Register 2014
2013 $11,490 $4,020 ($23,550) Federal Register 2013
2012 $11,170 $3,960 ($23,050) Federal Register 2012
2011 10,890 3,820 ( 22,350) Federal Register 2011
2010 10,830 3,740 ( 22,050) Federal Register 2010 (Jan)Federal Register 2010 (Aug)
2009 10,830 3,740 ( 22,050) Federal Register 2009
2008 10,400 3,600 ( 21,200) Federal Register 2008
2007 10,210 3,480 ( 20,650) Federal Register 2007
2006 9,800 3,400 ( 20,000) Federal Register 2006
2005 9,570 3,260 ( 19,350) Federal Register 2005
2004 9,310 3,180 ( 18,850) Federal Register 2004
2003 8,980 3,140 ( 18,400) Federal Register 2003
2002 8,860 3,080 ( 18,100) Federal Register 2002
2001 8,590 3,020 ( 17,650) Federal Register 2001
2000 8,350 2,900 ( 17,050) Federal Register 2000
1999 8,240 2,820 ( 16,700) Federal Register 1999
1998 8,050 2,800 ( 16,450) Federal Register 1998
1997 7,890 2,720 ( 16,050) Federal Register 1997
1996 7,740 2,620 ( 15,600) Federal Register 1996
1995 7,470 2,560 ( 15,150) Federal Register 1995
1994 7,360 2,480 ( 14,800) Federal Register 1994
1993 6,970 2,460 ( 14,350) Federal Register 1993
1992 6,810 2,380 ( 13,950) Federal Register 1992
1991 6,620 2,260 ( 13,400) Federal Register 1991
1990 6,280 2,140 ( 12,700) Federal Register 1990
1989 5,980 2,040 ( 12,100) Federal Register 1989
1988 5,770 1,960 ( 11,650) Federal Register 1988
1987 5,500 1,900 ( 11,200) Federal Register 1987
1986 5,360 1,880 ( 11,000) Federal Register 1986
1985 5,250 1,800 ( 10,650) Federal Register 1985
1984 4,980 1,740 ( 10,200) Federal Register 1984
1983 4,860 1,680 ( 9,900) Federal Register 1983
1982 4,680 1,540 ( 9,300) Federal Register 1982

Budget and funding

The 2011 federal budget for Head Start was $8.1 billion. 85% was to be devoted to direct services and no more than 15% on administration, serving approximately one million students.

Local grantees must provide a 20% cash/in-kind match.[22] Each local grantee is required to obtain an annual financial audit, if it receives more than $500,000 in federal support.

Grants are awarded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Regional Offices and the American Indian – Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Program Branches directly to local public agencies, private organizations, Indian tribes and school systems.[23]

The individual Head Start classrooms/centers "repay" the grant through a program known as InKind. The Inkind program is a way to get their parents and their students working together on out of class studies.

Teachers

All lead teachers must have a bachelor's degree or be working towards one. Most have completed six or more courses in early-childhood education.[24] By 2013, all teachers were to have associate degrees in a related field and half must have bachelor's degrees.[25][26]

As of 2003, the average Head Start teacher made $21,000 per year, compared to the public school teacher average of $43,000.[27]

Teachers are also required to complete a (CDA) Child Development Associate certificate.

Operations

While Head Start is a national program, the implementation is up to individual states.[28] Head Start programs typically operate independently from local school districts. Most often they are administered through local social-services agencies. Classes are generally small, with fewer than ten enrollees per adult staff member. Individual programs develop their own academic and social curricula, following federal performance standards.[24]

Impact

Angel Taveras speaks about how Head Start changed his life as a child.

A 2020 study found that cohorts that attended Head Start had higher incomes and years of education as adults than similar children who did not attend.[29] A 2021 study found that the children exposed to more generous Head Start funding had substantially improved test scores relative to children that were not exposed to generous Head Start funding.[30] Another 2021 study found that students enrolled in Head Start ended up having substantially higher high school completion, college enrollment and college completion rates than comparable children who were not enrolled in Head Start.[31] The authors of the study concluded, "these estimates imply sizable, long-term returns to investments in means-tested, public preschool programs."[31] A 2009 study, which compared siblings, found that those who attended Head Start showed stronger academic performance as shown on test scores for years afterward, were less likely to be diagnosed as learning-disabled, less likely to commit crime, more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, and less likely to suffer from poor health as an adult.[32] A 2022 study found that Head Start increased the employment and earnings of single mothers.[33]

In 2015, CCR Analytics, formerly Child Care Analytics, published the results of their Family Outcomes Survey completed by nearly 11,600 California Head Start and Early Head Start parents. 90% of parents surveyed said that Head Start helped them to get or keep a job. 92% of parents surveyed said that Head Start helped them to enroll in an educational or training program. 99% of families surveyed said that Head Start helped them to improve their parenting skills, such as responding to children's misbehavior and helping their children to learn. These results indicate that Head Start has a positive impact on the whole family, beyond the individual children who attend the program.[34]

In 2014, CCR Analytics published the results of their study of 49,467 children assessed in the 2012–2013 school year from 81 Head Start programs throughout the state of California (more than 50% of the entire California Head Start population). Participation in the study was open to all California Head Start programs who used the DRDP-PS 2010 assessment tool. The study found that providing two years of Head Start to a child increases the probability by between 13% and 86% that the child will meet age appropriate expectations. Regression discontinuity design was used to measure program impact without denying a control group the opportunity to attend Head Start. The analysis compared three-year-olds enrolled in Head Start to four-year-olds who returned to Head Start for their second year. This also eliminated the issue of selection bias because both groups chose to attend Head Start as three-year-olds.[35]

A randomized control study of the pre-k program serving socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Tennessee found short-term gains in language, literacy and math outcomes for pre-k participants compared with children who did not participate, which was also confirmed by a discontinuity analysis (Lip, Farran, Bilbrey, Hofer, & Dong, 2011).

Lee collected data across sixty Head Start classrooms in 2007 and 2008. A sample of 1,260 children ages three to four were selected as the final sample. Of these children, 446 had entered Head Start at age 3 and enrolled for a year (Group 1); 498 had been entered at age 4 and enrolled for a year (Group 2); and 316 children had been enrolled for 2 years, entering at age 3 (Group 3). Academic outcome measures in literacy, math and science were collected based on the Head Start and Early Childhood Program Observational Checklist rating on a 4-point scale (1—not yet to 4—excels. Family risk factor indicators (developed by the State Department of Education) included single parent, unemployed parent, teenage parent, parental loss (divorce/death), low parental school achievement, food insufficiency. Group 3 had higher literacy, math and science scores than the other groups. Children in the high-risk group had significantly lower literacy, math, and science scores than those who had three or fewer risk factors. Head Start is associated with significant gains in test scores. Head Start significantly reduces the probability that a child will repeat a grade.[36]

In 2002, Garces, Thomas and Currie used data from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics to review outcomes for close to 4,000 participating adults followed from childhood and compared with non-participant siblings. Among European Americans, adults who had attended Head Start were significantly more likely to complete high school, attend college and possibly have higher earnings in their early twenties. African-American adults who had attended Head Start were significantly less likely to be booked/charged for a crime. Head Start may increase the likelihood that African-American males graduate from high school. Separately the authors noted larger effects for younger siblings who attended Head Start after an older sibling.[37]

In 1998, Congress mandated an intensive study of the effectiveness of Head Start, the "Head Start Impact Study," which studied a target population of 5,000 3- and 4-year-old children.[38] The study measured Head Start's effectiveness as compared to other forms of community support and educational intervention, as opposed to comparing Head Start to a nonintervention alternative. Head Start Impact Study First Year Findings were released in June 2005. Study participants were assigned to either Head Start or other parent–selected community resources for one year. 60% of the children in the control group were placed in other preschools. The first report showed consistent small to moderate advantages to 3-year-old children including pre-reading, pre-vocabulary and parent reports of children's literacy skills. No significant impacts were found for oral comprehension, phonological awareness, or early mathematics skills for either age group. Fewer positive benefits were found for 4-year-olds. The benefits improved with early participation and varied across racial and ethnic groups. These analyses did not assess the benefits' durability.[39]

In 1976, Datta summarized 31 studies, concluding that the program showed immediate improvement in IQ scores of participating children, though nonparticipants narrowed the difference over time.[40][failed verification][41]

In 1975, Seitz, Abelson, Levine and Zigler compared disadvantaged children enrolled and not enrolled in Head Start, using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). The participants were low-income inner-city black children whose unemployed, economically disadvantaged parents were considered unskilled. The Head Start children had attended for at least five months at the time of testing, including nine boys and 11 girls. The non-enrolled group was on the Head Start waiting list. The control group consisted of 11 boys and nine girls. The groups were matched by family income, parental employment and marital status. The tester tested children at home and in a school or office setting. The Head Start children scored higher than the controls in both settings, which suggested preschool intervention programs may have influenced the result. The controls tested at home scored the lowest, apparently due to anxiety from having an unfamiliar person in their homes. The Head Start children were unaffected by the environmental factor. In evaluating this study vs. others, the relatively small sample size should be noted: 20 children vs. thousands in other studies.[42]

A 2005 review of the literature by Barnett and Hustedt found "mixed, but generally positive, evidence regarding Head Start's long-term benefits. Although studies typically find that increases in IQ fade out over time, many other studies also find decreases in grade retention and special education placements. Sustained increases in school achievement are sometimes found, but in other cases flawed research methods produce results that mimic fade-out. In recent years, the federal government has funded large-scale evaluations of Head Start and Early Head Start. Results from the Early Head Start evaluation are particularly informative, as study participants were randomly assigned to either the Early Head Start group or a control group. Early Head Start demonstrated modest improvements in children's development and parent beliefs and behavior."[43]

A 1995 within–family analysis compared subjects with nonparticipant siblings. Mothers who had themselves been enrolled in Head Start were compared to adult sisters who were not. Currie and Thomas separately analyzed white, black and Hispanic participants. White children showed larger and longer lasting improvements than black children.[44]

"Head Start Fade", in which significant initial impacts quickly fade, has often been observed, as early as second and third grade.[45][46][47] One hypothesis is that the decline is because Head Start participants are likely to attend lower-quality schools, which fail to reinforce Head Start gains.[45] Fryer and Levitt found no evidence that Head Start participation had lasting effect on test scores in the early years of school.[48]

A 2010 report by the Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start Impact, examined the cognitive development, social-emotional development, and physical health outcomes of 4,667[24] three- and four-year-old children in a nationally representative sample of programs across 23 states. Children were randomly assigned to either a Head Start group (participants) or a non-Head Start group (control group). The children in the two groups were similar in all measured characteristics at program entry. Pre-participation assessments of all critical outcome measures were taken. Control group children optionally enrolled in non-Head Start programs. Nearly half of the control-group children enrolled in other preschool programs. Outcome measures covered cognitive development, social-emotional development, health status and access to health care, and parenting practices. Head Start students were split into two cohorts – 3-year-olds with two years of Head Start and 4-year-olds with one year of Head Start.[24] The study found:

  • Participants showed positive effects in cognitive skills during their Head Start years, including letter-naming, vocabulary, letter-word identification and applied math problems,[24] although the "advantages children gained during their Head Start and age 4 years yielded only a few statistically significant differences in outcomes at the end of 1st grade for the sample as a whole. Impacts at the end of kindergarten were scattered. ... "[49] The gains applied to different skills across cohorts and grades, undermining generalizations about program impacts.[24]
  • Participants showed fewer significant improvements in social and behavioral skills, even in the Head Start year, with inconsistent results between the three- and four-year-old cohorts. The four-year-old cohort showed no significant improvement in the Head Start year or kindergarten, but in third grade, parents reported a significant reduction in total problem behavior and social and behavioral skills. Three-year-olds showed multiple, significant improvements in social and behavioral skills, but only for outcomes assessed by parents. Significant negative effects emerged in teacher relationships as rated by first-grade and third-grade teachers; and no significant positive effects for this cohort were reported by teachers for any elementary year.[24]
  • By the end of first grade, only "a single cognitive impact was found for each cohort". Compared to students in the control group, the 4-year-old Head Start cohort did "significantly better" on vocabulary and the 3-year-old cohort tested better in oral comprehension.[49]
  • Head Start had significant health-related effects, especially in increasing the number of children receiving dental care and having health-insurance coverage. These effects were not consistent, however. For example, while participants increased health-insurance coverage, it did not extend into the third-grade year for either cohort. Parenting practice changes were significant, but applied only to the three-year-old cohort. Most related to discipline, such as reduced spanking or time-outs. The spanking outcome occurred did not last into the first grade. The significant effect on parental reading to children did not last into kindergarten.[24]

The HSIS study concludes, "Head Start has benefits for both 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in the cognitive, health, and parenting domains, and for 3-year-olds in the social-emotional domain. However, the benefits of access to Head Start at age four are largely absent by 1st grade for the program population as a whole. For 3-year-olds, there are few sustained benefits, although access to the program may lead to improved parent-child relationships through 1st grade, a potentially important finding for children's longer-term development."[49]

According to the Administrative History of the Office of Economic Opportunity, children who finish the program and are placed into disadvantaged schools perform worse than their peers by second grade. Only by isolating such children (such as dispersing and sending them to better-performing school districts) could gains be sustained.[50]

In an op-ed piece in The New York Times, "Head Start Falls Further Behind", Besharov and Call discuss a 1998 evaluation that led to a national reevaluation of the program. The authors stated that research concluded that the current program had little meaningful impact. However, they did not cite primary sources.[51]

In 2011, Time magazine's columnist Joe Klein called for the elimination of Head Start, citing an internal report that the program is costly and makes a negligible impact on children's well-being over time. Klein wrote, "You take the million or so poorest 3- and 4-year-old children and give them a leg up on socialization and education by providing preschool for them; if it works, it saves money in the long run by producing fewer criminals and welfare recipients ... it is now 45 years later. We spend more than $7 billion providing Head Start to nearly 1 million children each year. And finally there is indisputable evidence about the program's effectiveness, provided by the Department of Health and Human Services: Head Start simply does not work."[52]

W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, rebutted Klein, "Weighing all of the evidence and not just that cited by partisans on one side or the other, the most accurate conclusion is that Head Start produces modest benefits including some long-term gains for children."[53]

Access

There is not enough government funding to provide Head Start for all eligible families, so to enroll in Head Start, families must apply and then be chosen.[54] In 2017, there were 1 million children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start, but there were about 19 million children under five in the United States and around 3 million children under five living in poverty.[55]

Head Start covers families living below the federal poverty line, but there 65% of children under the age of 6 having both their parents (or one parent, if they are a single parent) in the workforce.[55][56] Hotz and Wiswall’s research found that for two-parent households, childcare is the most expensive cost outside their rent or mortgage; in perspective, the median percent of income that goes towards childcare is 30%.[55]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Currie, J.; Thomas, D. (1995). "Does Head Start Make A Difference?" (PDF). American Economic Review. 85 (3): 341.
  3. ^ FDA. Memorandum of Understanding.
  4. ^ Gonzalez-Mena, Janet (2009). Child, Family, and Community (Fifth ed.). Pearson Education. ISBN 978-0135132302.
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  11. ^ NAEHCY
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  14. ^ "Early Start Services - Tri Counties Regional Center". tri-counties.org.
  15. ^ "Services in the Early Start Program - Tri Counties Regional Center". tri-counties.org. December 22, 2017.
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  17. ^ "Beyond the Poverty Line (SSIR)". aspe.hhs.gov. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
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  28. ^ Burger, K. (April 3, 2012). "A Social History of Ideas Pertaining to Childcare in France and in the United States". Journal of Social History. 45 (4): 1005–1025. doi:10.1093/jsh/shr144. ISSN 0022-4529.
  29. ^ De Haan, Monique; Leuven, Edwin (September 3, 2019). "Head Start and the Distribution of Long-Term Education and Labor Market Outcomes". Journal of Labor Economics. 38 (3): 727–765. doi:10.1086/706090. hdl:10852/74324. ISSN 0734-306X. S2CID 44049841.
  30. ^ Kose, Esra (2021). "Public Investments in Early Childhood Education and Academic Performance: Evidence from Head Start in Texas". Journal of Human Resources: 0419. doi:10.3368/jhr.0419-10147R2. ISSN 0022-166X. S2CID 231906512.
  31. ^ a b Bailey, Martha J.; Sun, Shuqiao; Timpe, Brenden (2021). "Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency". American Economic Review. 111 (12): 3963–4001. doi:10.1257/aer.20181801. ISSN 0002-8282. PMC 9005064. PMID 35418710.
  32. ^ Deming, D. (2009). "Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development: Evidence from Head Start" (PDF). American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 1 (3): 111–134. doi:10.1257/app.1.3.111.
  33. ^ Wikle, Jocelyn; Wilson, Riley (2022). "Access to Head Start and Maternal Labor Supply: Experimental and Quasi-experimental Evidence". Journal of Labor Economics. doi:10.1086/720980. hdl:10419/250541. ISSN 0734-306X.
  34. ^ "Family Outcomes Bulletin 2015". CCR Analytics.
  35. ^ "2014 Child Outcomes Bulletin".
  36. ^ Lee, K. (2011). "Impacts of the duration of Head Start enrollment on children's academic outcomes: Moderation effects of family risk factors and earlier outcomes". Journal of Community Psychology. 39 (6): 698–716. doi:10.1002/jcop.20462.
  37. ^ Eliana Garces; Duncan Thomas; Janet Currie (September 2002). "Longer-Term Effects of Head Start". The American Economic Review. 92 (4): 999–1012. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.196.91. doi:10.1257/00028280260344560. S2CID 12458311.
  38. ^ Impact study, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  39. ^ First year executive summary (PDF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  40. ^ Datta, L. (1976). "The impact of the Westinghouse/Ohio evaluation on the development of project Head Start: An examination of the immediate and longer-term effects and how they came about," In C. C. Abt (Ed.), The Evaluation of Social Programs (pp. 129–181)
  41. ^ Lee, V. E.; Brooks-Gunn, J.; Schnur, E.; Liaw, F. R. (1990). "Are Head Start Effects Sustained? A Longitudinal Follow-up Comparison of Disadvantaged Children Attending Head Start, No Preschool, and Other Preschool Programs". Child Development. 61 (2): 495–507. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1990.tb02795.x. PMID 2344785.
  42. ^ Seitz, V. Abelson, W., Levine, E. & Zigler, E."Effects of place of testing on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores of disadvantaged Head Start and non-Head Start children", Child Development, 1975
  43. ^ Barnett, W. Steven; Hustedt, Jason T. (January–March 2005). "Head Start's Lasting Benefits". Infants & Young Children. 18 (1): 16–24. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.644.8716. doi:10.1097/00001163-200501000-00003. S2CID 7617558.
  44. ^ Currie, Janet; Thomas, Duncan (September 1998). "Does Head Start Make a Difference?". American Economic Review. 85 (3): 341–364. doi:10.3386/w4406. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  45. ^ a b Valerie E. Lee; Susanna Loeb (Spring 1995). "Where Do Head Start Attendees End up? One Reason Why Preschool Effects Fade Out". Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 17 (1): 62–82. doi:10.2307/1164270. JSTOR 1164270.
  46. ^ S. Barnett (1993). "Does Head Start Fade Out?". Education Week. 5: 40.
  47. ^ S. Barnett (Winter 1995). "Long Term Effects of Early Childhood Programs on Cognitive and School Outcomes". The Future of Children. 5 (3): 25–50. doi:10.2307/1602366. JSTOR 1602366.
  48. ^ Fryer; Levitt (2004), Understanding the blacK-white test score gap in the first two years of school (PDF), University of Chicago
  49. ^ a b c Weigel, Margaret (August 11, 2011). "Head Start Impact: Department of Health and Human Services Report". Journalist's Resource.org.
  50. ^ Administrative History of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Vol. I, p. 252, Box 1
  51. ^ Besharov, Douglas J.; Call, Douglas M. (February 7, 2009). "Head Start Falls Further Behind". The New York Times. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  52. ^ Klein, Joe (July 7, 2011). . Time. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011.
  53. ^ Valerie Strauss, "Does Head Start work for kids? The bottom line", The Washington Post, March 5, 2013.
  54. ^ "How to Apply | ECLKC". eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  55. ^ a b c Hotz, V. Joseph; Wiswall, Matthew (2019). "Child Care and Child Care Policy: Existing Policies, Their Effects, and Reforms". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 686 (1): 310–338. doi:10.1177/0002716219884078. ISSN 0002-7162. S2CID 210683897.
  56. ^ Farquhar, Sarah‐Eve (January 1989). "Assessing New Zealand child day care quality using the early childhood environment rating scale (1)". Early Child Development and Care. 47 (1): 93–105. doi:10.1080/0300443890470105. ISSN 0300-4430.

Further reading

  • Scott Stossel. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver, 2004, Smithsonian Books, Washington.

External links

US government—Administration for Children & Families

  • Official website  
  • Office of Head Start
  • Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (official)
  • Office of Regional Operations

Head Start Associations

  • National Head Start Association
  • New England Head Start (Region 1)
  • Region 2 Head Start
  • Region III Head Start
  • Region IV Head Start
  • Region V Head Start
  • Region VI Head Start
  • Region 7 Head Start
  • Region VIII Head Start
  • Region 9 Head Start

General Information

  • The Head Start Experience
  • Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Head Start
  • The Center for Law and Social Policy
  • National Bureau of Economic Research
  • NET Journal documentary "Head Start in Mississippi" from 1967 at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting

head, start, program, experimental, force, program, operation, head, start, head, start, program, united, states, department, health, human, services, that, provides, comprehensive, early, childhood, education, health, nutrition, parent, involvement, services,. For the experimental Air Force program see Operation Head Start Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education health nutrition and parent involvement services to low income children and families The program s services and resources are designed to foster stable family relationships enhance children s physical and emotional well being and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills The transition from preschool to elementary school imposes diverse developmental challenges that include requiring the children to engage successfully with their peers outside the family network adjust to the space of a classroom and meet the expectations the school setting provides 1 Washtenaw County Michigan Head Start school in Superior TownshipLaunched in 1965 2 by its creator and first director Jule Sugarman and Bernice H Fleiss Head Start was originally conceived as a catch up summer school program that would teach low income children in a few weeks what they needed to know to start elementary school The Head Start Act of 1981 3 expanded the program 4 The program was revised and reauthorized in December 2007 As of late 2005 update more than 22 million children had participated The current as of director of Head Start is Dr Khari Garvin 5 Contents 1 History 2 Policy Council 3 Services and programs 4 Eligibility 5 Budget and funding 6 Teachers 7 Operations 8 Impact 9 Access 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links 13 1 US government Administration for Children amp Families 13 2 Head Start Associations 13 3 General InformationHistory Edit First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visits a Head Start class in 1966Head Start began as part of President Lyndon B Johnson s Great Society campaign Its justification came from the staff of the President s Council of Economic Advisers 6 Stan Salett civil rights organizer national education policy adviser and creator of the Upward Bound Program is also credited with initiating the Head Start program Johnson started the War on Poverty shortly after President Kennedy s assassination The murder shook the nation and Johnson attempted to gain public trust by passing legacy legislation during the subsequent months Johnson received an initial briefing from Walter Heller who informed Johnson of Kennedy s poverty program By March 1964 the legislation now known as the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 had been prepared for Congress The legislation included training educational and service programs for communities including the Job Corps 7 The Office of Economic Opportunity s Community Action Program launched Project Head Start as an eight week summer program in 1965 The program was led by Dr Robert Cooke a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins University and Dr Edward Zigler a professor of psychology and director of the Yale Child Study Center They designed a comprehensive child development program intended to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children The following year it was authorized by Congress as a year round program In 1968 Head Start began funding a television series that would eventually be called Sesame Street operated by the Carnegie Corporation Children s Television Workshop CTW In 1969 Head Start was transferred to the Office of Child Development in the Department of Health Education and Welfare later the Department of Health and Human Services DHHS by the Nixon Administration Today the program is in the Administration for Children and Families ACF division of DHHS In 1994 the Early Head Start program was established to serve children from birth to age three in an effort to capitalize on research evidence that showed that the first three years are critical to children s long term development In the early years some 700 000 children enrolled at a per capita cost of 2 000 to 3 000 2011 dollars Under the full time program enrollment dropped to under 400 000 by the early 1970s Enrollment reached close to 1 million children by 2011 Policy Council EditThe Head Start Policy Council makes up part of the Head Start governing body Policy Council must be composed of two types of representatives parents of currently enrolled children and community representatives At least 51 of the members of this group must be the parents of currently enrolled children see 45 CFR 1306 3 h for a definition of a Head Start Parent All parent members of the Policy Council stand for election or re election annually through individual parent groups Grantees Delegates are required to provide proportionate representation to parents in all program options and settings If agencies operate programs serving different geographical regions or ethnic groups they must ensure that all groups being served will have an equal opportunity to serve on the Policy Council The Policy Council is required to meet once each month The term follows the federal government fiscal year running November November Service on the Policy Council board is limited to at most five one year terms 8 The meetings are conducted in accordance with Robert s Rules The meeting day and time is agreed upon during the first meeting of the term year and may be adjusted as needed The Policy Council approval is needed for several program functions from new hires to the program as well as for the budget and spending The Council can serve the program in ways that the others in the program cannot as it is the only body that is part of Head Start that can do fundraising In addition to monthly meetings Policy Council may at times need to hold special or emergency meetings or have a phone vote Policy Council representatives are required to attend classroom meetings and report back to the Policy Council with issues and needs of the classroom They may also be asked to sit in on interviews as Head Start requires that a Policy Council representative be present for all interviews The officers of Policy Council include vice chairperson secretary and vice secretary Classrooms are also able to elect alternate Policy Council reps in case the main rep is unable to attend the meetings Services and programs EditHead Start serves over 1 million children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 states the District of Columbia Puerto Rico and the U S territories Related health services include health screenings health check ups and dental check ups Family advocates assist parents in accessing community resources All services are specific to each family s culture and experience Head Start programs also seek to support children s social emotional development Programs and services include Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes healthy families as well as infant and toddler development beginning as early as birth Head Start helps to create healthy development and early childhood education in low income children ages three to five Family and Community Partnerships engage and support parents to identify and meet their own goals nurture their children and advocate for communities that support children and families Migrant and Seasonal services are for children of migrant and seasonal farm workers Service hours are longer and programs extend for fewer months than traditional Head Start Head Start serves indigenous Americans with centers on reservations and in urban communities 9 10 Homeless children were included explicitly as subjects with the 2007 re authorization 11 Programs must identify and provide services to homeless children of all ages within a reasonable period The McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 12 also requires access to early childhood education such as Head Start for homeless children and families Tri Counties Regional Center is one of twenty one non profit regional centers in California providing lifelong services and supports for people with developmental disabilities residing in San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties 13 Early Start is California s response to federal legislation ensuring that services to eligible infants and toddlers are coordinated and family centered It is a statewide system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months of age This program is coordinated by regional centers and public school districts 14 Each eligible child will be assigned a Service Coordinator who will be responsible for the coordination of early intervention services Eligible children and their families may receive a variety of early intervention services Services for young children are family centered based on family concerns priorities and resources and provided in a child s natural setting Services may include but are not limited to Infant stimulation specialized instruction in your home or community Physical occupational and or speech language therapy Behavior services Family Resource Centers for parent to parent support 15 Eligibility EditEligibility is largely income based although each local program includes other eligibility criteria such as disabilities and services needed by other family members Families must earn less than 100 of the federal poverty level Programs may accept up to 10 of the total children over poverty given the program has unfilled spots and the over poverty is less than 130 2023 Federal Poverty Level 16 Family Size Income2 19 7203 24 8604 30 0005 35 1406 40 2807 45 4208 50 560The federal poverty line measure is NOT absolute and does change from year to year to account for inflation 17 Families may also qualify under a categorical eligibility category receipt of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families TANF funds Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP 18 Supplemental Security funds or Homeless as per the McKinney Vento Act Up to 10 of any funded program s enrollment can be from higher income families or families experiencing emergency situations All programs are required to provide services to children with disabilities who must comprise 10 of their total enrollment Per the Head Start Act 2007 programs may elect to serve families whose income is between 100 130 under certain circumstances Programs must also complete additional reporting requirements if this is appropriate for their community Military families stationed abroad in Europe the Pacific and Cuba can apply for Sure Start 19 Sure Start is the military version of Head Start and is overseen by the Department of Defense Education Activity 20 There are four priority tiers for Sure Start and like Head Start not all eligible families are guaranteed a spot The tiers are based on the sponsor s rank and are in order E1 E4 E5 E6 E7 and E8 E9 19 HHS POVERTY REGISTER 21 YEAR First Person Each Additional Person Four Person Family Page with Complete Details2023 14 580 5 140 30 000 Federal Register 20232022 13 590 4 720 27 750 Federal Register 20222021 12 880 4 540 26 500 Federal Register 20212020 12 760 4 480 26 200 Federal Register 20202019 12 490 4 420 25 750 Federal Register 20192018 12 140 4 320 25 100 Federal Register 20182017 12 060 4 180 24 600 Federal Register 20172016 11 880 Varies 24 300 Federal Register 20162015 11 770 4 160 24 250 Federal Register 20152014 11 670 4 060 23 850 Federal Register 20142013 11 490 4 020 23 550 Federal Register 20132012 11 170 3 960 23 050 Federal Register 20122011 10 890 3 820 22 350 Federal Register 20112010 10 830 3 740 22 050 Federal Register 2010 Jan Federal Register 2010 Aug 2009 10 830 3 740 22 050 Federal Register 20092008 10 400 3 600 21 200 Federal Register 20082007 10 210 3 480 20 650 Federal Register 20072006 9 800 3 400 20 000 Federal Register 20062005 9 570 3 260 19 350 Federal Register 20052004 9 310 3 180 18 850 Federal Register 20042003 8 980 3 140 18 400 Federal Register 20032002 8 860 3 080 18 100 Federal Register 20022001 8 590 3 020 17 650 Federal Register 20012000 8 350 2 900 17 050 Federal Register 20001999 8 240 2 820 16 700 Federal Register 19991998 8 050 2 800 16 450 Federal Register 19981997 7 890 2 720 16 050 Federal Register 19971996 7 740 2 620 15 600 Federal Register 19961995 7 470 2 560 15 150 Federal Register 19951994 7 360 2 480 14 800 Federal Register 19941993 6 970 2 460 14 350 Federal Register 19931992 6 810 2 380 13 950 Federal Register 19921991 6 620 2 260 13 400 Federal Register 19911990 6 280 2 140 12 700 Federal Register 19901989 5 980 2 040 12 100 Federal Register 19891988 5 770 1 960 11 650 Federal Register 19881987 5 500 1 900 11 200 Federal Register 19871986 5 360 1 880 11 000 Federal Register 19861985 5 250 1 800 10 650 Federal Register 19851984 4 980 1 740 10 200 Federal Register 19841983 4 860 1 680 9 900 Federal Register 19831982 4 680 1 540 9 300 Federal Register 1982Budget and funding EditThe 2011 federal budget for Head Start was 8 1 billion 85 was to be devoted to direct services and no more than 15 on administration serving approximately one million students Local grantees must provide a 20 cash in kind match 22 Each local grantee is required to obtain an annual financial audit if it receives more than 500 000 in federal support Grants are awarded by the Administration for Children and Families ACF Regional Offices and the American Indian Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal Program Branches directly to local public agencies private organizations Indian tribes and school systems 23 The individual Head Start classrooms centers repay the grant through a program known as InKind The Inkind program is a way to get their parents and their students working together on out of class studies Teachers EditAll lead teachers must have a bachelor s degree or be working towards one Most have completed six or more courses in early childhood education 24 By 2013 all teachers were to have associate degrees in a related field and half must have bachelor s degrees 25 26 As of 2003 the average Head Start teacher made 21 000 per year compared to the public school teacher average of 43 000 27 Teachers are also required to complete a CDA Child Development Associate certificate Operations EditWhile Head Start is a national program the implementation is up to individual states 28 Head Start programs typically operate independently from local school districts Most often they are administered through local social services agencies Classes are generally small with fewer than ten enrollees per adult staff member Individual programs develop their own academic and social curricula following federal performance standards 24 Impact Edit source Angel Taveras speaks about how Head Start changed his life as a child A 2020 study found that cohorts that attended Head Start had higher incomes and years of education as adults than similar children who did not attend 29 A 2021 study found that the children exposed to more generous Head Start funding had substantially improved test scores relative to children that were not exposed to generous Head Start funding 30 Another 2021 study found that students enrolled in Head Start ended up having substantially higher high school completion college enrollment and college completion rates than comparable children who were not enrolled in Head Start 31 The authors of the study concluded these estimates imply sizable long term returns to investments in means tested public preschool programs 31 A 2009 study which compared siblings found that those who attended Head Start showed stronger academic performance as shown on test scores for years afterward were less likely to be diagnosed as learning disabled less likely to commit crime more likely to graduate from high school and attend college and less likely to suffer from poor health as an adult 32 A 2022 study found that Head Start increased the employment and earnings of single mothers 33 In 2015 CCR Analytics formerly Child Care Analytics published the results of their Family Outcomes Survey completed by nearly 11 600 California Head Start and Early Head Start parents 90 of parents surveyed said that Head Start helped them to get or keep a job 92 of parents surveyed said that Head Start helped them to enroll in an educational or training program 99 of families surveyed said that Head Start helped them to improve their parenting skills such as responding to children s misbehavior and helping their children to learn These results indicate that Head Start has a positive impact on the whole family beyond the individual children who attend the program 34 In 2014 CCR Analytics published the results of their study of 49 467 children assessed in the 2012 2013 school year from 81 Head Start programs throughout the state of California more than 50 of the entire California Head Start population Participation in the study was open to all California Head Start programs who used the DRDP PS 2010 assessment tool The study found that providing two years of Head Start to a child increases the probability by between 13 and 86 that the child will meet age appropriate expectations Regression discontinuity design was used to measure program impact without denying a control group the opportunity to attend Head Start The analysis compared three year olds enrolled in Head Start to four year olds who returned to Head Start for their second year This also eliminated the issue of selection bias because both groups chose to attend Head Start as three year olds 35 A randomized control study of the pre k program serving socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Tennessee found short term gains in language literacy and math outcomes for pre k participants compared with children who did not participate which was also confirmed by a discontinuity analysis Lip Farran Bilbrey Hofer amp Dong 2011 Lee collected data across sixty Head Start classrooms in 2007 and 2008 A sample of 1 260 children ages three to four were selected as the final sample Of these children 446 had entered Head Start at age 3 and enrolled for a year Group 1 498 had been entered at age 4 and enrolled for a year Group 2 and 316 children had been enrolled for 2 years entering at age 3 Group 3 Academic outcome measures in literacy math and science were collected based on the Head Start and Early Childhood Program Observational Checklist rating on a 4 point scale 1 not yet to 4 excels Family risk factor indicators developed by the State Department of Education included single parent unemployed parent teenage parent parental loss divorce death low parental school achievement food insufficiency Group 3 had higher literacy math and science scores than the other groups Children in the high risk group had significantly lower literacy math and science scores than those who had three or fewer risk factors Head Start is associated with significant gains in test scores Head Start significantly reduces the probability that a child will repeat a grade 36 In 2002 Garces Thomas and Currie used data from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics to review outcomes for close to 4 000 participating adults followed from childhood and compared with non participant siblings Among European Americans adults who had attended Head Start were significantly more likely to complete high school attend college and possibly have higher earnings in their early twenties African American adults who had attended Head Start were significantly less likely to be booked charged for a crime Head Start may increase the likelihood that African American males graduate from high school Separately the authors noted larger effects for younger siblings who attended Head Start after an older sibling 37 In 1998 Congress mandated an intensive study of the effectiveness of Head Start the Head Start Impact Study which studied a target population of 5 000 3 and 4 year old children 38 The study measured Head Start s effectiveness as compared to other forms of community support and educational intervention as opposed to comparing Head Start to a nonintervention alternative Head Start Impact Study First Year Findings were released in June 2005 Study participants were assigned to either Head Start or other parent selected community resources for one year 60 of the children in the control group were placed in other preschools The first report showed consistent small to moderate advantages to 3 year old children including pre reading pre vocabulary and parent reports of children s literacy skills No significant impacts were found for oral comprehension phonological awareness or early mathematics skills for either age group Fewer positive benefits were found for 4 year olds The benefits improved with early participation and varied across racial and ethnic groups These analyses did not assess the benefits durability 39 In 1976 Datta summarized 31 studies concluding that the program showed immediate improvement in IQ scores of participating children though nonparticipants narrowed the difference over time 40 failed verification 41 In 1975 Seitz Abelson Levine and Zigler compared disadvantaged children enrolled and not enrolled in Head Start using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test PPVT The participants were low income inner city black children whose unemployed economically disadvantaged parents were considered unskilled The Head Start children had attended for at least five months at the time of testing including nine boys and 11 girls The non enrolled group was on the Head Start waiting list The control group consisted of 11 boys and nine girls The groups were matched by family income parental employment and marital status The tester tested children at home and in a school or office setting The Head Start children scored higher than the controls in both settings which suggested preschool intervention programs may have influenced the result The controls tested at home scored the lowest apparently due to anxiety from having an unfamiliar person in their homes The Head Start children were unaffected by the environmental factor In evaluating this study vs others the relatively small sample size should be noted 20 children vs thousands in other studies 42 A 2005 review of the literature by Barnett and Hustedt found mixed but generally positive evidence regarding Head Start s long term benefits Although studies typically find that increases in IQ fade out over time many other studies also find decreases in grade retention and special education placements Sustained increases in school achievement are sometimes found but in other cases flawed research methods produce results that mimic fade out In recent years the federal government has funded large scale evaluations of Head Start and Early Head Start Results from the Early Head Start evaluation are particularly informative as study participants were randomly assigned to either the Early Head Start group or a control group Early Head Start demonstrated modest improvements in children s development and parent beliefs and behavior 43 A 1995 within family analysis compared subjects with nonparticipant siblings Mothers who had themselves been enrolled in Head Start were compared to adult sisters who were not Currie and Thomas separately analyzed white black and Hispanic participants White children showed larger and longer lasting improvements than black children 44 Head Start Fade in which significant initial impacts quickly fade has often been observed as early as second and third grade 45 46 47 One hypothesis is that the decline is because Head Start participants are likely to attend lower quality schools which fail to reinforce Head Start gains 45 Fryer and Levitt found no evidence that Head Start participation had lasting effect on test scores in the early years of school 48 A 2010 report by the Department of Health and Human Services Head Start Impact examined the cognitive development social emotional development and physical health outcomes of 4 667 24 three and four year old children in a nationally representative sample of programs across 23 states Children were randomly assigned to either a Head Start group participants or a non Head Start group control group The children in the two groups were similar in all measured characteristics at program entry Pre participation assessments of all critical outcome measures were taken Control group children optionally enrolled in non Head Start programs Nearly half of the control group children enrolled in other preschool programs Outcome measures covered cognitive development social emotional development health status and access to health care and parenting practices Head Start students were split into two cohorts 3 year olds with two years of Head Start and 4 year olds with one year of Head Start 24 The study found Participants showed positive effects in cognitive skills during their Head Start years including letter naming vocabulary letter word identification and applied math problems 24 although the advantages children gained during their Head Start and age 4 years yielded only a few statistically significant differences in outcomes at the end of 1st grade for the sample as a whole Impacts at the end of kindergarten were scattered 49 The gains applied to different skills across cohorts and grades undermining generalizations about program impacts 24 Participants showed fewer significant improvements in social and behavioral skills even in the Head Start year with inconsistent results between the three and four year old cohorts The four year old cohort showed no significant improvement in the Head Start year or kindergarten but in third grade parents reported a significant reduction in total problem behavior and social and behavioral skills Three year olds showed multiple significant improvements in social and behavioral skills but only for outcomes assessed by parents Significant negative effects emerged in teacher relationships as rated by first grade and third grade teachers and no significant positive effects for this cohort were reported by teachers for any elementary year 24 By the end of first grade only a single cognitive impact was found for each cohort Compared to students in the control group the 4 year old Head Start cohort did significantly better on vocabulary and the 3 year old cohort tested better in oral comprehension 49 Head Start had significant health related effects especially in increasing the number of children receiving dental care and having health insurance coverage These effects were not consistent however For example while participants increased health insurance coverage it did not extend into the third grade year for either cohort Parenting practice changes were significant but applied only to the three year old cohort Most related to discipline such as reduced spanking or time outs The spanking outcome occurred did not last into the first grade The significant effect on parental reading to children did not last into kindergarten 24 The HSIS study concludes Head Start has benefits for both 3 year olds and 4 year olds in the cognitive health and parenting domains and for 3 year olds in the social emotional domain However the benefits of access to Head Start at age four are largely absent by 1st grade for the program population as a whole For 3 year olds there are few sustained benefits although access to the program may lead to improved parent child relationships through 1st grade a potentially important finding for children s longer term development 49 According to the Administrative History of the Office of Economic Opportunity children who finish the program and are placed into disadvantaged schools perform worse than their peers by second grade Only by isolating such children such as dispersing and sending them to better performing school districts could gains be sustained 50 In an op ed piece in The New York Times Head Start Falls Further Behind Besharov and Call discuss a 1998 evaluation that led to a national reevaluation of the program The authors stated that research concluded that the current program had little meaningful impact However they did not cite primary sources 51 In 2011 Time magazine s columnist Joe Klein called for the elimination of Head Start citing an internal report that the program is costly and makes a negligible impact on children s well being over time Klein wrote You take the million or so poorest 3 and 4 year old children and give them a leg up on socialization and education by providing preschool for them if it works it saves money in the long run by producing fewer criminals and welfare recipients it is now 45 years later We spend more than 7 billion providing Head Start to nearly 1 million children each year And finally there is indisputable evidence about the program s effectiveness provided by the Department of Health and Human Services Head Start simply does not work 52 W Steven Barnett director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University rebutted Klein Weighing all of the evidence and not just that cited by partisans on one side or the other the most accurate conclusion is that Head Start produces modest benefits including some long term gains for children 53 Access EditThere is not enough government funding to provide Head Start for all eligible families so to enroll in Head Start families must apply and then be chosen 54 In 2017 there were 1 million children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start but there were about 19 million children under five in the United States and around 3 million children under five living in poverty 55 Head Start covers families living below the federal poverty line but there 65 of children under the age of 6 having both their parents or one parent if they are a single parent in the workforce 55 56 Hotz and Wiswall s research found that for two parent households childcare is the most expensive cost outside their rent or mortgage in perspective the median percent of income that goes towards childcare is 30 55 See also EditMalheur County Child Development Center Head Start amp Early Head Start an Oregon Head Start and Early Head Start program offering FREE services to families with children 0 5 SRC HeadStart Malheur County Child Development Center Arkansas Early Learning Compensatory Education HighScope Jenny Is a Good Thing an Academy Award nominated documentary on children and nutrition produced for Project Head Start Project STAR Southwest Human Development Sure Start Upward BoundReferences Edit McWayne C M Cheung K Wright L Hahs Vaughn D L Thomas D August 2012 Patterns of School Readiness Among Head Start Children Meaningful Within Group Variability During the Transition to Kindergarten PDF Journal of Educational Psychology 104 3 862 878 doi 10 1037 a0028884 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Currie J Thomas D 1995 Does Head Start Make A Difference PDF American Economic Review 85 3 341 FDA Memorandum of Understanding Gonzalez Mena Janet 2009 Child Family and Community Fifth ed Pearson Education ISBN 978 0135132302 ACF Home Office of Head Start About Leadership Administration for Children and Families U S Department of Health amp Human Services May 16 2018 Retrieved November 20 2018 Vinovskis Maris A 2005 The Birth of Head Start University of Chicago Press pp 36 37 ISBN 978 0226856728 Lyndon B Johnson and the War on Poverty archived from the original on May 16 2015 retrieved April 30 2013 Head Start Program Performance Standards Part 1301 Program Governance U S Department of Health amp Human Services Administration for Children amp Families Retrieved May 1 2020 The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework American Indian and Alaska Native Archived from the original on March 17 2017 Retrieved March 16 2017 NAEHCY Part C Homeless Education US Department of Education Who We Are Tri Counties Regional Center tri counties org Early Start Services Tri Counties Regional Center tri counties org Services in the Early Start Program Tri Counties Regional Center tri counties org December 22 2017 HHS Poverty Guidelines for 2023 HealthCare gov Glossary aspe hhs gov Retrieved May 30 2023 Beyond the Poverty Line SSIR aspe hhs gov Retrieved May 30 2023 Head Start Categorical Eligibility for Families Eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ECLKC April 20 2022 a b Communications DoDEA Preschool www dodea edu Retrieved April 10 2021 Sure Start for Military Children Military OneSource March 12 2021 Retrieved April 10 2021 Prior HHS Poverty Guidelines and Federal Register References ASPE Lubeck Sally DeVries Mary Nicholson Julie Post Jackie July 1997 Head Start in Transition Early Education amp Development 8 3 219 244 doi 10 1207 s15566935eed0803 2 ISSN 1040 9289 Head Start factsheet U S Department of Health and Human Services archived from the original on January 15 2010 a b c d e f g h The Dubious Promise of Universal Preschool gt Publications gt National Affairs December 20 2013 Archived from the original on April 8 2014 Retrieved April 8 2014 Glod Maria November 15 2007 Bill to Expand Head Start Bolster Its Teacher Qualifications Is Approved The Washington Post Retrieved June 10 2013 Head Start Act Section 648A Archived from the original on October 12 2008 NIEER Fact Sheet on Head Start Teachers July 2003 Archived from the original on October 27 2008 Burger K April 3 2012 A Social History of Ideas Pertaining to Childcare in France and in the United States Journal of Social History 45 4 1005 1025 doi 10 1093 jsh shr144 ISSN 0022 4529 De Haan Monique Leuven Edwin September 3 2019 Head Start and the Distribution of Long Term Education and Labor Market Outcomes Journal of Labor Economics 38 3 727 765 doi 10 1086 706090 hdl 10852 74324 ISSN 0734 306X S2CID 44049841 Kose Esra 2021 Public Investments in Early Childhood Education and Academic Performance Evidence from Head Start in Texas Journal of Human Resources 0419 doi 10 3368 jhr 0419 10147R2 ISSN 0022 166X S2CID 231906512 a b Bailey Martha J Sun Shuqiao Timpe Brenden 2021 Prep School for Poor Kids The Long Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self Sufficiency American Economic Review 111 12 3963 4001 doi 10 1257 aer 20181801 ISSN 0002 8282 PMC 9005064 PMID 35418710 Deming D 2009 Early Childhood Intervention and Life Cycle Skill Development Evidence from Head Start PDF American Economic Journal Applied Economics 1 3 111 134 doi 10 1257 app 1 3 111 Wikle Jocelyn Wilson Riley 2022 Access to Head Start and Maternal Labor Supply Experimental and Quasi experimental Evidence Journal of Labor Economics doi 10 1086 720980 hdl 10419 250541 ISSN 0734 306X Family Outcomes Bulletin 2015 CCR Analytics 2014 Child Outcomes Bulletin Lee K 2011 Impacts of the duration of Head Start enrollment on children s academic outcomes Moderation effects of family risk factors and earlier outcomes Journal of Community Psychology 39 6 698 716 doi 10 1002 jcop 20462 Eliana Garces Duncan Thomas Janet Currie September 2002 Longer Term Effects of Head Start The American Economic Review 92 4 999 1012 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 196 91 doi 10 1257 00028280260344560 S2CID 12458311 Impact study U S Department of Health and Human Services First year executive summary PDF U S Department of Health and Human Services Datta L 1976 The impact of the Westinghouse Ohio evaluation on the development of project Head Start An examination of the immediate and longer term effects and how they came about In C C Abt Ed The Evaluation of Social Programs pp 129 181 Lee V E Brooks Gunn J Schnur E Liaw F R 1990 Are Head Start Effects Sustained A Longitudinal Follow up Comparison of Disadvantaged Children Attending Head Start No Preschool and Other Preschool Programs Child Development 61 2 495 507 doi 10 1111 j 1467 8624 1990 tb02795 x PMID 2344785 Seitz V Abelson W Levine E amp Zigler E Effects of place of testing on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores of disadvantaged Head Start and non Head Start children Child Development 1975 Barnett W Steven Hustedt Jason T January March 2005 Head Start s Lasting Benefits Infants amp Young Children 18 1 16 24 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 644 8716 doi 10 1097 00001163 200501000 00003 S2CID 7617558 Currie Janet Thomas Duncan September 1998 Does Head Start Make a Difference American Economic Review 85 3 341 364 doi 10 3386 w4406 Retrieved May 14 2021 a b Valerie E Lee Susanna Loeb Spring 1995 Where Do Head Start Attendees End up One Reason Why Preschool Effects Fade Out Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 17 1 62 82 doi 10 2307 1164270 JSTOR 1164270 S Barnett 1993 Does Head Start Fade Out Education Week 5 40 S Barnett Winter 1995 Long Term Effects of Early Childhood Programs on Cognitive and School Outcomes The Future of Children 5 3 25 50 doi 10 2307 1602366 JSTOR 1602366 Fryer Levitt 2004 Understanding the blacK white test score gap in the first two years of school PDF University of Chicago a b c Weigel Margaret August 11 2011 Head Start Impact Department of Health and Human Services Report Journalist s Resource org Administrative History of the Office of Economic Opportunity Vol I p 252 Box 1 Besharov Douglas J Call Douglas M February 7 2009 Head Start Falls Further Behind The New York Times Retrieved February 8 2011 Klein Joe July 7 2011 Time to Ax Public Programs That Don t Yield Results Time Archived from the original on July 9 2011 Valerie Strauss Does Head Start work for kids The bottom line The Washington Post March 5 2013 How to Apply ECLKC eclkc ohs acf hhs gov Retrieved May 10 2021 a b c Hotz V Joseph Wiswall Matthew 2019 Child Care and Child Care Policy Existing Policies Their Effects and Reforms The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 686 1 310 338 doi 10 1177 0002716219884078 ISSN 0002 7162 S2CID 210683897 Farquhar Sarah Eve January 1989 Assessing New Zealand child day care quality using the early childhood environment rating scale 1 Early Child Development and Care 47 1 93 105 doi 10 1080 0300443890470105 ISSN 0300 4430 Further reading EditScott Stossel Sarge The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver 2004 Smithsonian Books Washington External links EditUS government Administration for Children amp Families Edit Official website Office of Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center official Office of Regional OperationsHead Start Associations Edit National Head Start Association New England Head Start Region 1 Region 2 Head Start Region III Head Start Region IV Head Start Region V Head Start Region VI Head Start Region 7 Head Start Region VIII Head Start Region 9 Head StartGeneral Information Edit The Head Start Experience Read Congressional Research Service CRS Reports regarding Head Start The Center for Law and Social Policy National Bureau of Economic Research NET Journal documentary Head Start in Mississippi from 1967 at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Head Start program amp oldid 1170354458, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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