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KATIE BROWNING
This article talks about both critics and defenders of the Head Start Program. It questions whether budget cuts will effect the short- and long-term goals for the children in the program. Bottom line for the article is that neither side is correct. There are improvements that need to be made for the program to be more focused.

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KATIE BROWNING
David Demming does a great job explaining that even if test scores of children who attended Head Start programs tend to level off and match those of peers who did not attend, the long-term effects for those children are greater. He also explains how Head Start programs offer 80% of what other preschool programs do and do it at 60% of the cost.

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ALEXIS MAST
This article talks about the advantages of Head Start programs. One of the things it really talks about is how each Head Start program is a little different, because each program is altered to meet the needs of the children and people in that specific community. It also talks about the ability to cater to the needs of families by providing them with appropriate resources and services. The article goes on to talk about how Head Start scores highly on how they provide emotional support to children and families. These services are offered to families that are often struggling economically and are in need of services, even though they don't have the funds to get them on their own.
Alexis Mast

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As we roar into 2017, the Head Start community is fueled by tremendous, bi-partisan support. A host of new studies continue to bolster the case for Head Start's comprehensive approach to early childhood interventions that target very young disadvantaged children and their families. And Head Start teachers, administrators and partners are embracing the continued pursuit of excellence and opportunities to magnify impact and maximize outcomes.

A recent report " State(s) of Head Start," in fact, graphically and strikingly reinforces that Head Start has lived up to its promise to deliver locally designed, quality early learning programs. The report asserts, unequivocally, that increasing access to the Head Start advantage is a winning proposition for vulnerable children, families - indeed the nation. And while the Head Start community wholeheartedly agrees that increased federal funding is critical to expanding access, we do take issue with the alleged "faults" the report finds with some programs: variation and quality - two of the very areas our community considers strengths.

As local programs, Head Start grantees are expected to adapt to their communities' needs and resources. The report views these variations in access, hours of service, teacher credentials, and more, as a weakness, whereas we view much of this variation as a strength. From the schedule of the program calendar to different comprehensive services provided for children and families, Head Start intentionally allows for variation in program features to best meet the needs of each unique community it serves. Local Head Start programs provide differentiated services while consistently maintaining high levels of quality instruction.

The report then goes on to cherry pick data and offer a narrow interpretation to assert that some Head Start programs are of lower quality. But the data that the report itself provides, in addition to several other metrics, only prove that Head Start is some of the highest quality programming available to young children. Specifically:

* The report narrows in on a single metric of quality, CLASS Instructional Support (IS) scores, which it uses to argue that there is a wide variation in program quality across Head Start programs. However, by the report's own graphs and analysis of the CLASS IS scores, most of these scores fall within a narrow band and represent little practical significance in variation of quality. In fact, most of the states the report designates as "low quality" based on this metric rank above the national average.

* There are two other domains of CLASS scores, Classroom Organization and Emotional Support, in which Head Start considerably exceeds the quality benchmark. The report touches upon these consistently high scores briefly, but ignores their strong evidence of quality. The report's own findings note that Head Start surpasses the research-based threshold for high quality in the Emotional Support domain in every single state. For the Classroom Organization domain, there is only one state that falls below this threshold with any statistical significance, while the rest reach this threshold or far surpass it.

* A recent report conducted by Mathematica analyzes quality in Head Start using ECERS-R, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised. The report finds that observed classroom quality in Head Start improved significantly from 2006 to 2014, based on the ECERS-R domains of Teaching and Interactions and Provisions for Learning.

* As individual states develop their own Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, or QRIS, the country has gained a new metric for rating and comparing all manner of early childhood education programming. In states that have implemented their QRIS, most Head Start programs are rated in the top-quality categories.

Metric after metric, report after report, researchers continue to find that Head Start provides high quality early learning opportunities to America's poorest children. Faced with the enormous task of providing comprehensive, educational and two-generation services to our nation's most vulnerable children, Head Start programs across the country continue to use creativity and innovation to meet and exceed expectations.

While we applaud the report's call for increased funding to expand access to Head Start, it is important to recognize the limitations of the analysis, particularly when it comes to comparing services state-by-state and providing a narrow interpretation of quality. Head Start serves our nation's most vulnerable children, and the depth and breadth of the program's impact cannot be understood by looking at just one metric of each category. The report's simplistic analysis of a complex program casts a negative light on our nation's strongest and most effective approach to delivering quality early learning services to the most vulnerable children and families. And, implying that Head Start is of low quality is directly at odds with the report's call for increased federal funding to expand access to more eligible children.

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As we roar into 2017, the Head Start community is fueled by tremendous, bi-partisan support. A host of new studies continue to bolster the case for Head Start's comprehensive approach to early childhood interventions that target very young disadvantaged children and their families.

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KATIE BROWNING
While this is from the National Head Start Association (NHSA) website, I think it is important to read through the information provided.  Each fact or impact is stated with a reference to the information behind each statement.

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Interested in sharing this content? NHSA has prepared one-page handouts on Head Start's impacts on health outcomes, immediate impacts, and long-term outcomes. Plus, evidence from the impact study!

Head Start Facts and Impacts

Children that participate in Head Start programs receive innumerable benefits. These advantages appear immediately, last a lifetime, and even have an effect on other generations. The effects are particularly strong amongst certain subgroups of children, particularly Hispanic and African-American children, dual language learners, children who are homeless or in foster care, those who qualify for free lunch, and those whose mothers didn't graduate high school. When disadvantaged children receive high-quality birth-to-five education, such as Early Head Start plus Head Start, the return on investment can be as high as 13% annually ( Garcia et al, 2016). The advantages Head Start children experience include:

By the end of the program:

Head Start children make progress towards norms in language, literacy, and math. Head Start children also score at the norm on letter-word knowledge by the end of the year. (Aikens et al., 2013; Bloom and Weiland, 2015)

Early Head Start children show significantly better social-emotional, language, and cognitive development. Children who attend Early Head Start and transition to Head Start are more ready for kindergarten than children who do not attend Head Start. (Love et al., 2002)

The Head Start Impact Study found Head Start children scored better than a control group of children in all measured domains of cognitive and social-emotional development. (U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, 2010)

Head Start children in foster care or other non-parental care are more ready for school. (Lipscomb et al., 2013)

Head Start children have better social skills, impulse control, and approaches to learning. Head Start children also decrease their problem behaviors, such as aggression and hyperactivity. (Aikens et al., 2013)

Obese, overweight, or underweight children who participate in Head Start have a significantly healthier BMI by kindergarten entry. (Lumeng et al., 2015)

Children in Early Head Start are more likely to be immunized and have services for children with disabilities (Love et al., 2002).

Head Start children are more likely to receive dental checkups and have healthy eating patterns than non-participants. They have lower body mass index (BMI) scores and are less likely to be overweight compared to children in other non-parental care. (Lee et al., 2013)

When families participate in Head Start (as opposed to no ECE), children are 93% less likely to end up in foster care, a correlation not found by participating in any other types of ECE. (Klein et. al., 2017)

Children show additional gains in social-emotional development as a result of participating in Head Start at both 3 and 4 years old. (Aikens et al., 2013)

Throughout K-12:

Compared with children in parental care, Head Start children performed considerably better on cognitive and social-emotional measures in kindergarten and had fewer attention problems and exhibited fewer negative behaviors. (Zhai et al., 2011)

Head Start graduates in the Baltimore City Schools enter kindergarten with higher attendance levels than their peers and maintain those levels through third grade. (Connolly and Olson, 2012)

Full-day Head Start children in the Montgomery County Public Schools were more likely to meet reading benchmarks by the end of kindergarten, compared to students who had half-day preschool or no preschool. The students also required half as many special education services per week as their peers without the MCPS preschool experience. (Zhao and Modarresi, 2010)

Mortality rates for 5- to 9-year-old children who had attended Head Start are 33 to 50 percent lower than the rates for comparable children who were not enrolled in Head Start. (Ludwig and Miller, 2007)

Children who attend Early Head Start have significantly fewer child welfare encounters during their elementary years. (Green et al., 2014)

Head Start children in Harrisburg had higher mean scores in the fifth grade than a control group on all academic and executive functioning outcomes. (Greenberg and Domitrovich, 2011)

Early Head Start shows positive impacts on participants' social-emotional functioning that last through fifth grade. (Vogel et al., 2010)

Head Start children in Tulsa, OK, have higher math test scores in 8th grade, are less likely to be chronically absent, and less likely to be held back a year by 8th grade. (Phillips et al., 2016)

As adults:

Head Start children have a higher likelihood of graduating high school, attending college, and receiving a post-secondary degree, license, or certification. (Bauer and Schanzenbach, 2016)

Head Start students are more likely to graduate high school, more likely to go to at least one year of college, less likely to be out of school and unemployed, and less likely to be in poor health. (Deming, 2009)

Among children who attended Head Start in the 1960s-70s, white children were 28.3% more likely than their siblings to complete high school and 27.6% more likely to attend college. (Garces et al., 2002)

Head Start improves adult health status for graduates; they are 7% less likely to be in poor health as adults than their siblings who did not attend. (Johnson, 2010; Deming, 2009)

As adults, Head Start graduates are 19% less likely to smoke than their siblings who did not attend. The savings from these reduced health costs are equal to 36%-141% of the program costs. (Anderson et al., 2010)

Among children who attended Head Start in the 1960s-70s, African American children who attended Head Start were 12% less likely to be arrested or charged with a crime compared to their siblings. (Garces et al., 2002)

Compared to siblings who did not attend, Head Start graduates demonstrated improved educational attainment, adult health status, and wages, and decreased grade repetition and incarceration rates for black males. (Johnson, 2011)

Exploring the evidence on lasting effects of Head Start for children and society both from and beyond the Head Start Impact Study shows the long-term effects and benefit-cost ratio of Head Start. (Karoly and Auger, 2016)

Other generations:

Early Head Start parents offer more stimulating home environments, read more with children, use less physical punishment, and have higher levels of self-sufficiency. (Love et al., 2002)

Head Start parents are more likely to increase their educational levels during their children's early years than other at-risk parents. (Sabol and Chase-Lansdale, 2014)

Head Start parents invest more time in learning activities with their children, and non-resident fathers spend more days per month with their children. (Gelber and Isen, 2011)

Head Start graduates report investing more in their own children; their children benefited from more positive parenting practices. Head Start graduates spent more teaching their own children numbers, letters, colors, and shapes, more time praising their children, showed their children more physical affection, spent more time doing the child's favorite activities, and reported spanking their children less. (Bauer and Schanzenbach, 2016)

The children of Head Start graduates are significantly more likely to finish high school and enroll in college and they are significantly less likely to become teen parents or to be involved in the criminal justice system. (Barr and Gibbs, 2017)

Photos by William Plowman
Citations

Aikens, N., Kopack Klein, A., Tarullo, L. & W est, J. (2013). Getting Ready for Kindergarten: Children's Progress During Head Start. FACES 2009 Report. OPRE Report 2013-21a. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( link)

Anderson, K.H., Foster, J.E., & Frisvold, D.E. (2010). Investing in Health: the Long-term Impact of Head Start on Smoking. Economic Inquiry, 48(3), 587-602. ( link)

Barr, A. and C. R. Gibbs. (2017) Breaking the Cycle? Intergenerational Effects of an Anti-Poverty Program in Early Childhood. ( link)

Bauer, L. and D. W. Schanzenbach. (2016) The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program. The Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution. ( link)

Bloom, H. S. and Weiland, C., Quantifying Variation in Head Start Effects on Young Children's Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Skills Using Data from the National Head Start Impact Study (March 31, 2015). ( link)

Connolly, F., and Olson, L.S. (2012). Early elementary performance and attendance in Baltimore City Schools' pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. ( link)

Deming, D. (2009). Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development: Evidence from Head Start. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1:3, 111-134. ( link)

Garces, E., D. Thomas, and J. Currie. (2002). Longer-Term Effects of Head Start. American Economic Review, 92(4): 999-1012. ( link)

Garcia, J.L., J.J. Heckman, D.E. Leaf, and M.J. Prados (2016). The Life-cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program. Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group, University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. (2016-035). ( link)

Gelber, A, and A. Isen. National Bureau of Economic Research. (2011, December). Children's Schooling and Parents' Behavior: Evidence from the Head Start Impact Study (Working Paper No. 17704). Cambridge, MA: ( link)

Green, B.L., Ayoub, C., Bartlett, J.D., Von Ende, A., Furrer, C., Chazan-Cohen, R., Vallotton, C. & Klevens, J. (2014) The Effect of Early Head Start on Child Welfare System Involvement: A First Look at Longitudinal Child Maltreatment Outcomes, Children and Youth Services Review. ( link)

Greenberg, M. & Domitrovich, C. (2011). The Harrisburg Preschool Program Evaluation: Final Report. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University, Prevention Research Center. ( link)

Johnson, R.C. (2010). The Health Returns of Education Policies from Preschool to High School and Beyond. American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings, 188-194. ( link)

Johnson, R.C. (2011). School-quality and the long-run effects of Head Start; Unpublished paper. ( link)

Karoly, L. A. and A. Auger. Informing Investments in Preschool Quality and Access in Cincinnati: Evidence of Impacts and Economic Returns from National, State, and Local Preschool Programs. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016. ( link)

Klein, S., Fries, L., and Emmons M.M., Early care and education arrangements and young children's risk of foster placement: Findings from a National Child Welfare Sample, Children and Youth Services Review (2017) ( link)

Lipscomb, S.T., Pratt, M.E., Schmitt, S.A., Pears, K.C., and Kim, H.K. (2013). School readiness is children living in non-parental care: Impacts of Head Start. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31 (1), 28-37. ( link)

Lee, R., Zhai, F., Brooks-Gunn, J., Han, W.-J., & Waldfogel, J. (2013). Head Start and Children's Nutrition, Weight, and Health Care Receipt. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(4) ( link)

Love, J. M., Kisker, E. E., Ross, C. M., Schochet, P. Z., Brooks-Gunn, J., Paulsell, D., Boller, K., Constantine, J., Vogel, C., Sidle Fuligni, A., Brady-Smith, C. (2002). Making a difference in the lives of infants and toddlers and their families: The impacts of early Head Start. Volumes I-III: Final technical report and appendixes and local contributions to understanding the programs and their impacts. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. ( link)

Ludwig, J. and Miller, D. (2007). Does Head Start improve children's life chances? Evidence from a regression discontinuity design. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122, 159-208. ( link)

Lumeng, J., Kaciroti, N., Sutrza, J., Krusky, A.M., Miller, A. L., Peterson, K. E., Lipton, R., & Reischl, T.M. (2015). Changes in Body Mass Index Associated with Head Start Participation. Pediatrics, 135(2): 1-8. ( link)

Phillips, D., W. Gormley, & S. Anderson. (2016). The Effects of Tulsa's CAP Head Start Program on Middle-School Academic Outcomes and Progress. Developmental Psychology, 52, 1247-1261. ( link)

Sabol, T.J. and Chase-Lansdale, P.L. (2014). The Influence of Low-Income Children's Participation in Head Start on Their Parents' Education and Employment. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. doi: 10.1002/pam.21799 ( link)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2010). Head Start Impact Study: Final Report. Washington, DC. ( link)

Vogel, C.A., Xue, Y., Moiduddin, E.M., Kisker, E.E., & Carlson, B.L. (2010). Early Head Start Children in Grade 5: Long-Term Follow-Up of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Study Sample. OPRE Report # 2011-8, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( link)

Zhai, F., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2011). Head Start and urban children's school readiness: A birth cohort study in 18 cities. Developmental Psychology, 47, 134-152. ( link)

Zhao, H. & Modarresi, S. (2010). Evaluating Lasting Effects of Full-day Prekindergarten Program on School Readiness, Academic Performance and Special Education Services. Office of Shared Accountability of Montgomery County Public Schools. ( link)

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Interested in sharing this content? NHSA has prepared one-page handouts on Head Start's impacts on health outcomes, immediate impacts, and long-term outcomes. Plus, evidence from the impact study! Children that participate in Head Start programs receive innumerable benefits. These advantages appear immediately, last a lifetime, and even have an effect on other generations.

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ALEXIS MAST
This article talks about the various limitations of Head Start programs. One of the limitations it mentions is the way that data is collected to track the progress of the children. The articles states that there is not a standard tool that is used to collect data, so not all data is collected in equally. It also talks about how the turnover rate of teachers and staff can impact the accuracy of some of the data that is collected on the strengths of Head Start and it's impact on children. Head Start monitors the health of the children in their facilities, but they focus a lot of weight rather than other health factors that are very important as well.
Alexis Mast

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Head Start Programs Offers Benefits, Improve Child Being and School Readiness: Re

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Head Start Programs Offers Benefits, Improve Child Being and School Readiness: Re

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LINDSEY OSIKA
This article talks about a final report that was given from a chosen advisory committee to make recommendations to Head Start. In order to make effective short term and long term outcomes for the children who take part in the program. The report recommends using data to identify the characteristics of programs that are most effective in achieving the Head Start goals. Come together with an expert panel to establish national school-readiness goals for both English and dual language learners.  After the report was given the Head Start director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes stated they will use these recommendations to maintain the highest standards and expectations for all Head Start Programs.
Lindsey Osika

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Head Start programs lead to short-term benefits across multiple areas of children's well-being and school readiness, according to a recent report.

An advisory committee charged with reviewing the federal pre-school program Head Start has issued its final report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The committee was asked to make recommendations regarding the design of the studies used to evaluate Head Start, given what is known about the program's effectiveness.

Head Start aims to bridge the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers by preparing those from low-income households for school.

The report suggests that there is potential to enhance both short-term and longer-term outcomes of Head Start by making quality improvements within Head Start and Early Head Start, and by improving the ways that gains are maintained and built upon in elementary school.

The committee contends that Head Start should be systematically and consistently focused on outcomes, particularly with regard to school readiness. It should also embrace innovation as a means of reaching said goals in locally individualized ways.

Using school readiness and other key outcomes as a benchmark, the committee recommends Head Start rely on data and existing evidence from research and ongoing monitoring of progress in order to improve and further strengthen outcomes. More specifically, the Secretary should develop federal guidelines for local programs on how to define and measure children's progress toward school readiness in all five domains required by the Designation Renewal System, for both English-speaking and dual-language learners. At the same time, there is a need to identify the most appropriate assessment tools for measuring those goals, as well as other key outcomes that contribute to readiness, including program quality, family health and well-being.

In addition, all practices and policies tied to achieving these goals should be aligned within local programs and across the federal components of Head Start.

Another one of the committee's recommendation is to work at the federal level to coordinate early childhood services beginning during the prenatal period and continuing to age 8, so as to support optimal development.

Early Head Start and Head Start should also be coordinated in order to minimize experience gaps in services, and to ensure a smooth transition across early childhood education.

Head Start Director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes issued a statement in response to the report, in which she outlines some of the steps that are being taken to implement many of the committee's key recommendations. These include analyzing data from the Head Start and Early Head Start evaluations to identify the characteristics of programs that are the most effective in achieving Head Start's goals, and convening an expert panel to establish national school readiness goals for both English and dual-language learners. The program also intends to design a study to identify effective approaches to teacher coaching, among other things.

"We will use these recommendations in our ongoing research and programmatic efforts to maintain our high standards and expectations for all Head Start programs," Sanchez Fuentes said in a statement. "By ensuring that we stay ahead of the curve, Head Start can continue to provide underprivileged children with the tools they need to keep pace with their peers in educational, social, and emotional development."

BEFORE YOU GO

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u.s. department of health and human services

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Head Start Programs Offer Benefits, Improve Child Well-Being And School Readiness: Report

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Head Start programs lead to short-term benefits across multiple areas of children's well-being and school readiness, according to a recent report. An advisory committee charged with reviewing the federal pre-school program Head Start has issued its final report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Article:  NAEYC Head Start	This article was an overview highlighting the attributes of the Head Start Program.  Since 1965, Head Start has provided education, health, parent involvement and social services to each family that has participated with this program.  The Performance Standards are said to be the cornerstone of the program’s success, as they establish the required teaching practices, learning environments, curricula, assessments, and professional development. “The Head Start Early Learning Framework, which describe what young children should know and be able to do across developmental domains.” (NAEYC)	Head Start is noted to be underfunded as it can only reach approximately half of the eligible children, and Early Head Start can only assist fewer than five percent of eligible infants and toddlers.  Information was noted to request people to reach out to help the Head Start program to share their stories to seek resources and support for the Head Start programs all across America.	I definitely agree that Head Start works, as I have worked with the local center base and home base programs in both Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana.  Being a past Head Start parent, I am partial to the program as I know firsthand of the benefits.  I got my GED as a parent volunteer of the Head Start program, while my oldest son attended classes.  I went on to become a teacher, obtain my Associate Degree and now I am only two semesters away from my Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood.https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/head-start

# data[].attributes.subject
Article:  NAEYC Head Start	This article was an overview highlighting the attributes of the Head Start Program.  Since 1965, Head Start has provided education, health, parent involvement and social services to each family that has participated with this program.  The Performance Standards are said to be the cornerstone of the program’s success, as they establish the required teaching practices, learning environments, curricula, assessments, and professional development. “The Head Start Early Learning Framework, which describe what young children should know and be able to do across developmental domains.” (NAEYC)	Head Start is noted to be underfunded as it can only reach approximately half of the eligible children, and Early Head Start can only assist fewer than five percent of eligible infants and toddlers.  Information was noted to request people to reach out to help the Head Start program to share their stories to seek resources and support for the Head Start programs all across America.	I definitely agree that Head Start works, as I have worked with the local center base and home base programs in both Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana.  Being a past Head Start parent, I am partial to the program as I know firsthand of the benefits.  I got my GED as a parent volunteer of the Head Start program, while my oldest son attended classes.  I went on to become a teacher, obtain my Associate Degree and now I am only two semesters away from my Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood.https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/head-start

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Pam Ashby

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Article:  Time to Ax Public Programs That Don’t Yield	The article tackles the debate on if Head Start should be axed as some would suggest or convey that “Head Start simply does not work.”  (Klein, 2011).  Head Start began in the 1060’s as President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty.  The program was documented as being successful in several pilot programs back in the 1960’s, however currently seven billion dollars are spent yearly for nearly one million children to receive these educational services.  	According to the Head Start Impact Study, the positive affects faded or vanished by the first grade.  One question raised was “Why do so many of these programs succeed as pilot programs, yet fail when taken to scale?  The Head Start program is also run by the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and not the Department of Education.  That fact alone has raised many eyebrows in the educational and political realms in America.	I personally do not agree with this article, as I have witnessed so many success stories for the entire family as Head Start participants.  Head Start supports the entire family and offers programs, support, encouragement, education, and assistance with the adults as well as the educational benefits to the children.  Nutritional foods, health screenings, mental health services, etc., are offered daily and the parents are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the daily routine and schedule of Head Start. 

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Article:  Time to Ax Public Programs That Don’t Yield	The article tackles the debate on if Head Start should be axed as some would suggest or convey that “Head Start simply does not work.”  (Klein, 2011).  Head Start began in the 1060’s as President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty.  The program was documented as being successful in several pilot programs back in the 1960’s, however currently seven billion dollars are spent yearly for nearly one million children to receive these educational services.  	According to the Head Start Impact Study, the positive affects faded or vanished by the first grade.  One question raised was “Why do so many of these programs succeed as pilot programs, yet fail when taken to scale?  The Head Start program is also run by the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and not the Department of Education.  That fact alone has raised many eyebrows in the educational and political realms in America.	I personally do not agree with this article, as I have witnessed so many success stories for the entire family as Head Start participants.  Head Start supports the entire family and offers programs, support, encouragement, education, and assistance with the adults as well as the educational benefits to the children.  Nutritional foods, health screenings, mental health services, etc., are offered daily and the parents are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the daily routine and schedule of Head Start. 

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https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2081778,00.html
Pam Ashby

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Early Head Start Benefits Children and Families

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Early Head Start Benefits Children and Families

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LINDSEY OSIKA
This article discusses the programs benefits to not only the children but also their parents/guardians. A study was done with families that were in an Early Head Start program verses families who were in a control group that did not attend the program. The outcomes showed that children who attended the programs had a reduce risk of poor language, cognitive, and school outcomes later on. Parents of the program reported having less behavior problems than the children in the control group. The Early Head Start parents were more supportive to their children's emotions and language. The program also impacted the parent's participation in education and job trainings. The father's also played a significant role in engaging with their children verses the father's of the control group. Lastly, the families who were in the program received intensive services that focused on child development and parenting. Having these types of services available can really benefit a family who truly wants it. Having worked for a Head Start program for the past 4 years I have witnessed families being part of the program just to have a place to drop off their child. But I have had more families truly participate in all the services we have to offer and seen much growth in their families. Not only the children but the adults too.
Lindsey Osika

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The Premise of Head Start is Simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. 

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The Premise of Head Start is Simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. 

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LINDSEY OSIKA
This is a brief overview from the National Head Start Association. The Head Start model has been built on evidence-based practices and is constantly adapting. The program ensures that it meets children's needs by creating a deep understanding  of how they learn and what supports their development. Head Start is also for the whole family making sure that children who come from socioeconomic disadvantages have access to high quality education and care. The components of a Head Start Program are; education, health, parent involvement, and social services.
Lindsey Osika

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The premise of Head Start is simple: every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential.

When Head Start was first launched in 1965, the idea of providing comprehensive health, nutrition, and education services to children in poverty was revolutionary, if not radical. The Head Start Model, developed over the decades has been built on evidence-based practices and is constantly adapting - using the best available science and teaching techniques to meet the needs of local communities.

The Whole Child

Head Start programs offer an ideal laboratory for the study of effective child development and learning. The Department of Health and Human Services funds extensive research every year that reinvigorates practices, ensuring that programs meet children's needs by creating a deep understanding of how they learn and what supports healthy development. Children enter Head Start with serious socioeconomic disadvantages that can hold them back for life.

The Whole Family

Head Start supports families facing difficult circumstances and seeks to mitigate obstacles to learning in the early years.

Flash forward 50 years, President Barack Obama in his 2014 State of the Union address called for more focused and dedicated work to ensure vulnerable children and families have access to high quality care and education in their earliest years. His FY2016 budget, included a commitment to expand and strengthen child care and early education programs, specifically increasing the duration of Head Start to a full school day and year. Clearly, providing early learning opportunities for at-risk children has become not only a focal point for lawmakers, but a shared national commitment.

What makes the whole child and whole family model so powerful? Nobel-prize winning economist James Heckman has suggested that the social-emotional development cultivated by programs may be the true contributor to long-term impacts, and health benefits which range from decreased child mortality to adult health behaviors. Furthermore, an additional motivator behind children's success through elementary school and beyond are very likely parents. By helping families who are struggling with poverty and other socio-economic challenges achieve their goals for education, employment, and housing, Head Start plays a transformative role across two generations.

What are the components of a Head Start program?

Head Start takes a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of young children. There are four major components to Head Start:

Education: Providing a variety of learning experiences to help children grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

Health: Providing health services such as immunizations, dental, medical, and mental health, and nutritional services, and early identification of health problems.

Parent Involvement: Involving parents in the planning and implementation of activities. Parents serve on policy councils and committees that make administrative decisions; participate in classes and workshops on child development; and volunteer in the program.

Social Services: Provide outreach to families to determine what services they need.

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When Head Start was first launched in 1965, the idea of providing comprehensive health, nutrition, and education services to children in poverty was revolutionary, if not radical. The Head Start Model, developed over the decades has been built on evidence-based practices and is constantly adapting - using the best available science and teaching techniques to meet the needs of local communities.

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The Real Problem with Head Start and why it needs a fresh start

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The Real Problem with Head Start and why it needs a fresh start

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LINDSEY OSIKA
This article discusses how Head Start is a federally funded program with uniform national standards and goals. But the program falls short of its goal by not provided all children who need it with high quality care due to disparities across states who need it. Steven Barnett who is a Board of Governs Professor and director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers had done some research and here where his findings. Nation wide Head Start enrolls less than half the intended children and families. Depending on the state you live in determines the number of slots received and that leaves families with not much of a chance of even getting into the program. There are many discrepancies also when it comes to teacher training, teacher pay, and other indicators of quality. The article suggest changes based on a fresh start. The federal government should provide additional dollars dedicated to the states with the lowest allocations relative to the needs of their children.
Lindsey Osika

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https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs//about/history-of-head.  Shared history facts of Head Start as "war on poverty"  Lyndon Johnson, President of the United States in 1965.
https://www.huffingpost.com/2012/11/19/advisory-committee-review_n_2159585.html Basically a Head Start progress report.