Head Start Services

Head Start promotes the development of the whole child based on an understanding that kindergarten readiness includes not only children’s cognitive development but also their physical development and their emotional and social readiness to learn. In addition to the educational and socialization experiences that children receive, programs also emphasize children’s overall health and wellness – including their physical and oral health. Children receive meals in center-based programs and learn about the importance of hand washing and tooth brushing. Within 45 days of enrollment all children participate in a variety of screenings including vision and hearing. Children are also required to have a dental exam. In all cases, referrals are made for follow-up care when needed.

Head Start works with children AND their families based on a belief that the best way to help children succeed over time is to support families and assist them to become economically self-sufficient. Head Start provides family support services to assist families to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, safe living environments, and access to health care. Staff also offers family members opportunities and support for growth and change through the development of family partnership plans. When families have more than one service plan, Head Start will endeavor to create a coordinated plan for the family that is inclusive of all the goals that have previously been identified through multiple agency service providers.

Head Start’s major emphasis on parent involvement is critical to its success. Since Head Start is built on a belief that children’s parents are their first and primary educators, teachers and other staff partner with families to ensure that children accomplish the educational outcomes identified by their families. All programs have open door policies and parents are encouraged to visit and volunteer on a regular basis. Parents exercise an important governance role. All programs are overseen by parent groups known as Policy Councils or Committees, which are composed of 51% current parents. Councils afford parents the opportunity to act as decision makers in all aspects of program operation.

All Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the Commonwealth must meet MA vigorous health and safety regulations as well as comply with the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The Head Start Program Performance Standards provide a framework for Head Start services and create standardized definitions of quality to ensure the highest level of accountability. Programs are audited triennially to ensure compliance with the Standards.

Since 1996, the Head Start Program Performance Standards have called for teachers to conduct ongoing assessments of each child’s progress. In addition, programs are also required to analyze assessment information on the progress of preschool children in all aspects of development and learning to ensure positive child outcomes. Staff and parents gather information on an ongoing basis to document each preschool child’s progress toward positive child outcomes in language, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical development.

In 2000 the National Head Start Impact Study was commissioned. The project is a longitudinal study whose primary purpose is to determine whether Head Start has an impact on participating children and their parents and, if so, whether such effects vary among different types of children, families, communities, and configurations of children’s early care and program experiences. More specifically, the project has two primary goals. The first is to determine on a national basis how Head Start affects the school readiness of children participating in the program as compared to children not enrolled in Head Start. In addition, how does Head Start affect the lives of the families of children enrolled in the program? The second goal of the study is to determine under which conditions Head Start works best and for which children. Preliminary results released in June 2005 on the Head Start Impact Study demonstrated:

• Small to moderate statistically significant positive impacts for both 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start on pre-reading, pre-writing, vocabulary, and parent reports of children’s literacy skills.
• For children who entered this study as 3-year-olds, there is a small statistically significant impact in reducing the frequency and severity of problem behavior as reported by their parents.
• For 3-year-olds, there are small to moderate statistically significant impacts in children’s health as Head Start parents reported that their children had higher access to health care and reportedly had better health than those children not enrolled in Head Start.
• For 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start, a much higher proportion of Head Start children received dental care than those children who did not receive Head Start services
• For children in the 3-year-old group, a higher proportion of parents with children in Head Start reported that their child was either in excellent or very good health as compared with those parents who did not have children enrolled in Head Start.
• A higher proportion of Head Start parents read to their children more frequently than those parents of children who were not enrolled in Head Start.
• By the end of one year of participation in Head Start, Head Start was able to nearly cut in half the achievement gap in children’s pre-reading skills that would be expected in the absence of these children receiving Head Start services.

To view the report, click Here.