Head Start
Head Start is a U.S. government initiative established in 1965 aimed at helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds improve their life prospects. The program primarily serves children aged three to five from low-income households and those with disabilities, offering early education and nutritional support. It includes specialized branches such as Early Head Start, which focuses on pregnant women and infants, and Migrant Head Start, designed for families of migrant workers. A significant aspect of the program is its emphasis on early intervention, based on the belief that investing in a child's education and nutrition can lead to better long-term outcomes. These investments are thought to reduce the need for more expensive interventions later in life, such as counseling or rehabilitation. Head Start also plays a crucial role in serving a diverse population, with a high representation of minority children. However, the program has faced challenges, including declining enrollment due to the rise of public preschools. Critics have raised questions about its effectiveness, while supporters argue that Head Start's comprehensive approach, which goes beyond education to address community needs, sets it apart from traditional preschool programs.
Head Start
Head Start is a US government program established in 1965 to improve the potential for children in disadvantaged households to escape poverty and succeed later in life. The program provides early education and nutritional programs to children between the ages of three and five years old. It is targeted primarily at low-income households and children with disabilities.
In addition to the main program, the Early Head Start program targets pregnant women and infants and toddlers, and the Migrant Head Start program helps migrant workers. All Head Start programs serve a disproportionately large number of minority children and involve federal grants to local service providers.
The programs are founded on the reasoning that early intervention is the most effective way to ensure a person’s long-term success. Investment in nutrition and education during a child’s early years is thought to create a solid foundation for later learning and development. Such investment would therefore reduce the need for more costly and controversial programs at later stages, such as youth counseling, welfare, drug rehabilitation, or incarceration. Such investment is also seen as a means for increasing minority enrollment in college that is more politically acceptable than alternatives such as affirmative action.
However, formal long-term evaluations of Head Start programs have raised serious questions about their actual effectiveness. As public preschools became more widely instated across the United States, Head Start programs faced enrollment declines. However, proponents of the program argue that Head Start differs from programs like preschools because they target communities and families directly in need and provide services beyond education to benefit the whole child.
Bibliography
“Head Start Services.” The Administration for Children and Families, www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/head-start-services. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
Jenkins, Jade Marcus, et al. “Head Start at Ages 3 and 4 versus Head Start Followed by State Pre-K: Which Is More Effective?” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 38, no. 1 , 2016, pp. 88-112. doi:10.3102/0162373715587965. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
Reinberg, Steven. "Head Start Program Helps Reduce Childhood Obesity." CBS News, 12 Jan. 2015, www.cbsnews.com/news/head-start-program-helps-reduce-childhood-obesity/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
“Program Information Report (PIR).” ECLKC, Department of Health and Human Services, 2023, eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/data-ongoing-monitoring/article/program-information-report-pir. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
Strauss, Valerie. "Does Head Start Work for Kids? The Bottom Line." Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/05/does-head-start-work-for-kids-the-bottom-line/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.