A Second Year in Head Start: Characteristics and Outcomes of Children Who Entered the Program at Age Three. ACF-OPRE Report
Author: Tarullo, Louisa
Date: 2010-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Family Life,Parent Participation,Kindergarten,Educational Environment,Academic Achievement,Student Characteristics,Demography,Family Characteristics,Educational Experience,Child Development,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Gender Differences,Racial Differences,Interviews,Parent Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Student Records,Participant Satisfaction,Health Conditions,Preschool Evaluation,Outcomes of Education,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) was first launched in 1997 as a periodic longitudinal study of program performance. Successive nationally representative samples of Head Start children, their families, classrooms, and programs provide descriptive information on the population served; staff qualifications, credentials, beliefs, and opinions; classroom practices and quality measures; and child and family outcomes. This brief profiles the second year in the program for 3-year-old Head Start children and families who were newly enrolled in fall 2006 (see Tarullo et al. 2008) and are still attending in spring 2008. FACES selects two groups of first-time enrollees--those entering at age 4 and those entering at age 3--who are expected to attend Head Start for one or two years, respectively, prior to kindergarten entry. The 3-year-old group is of particular interest for several reasons: (1) as the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) shows, 3-year-olds occupy a growing share of the total population served by Head Start, increasing from 24 percent in 1980 to 40 percent in 2007 (ACF 2010); (2) they may differ in important characteristics from children who enter at age 4 in terms of developmental level and exposure to prior child care experiences; and (3) they have the potential to continue in Head Start for two program years or to leave for another prekindergarten experience. In the first section of the report, the authors provide background on the study methodology and sample. In the next section, they offer information on the children's characteristics, family demographics, and home life, including language background, educational environment of the home, family routines, and socioeconomic risk status. They also include information on parent involvement in Head Start and their level of satisfaction with their own and their children's Head Start experiences. Where appropriate, these characteristics are contrasted with those of children who entered as 3-year-olds in fall 2006 but did not complete a second year of Head Start. They chronicle children's developmental progress over two years of Head Start in the final section, considering whether these outcomes vary by gender, race/ethnicity, or risk status. It is important to note that changes in children's skills and development during their program experience reflect a range of influences in their lives, including child-level characteristics, such as maturation and health status, as well as community, program, classroom, peer, and family influences. (Contains 14 figures, 1 table and 33 notes.) [For related report, &quot;Data Tables for FACES 2006: A Second Year in Head Start Report. ACF-OPRE Report,&quot; see ED517210.]