Head Start Measurement Analysis

Head Start is a Federal funded, comprehensive child development program that has an overall goal to prepare children from low-income families for school (Administration for Children and Families). The Head Start Program is under the direction of local, non-profit organizations in almost every county in the world. The Head Start Program originally began in 1965, by

Head Start is a federally funded, education development program that was created in 1965. The program provides education and services for eligible children from low-income families. Head Start 's philosophy focuses on the development of social-emotional, physical and mental health, nutrition, and working with families and the community and stated “low-income people should help plan and run their own programs” (p. 41-42). Head Start has truly expanded their resources over the years by providing a full school year for ages 3-6 years old and offering services such as health screenings, referrals, and social services (p. 42). Most importantly, each and every Head Start program must follow the federal Head Start Program Performace Standards that address all areas of development (p. 42). The program is truly committed to support low-income families and creating an education system that supports all aspects of the child.

Head Start has already accomplished the goal of affecting services available for low-income families and children. This is being accomplished due to better resource and referral services (Blank, 2002). 20,302,000 children have been enrolled in the

Head Start is a federally funded government agency, that provides low income youth with pre-school and health services (Barnett, 2007). However, the long term effects of Head Start are extremely difficult to measure (Lee, Zhai, Brooks-Gunn, Han, & Waldfogel, 2013). Subsequently, Head Start has become one of the most controversial government agencies (Nathan, 2007).

Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age five, pregnant woman and their extended families. They are child-focused programs that have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. . These programs try to prepare young children intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically for their future educational and social endeavors. ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002).. The programs prepare the parent(s) to be supportive in the endeavor. Head Start has the philosophy that parents are a child's first and most influential teacher. The Head Start program is beneficial to early learning.

The Head Start program offers children a fruitful education, in which they are given the opportunity to thrive. The children receive “free medical and

In a long time since its initiation, Head Start has enhanced the lives of more than 32 million youngsters and their families. Notwithstanding life and school readiness, Head Start is likewise the country's research center for early learning development. Head Start offers an exceptional children and family program configuration combined with a conveyance framework that incorporates nearby projects, national models, observing, proficient improvement, and family interactions. This has been the reason for some resulting statewide and group

Currie supports her arguments by addressing that Head Start is of good quality. She explains her pathos and acknowledges that the program “depends on federal grants and are held to high standards” (Currie,682). With dependence of the government funding it is crucial that the program meets all mandates and standards in which they are responsible for. Currie clarifies that the program is of value, even though the common perception of Head Start is of low quality. (682) She addresses “Audits have consistently shown that Head Start is of high quality relative to other child care centers available to low income children” (682). However, she is trying to prove that Head Start is of high quality, with that,

Head Start/Early Head Start Program is a governmentally financed project that serves low-salary children and their families in DeKalb, Atlanta/DeKalb, and Rockdale districts. The Program gives discriminating formative, training and wellbeing administrations to pregnant ladies, burdened youngsters from conception to five, and their families to enhance their long haul school and occupation prospects. The Programs incorporate an in number social administrations and guardian inclusion center. Parents are prepared to work and associate successfully with their kids, their families and inside of their family. The general objective of Head Start/Early Head Start is to enhance the school status of youngsters

Since the creation of the head start program, several researchers have published about the ineffectiveness of the program. For example, according to Currie & Thomas (1993), head start programs have no impact on African American students' academic success in elementary school. To explore Currie and Thomas's research findings, a program evaluation of the program will be carried out on Aaron E. Henry Head Start Program. Aaron E. Henry Head Start Program, which is located in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is being selected because majorities of its residents are African Americans. According to the United States Census Bureau (n.d.), over 75% of the individuals living in Clarksdale, Mississippi are African Americans. In order to evaluate this head start

Between the years 2002 and 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was required to research Head Start’s influence on the children being impacted by the program. Lee used the Impact Study’s data for his research. With this data, Lee tried to answer two different questions; “What

Standards of the Head Start program are to deliver comprehensive, healthy development of low income families, and individualized services to support school readiness. The new change within the Head Start program was made according to research for what has been known to work in Early Education to help develop children’s healthy development and schools readiness. The new standards are to maintain and help strengthen child safety, family engagements which are meant to help children to succeed. Head Start has 1,400 performance standards. Head start has become an outcome focus group within the head start program. The Head Start program has updated, removed, and reorganized standards to make it easier on providers. The last time the standards was advised was

According to the Administration for Children and Families (2010), “Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families” (para. 3). Based on this mission subject, it is possible to subject Head Start to a program evaluation based on the following questions: (a) Is Head Start provisioning educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families? (b) Is the provisioning of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services leading to an enhancement of the social and cognitive development of children? (c) Is the social and cognitive development of children a social good for which taxpayers should pay $7 billion a year? These questions will be addressed, both directly and indirectly, later in this overview.

National Head start Association believes that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to reach their full potential. This organization advocates Advocacy leverages grassroots action, alumni- and parent-driven support, and a bipartisan strategy to ensure a successful and sustainable future for Head start (NAEYC,2005).

In the article we reviewed what is known about Head Start and argue that the program is likely to generate benefits to participants and society as a whole that are large enough to justify the program’s costs. Although in principle there could be more beneficial ways of deploying Head Start resources, the benefits of such changes remain uncertain and there is some downside risk.