Head Start – the comprehensive birth-to-five education and health program serving nearly a million low-income children each year – is one of the federal government’s best success stories. Unfortunately, Head Start increasingly finds itself caught in the crossfire between the opponents and proponents of expanded pre-kindergarten (pre-K) services for children not now eligible for Head Start.
For opponents of wider pre-K, the assumption seems to be that they have to “take out” Head Start first in order to lay waste to “universal preschool.” The recent op-ed by Hoover Institution senior fellow Chester Finn (“Targeted – not universal – preschool is the answer,” May 19, 2009) is a prime example of this unfortunate trend.
The truth is that President Barack Obama, who has pledged to spend $10 billion or more a year on “zero to five” education, and Congress – which already has approved a $2.1 billion “down payment” on that commitment for Head Start and Early Head Start – have it exactly right: Head Start works. It gets results. And it is extremely accountable in terms of how federal monies are spent.
Using Mr. Finn’s op-ed article as a guide, let’s take a look at the myths and facts about Head Start.
Myth: Head Start is ineffectual.
Fact: Head Start is one of the best-documented success stories in the federal government. Studies show that Head Start generates benefits that exceed its costs. Our society receives nearly $9 in benefits for every $1 dollar invested in Head Start children, according to the preliminary results of a longitudinal study of more than 600 Head Start graduates in San Bernardino County, Calif. These projected benefits include increased earnings, employment and family stability; and decreased welfare dependency, crime costs, grade repetition and special education. Head Start benefits its children and society at large by reducing crime and its costs to crime victims. Head Start children are significantly less likely to have been charged with a crime than their siblings who did not participate in Head Start.
Myth: Head Start programs are shoddy and don’t measure the right things, such as kindergarten readiness.
Fact: The federal government probably has more information on the quality of Head Start programs than it does for our major banks undergoing stress tests. Two nationally representative studies from 2003 and 2005 – the Head Start Impact Study and the Family and Child Experiences Survey, respectively – reveal that Head Start programs are of consistently good quality. Head Start assesses the kindergarten-readiness of its students through locally based assessments and through multiple nationally representative studies of the children enrolled in Head Start. The Head Start Impact Study found statistically significant positive impacts for 3- and 4-year-old enrolled children on pre-reading, pre-writing, vocabulary and parent reports of children’s literacy skills.
Myth: Congress has forbidden Head Start to use readiness measures to evaluate program effectiveness.
Fact: The fact that Congress terminated the scientifically flawed Head Start National Reporting System did not eliminate the use of other readiness measures. In fact, Head Start programs must assess child outcomes three times a year and are encouraged to follow the Head Start Child Outcomes framework and assess children three times a year in eight developmental domains: language development, literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical heath and development. In addition to the assessments that each local program must undertake, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has conducted the Head Start Impact Study and the Early Head Start Impact Study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, respectively.
Head Start prepares children for kindergarten and makes a difference in the lives of its graduates as they progress through their primary and secondary education. More than 200 years ago, John Adams declared: “Facts are stubborn things.” When it comes to Head Start, the stubborn facts demonstrate why it is that Head Start is the premier national birth to five early childhood program.
Yasmina Vinci is executive director of the National Head Start Association in Alexandria, VA.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.