title: The effectiveness of early head start for 3-year-old children and their parents: lessons for policy and programs.
abstract: Early Head Start, a federal program begun in 1995 for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, was evaluated through a randomized trial of 3,001 families in 17 programs. Interviews with primary caregivers, child assessments, and observations of parent-child interactions were completed when children were 3 years old. Caregivers were diverse in race-ethnicity, language, and other characteristics. Regression-adjusted impact analyses showed that 3-year-old program children performed better than did control children in cognitive and language development, displayed higher emotional engagement of the parent and sustained attention with play objects, and were lower in aggressive behavior. Compared with controls, Early Head Start parents were more emotionally supportive, provided more language and learning stimulation, read to their children more, and spanked less. The strongest and most numerous impacts were for programs that offered a mix of home-visiting and center-based services and that fully implemented the performance standards early.
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ 08543, USA. jlove@mathematica-mpr.com
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: Ellen Eliason
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Kisker
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raikes
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Constantine
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boller
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brooks-Gunn
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chazan-Cohen
authors.forename: Louisa Banks
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Tarullo
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brady-Smith
authors.forename: Allison Sidle
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fuligni
authors.forename: Peter Z
authors.initials: PZ
authors.lastname: Schochet
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paulsell
authors.forename: Cheri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vogel
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D011640:Public Policy; D015406:Single Parent; D012951:Socialization; D014481:United States