title: Head Start's impact is contingent on alternative type of care in comparison group.
abstract: Using data (n = 3,790 with 2,119 in the 3-year-old cohort and 1,671 in the 4-year-old cohort) from 353 Head Start centers in the Head Start Impact Study, the only large-scale randomized experiment in Head Start history, this article examined the impact of Head Start on children's cognitive and parent-reported social-behavioral outcomes through first grade contingent on the child care arrangements used by children who were randomly assigned to the control group (i.e., parental care, relative/non-relative care, another Head Start program, or other center-based care). A principal score matching approach was adopted to identify children assigned to Head Start who were similar to children in the control group with a specific care arrangement. Overall, the results showed that the effects of Head Start varied substantially contingent on the alternative child care arrangements. Compared with children in parental care and relative/non-relative care, Head Start participants generally had better cognitive and parent-reported behavioral development, with some benefits of Head Start persisting through first grade; in contrast, few differences were found between Head Start and other center-based care. The results have implications regarding the children for whom Head Start is most beneficial as well as how well Head Start compares with other center-based programs.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University.
authors.forename: Fuhua
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Teachers College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brooks-Gunn
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Columbia University.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waldfogel
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011647:Puerto Rico; D012919:Social Behavior; D014481:United States