Early Head Start

Last updated

Early Head Start is a federally funded community-based program for low-income families with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers up to age 3. It is a program that came out of Head Start. [1] The program was designed in 1994 by an Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers formed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. [1] "In addition to providing or linking families with needed services—medical, mental health, nutrition, and education—Early Head Start can provide a place for children to experience consistent, nurturing relationships and stable, ongoing routines." [2]

Contents

Early Head Start offers three different options and programs may offer one or more to families. The three options are: a home-based option, a center-based option, or a combination option in which families get a set number of home visits and a set number of center-based experiences, There are also locally designed options, which in some communities include family child care. [3]

Important areas

  1. Child Development: "Programs must support the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language development of each child." [1] This also includes educating and supporting parents and positive parent-child relationships. The program must provide the following services or it must refer families to outside services that provide these:
    1. Developmentally appropriate education services for young children this includes developmentally appropriate settings, activities, and resources;
    2. Home-visits;
    3. Parent education and parent-child activities;
    4. Complete health and mental health services; and
    5. High quality child care services provided by or in partnership with local child care centers [1]
  2. Family Development: Programs must help families develop and reach goals for both parents and children. Each family will work with the staff to create a family development plan that focuses on all different needs of the family including social, economic, and the child's developmental needs. Families involved in multiple programs will receive help to integrate all programs into one plan and system of services. [1] The services that programs must provide directly or through referral include:
    1. Information on child development;
    2. Complete health and mental health services, this includes alcohol and substance abuse treatment and assistance with quitting smoking;
    3. Parents will receive adult education, literacy, and job skills training to foster family's independence.
    4. Families will get help in obtaining income support, safe housing, or emergency cash; and
    5. Families will receive help with transportation to early head start program services to allow all participants access to the program and services. [1]
  3. Community Building: In order to create a complete network of services and support for pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, Early Head Start must assess a community and its services. The goal is to create a network in the community to support these families and their needs by giving them access to services and making these services more efficient for all families in the community. [1]
  4. Staff Development: The quality of the staff is a key structure of the Early Head Start program. Staff members involved with the program must develop supportive relationships with parents and children. Staff will have a continuous learning process which includes trainings, supervision, and mentoring in order to keep them focused on the main goals of the program and help them build better relationships with both families and children. Development will be focused on child development, family development, and community development. [1]
  5. Administration/Management: The administration and management used with the Early Head Start programs will follow the practices which uphold the nine principles and four cornerstones set forth in the Early Head Start initiative. All staff must be cross-trained in the areas of child, family, and community development. Relationship-building will be the focus and basis for interactions between children, families, and staff members. [1]
  6. Continuous Improvement: On-going training and technical assistance is provided by the Infant/Family Network and the EHS NRC, this in addition to other trainings, mentoring, research, and evaluations enables the Early Head Start program staff and services to meet the needs of families and their children better. [1] Continuous training ensures that staff will be up to date and constantly informed on program policies and guides.
  7. Children with Disabilities: Early Head Start programs will be responsible for coordinating with different programs and services in their areas in accordance with Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Early Head Start program ensures that children with disabilities will not be excluded, and that these children will receive all the services they need and be included in all program activities. [1] This gives all children equal access to services and resources to ensure proper child development.
  8. Socialization: The Early Head Start program focuses on socialization of infants and toddlers the most important relationship at this age is between children and their parents. Socialization between infants and toddlers and their peers is also important but is not the main focus. [8] Socialization gives parents a chance to be in a setting where they can interact with their child, other parents, and qualified staff in order to learn more about their child's development and develop more as a family. It is one more way families can receive support and education. [8] Socialization also helps with community and team building by bringing many different members together and increasing communication and relationship. [8]
  9. Curriculum: The Early Head Start curriculum plays an extremely important role in the development and education of young children in the program. The curriculum includes five aspects: 1-the goals designed by staff and parents for the child's growth, development, and learning; 2-the experiences and activities through which the child will achieve the goals set for them; 3-what the staff and parents will do to support and help the child achieve these goals; and 4- the materials needed to facilitate and support the implementation of the curriculum in order for the child to reach these goals. [9]

Eligibility for the program

Early Head Start is a child development program for low-income families with infants and toddlers. [1] "Each Early Head Start program is responsible for determining its own eligibility criteria." [1] Key factors in determining eligibility are

Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Project 1996–2010

In 1996, the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) launched a large-scale evaluation of Early Head Start (EHS) by randomly assigning qualifying families at 17 sites nationally to participate and looking at their social, psychological, developmental and academic outcomes compared to a matched control group. Families in the control group were able to receive any services available to them. The evaluation followed families over five time points, according to the child's age: 14 months, 24 months, 36 months, pre-kindergarten and 5th grade. [10]

Supportive findings for children's development

Findings from the DHHS evaluation demonstrate significant, positive impacts on children's social-emotional development (e.g. reduced aggression), as well as in children's abilities to engage in learning activities. These results are seen as early as at the 24-month time point, but continue through the pre-kindergarten time point. [11] Additionally, recent findings from the 5th grade time point reveal that children enrolled in EHS develop more complex reasoning skills and exhibit fewer behavior problems. [12] However, these results vary by the type of school children were enrolled in (high poverty versus low poverty). Children with the highest outcomes in 5th grade were those who had been enrolled in EHS, had also received formal early child at ages 3 to 4 and attended a relatively lower-poverty school. [12]

Mixed findings for children's development

The results as related to children's language development are mixed, such that some broad reports discuss minimal to no impact [11] and other individual academic manuscripts detail specific, complex supportive findings. [13] Additionally, two groups seemed to benefit the most from enrollment in EHS: those enrolled during pregnancy with the child who would later be in the program, [14] and African American children and their families. [11] The formatting of the EHS program mattered, as well, as children who were enrolled in a "mixed approach to service delivery" (home visiting and classroom education) received the greatest benefits. [15] Finally, parents who attended parenting classes were more likely to engage in strategies that promote positive development. [16] These pieces of evidence may point to a "dosage" effect, such that children who received the most quality early child care experience and had parents who attended parenting classes (in addition to other demographic risk factors) may reap the most from Early Head Start.

Supportive findings for parenting and the home environment

As Early Head Start is a "two-generation" program, [17] the goal is to promote healthy parental development as well as a stimulating home environment through enrollment in EHS. EHS demonstrated effectiveness at increasing parental support for language and literacy development, including daily reading and increased teaching activities in the home through the pre-kindergarten time point. EHS parents also reported using fewer punitive discipline strategies with their children. Additionally, the positive impacts on parenting and parenting behaviors was seen by the 36-month time point for families living in low sociodemographic risk, but did not emerge until the pre-kindergarten time point for families living in high sociodemographic risk. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parenting</span> Process of raising a child

Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and cognitive development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a biological relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kindergarten</span> Preschool educational approach

Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th century in Germany, Bavaria and Alsace to serve children whose parents both worked outside home. The term was coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel, whose approach globally influenced early-years education. Today, the term is used in many countries to describe a variety of educational institutions and learning spaces for children ranging from two to six years of age, based on a variety of teaching methods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head Start (program)</span> U.S. federal aid program for low-income childcare

Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. The program's services and resources are designed to foster stable family relationships, enhance children's physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. The transition from preschool to elementary school imposes diverse developmental challenges that include requiring the children to engage successfully with their peers outside the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child care</span> Care and supervision of children

Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), child care typically refers to the care provided by caregivers that are not the child's parents. Child care is a broad topic that covers a wide spectrum of professionals, institutions, contexts, activities, and social and cultural conventions. Early child care is an equally important and often overlooked component of child's developments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preschool</span> Educational establishment offering early childhood education to children

A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school. It may be publicly or privately operated, and may be subsidized from public funds.

The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy and pedagogy focused on preschool and primary education. This approach is a student-centered and constructivist self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments. The programme is based on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through exploration, discovery and play.

The Early Childhood Education Act is the name of various landmark laws passed by the United States Congress outlining federal programs and funding for childhood education from pre-school through kindergarten. The first such act was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaiʻi in the 1960s. The theory behind the act is that the years before a child reaches kindergarten are the most critical to influence learning. Many children do not have access to early education before entering kindergarten. The goal of the act is to provide a comprehensive set of services for children from birth until they enter kindergarten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individuals with Disabilities Education Act</span> United States law

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) from 1975 to 1990. In 1990, the United States Congress reauthorized EHA and changed the title to IDEA. Overall, the goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-kindergarten</span> School program for children before kindergarten

Pre-kindergarten is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece. It may be delivered through a preschool or within a reception year in elementary school. Pre-kindergartens play an important role in early childhood education. They have existed in the US since 1922, normally run by private organizations. The U.S. Head Start program, the country's first federally funded pre-kindergarten program, was founded in 1967. This attempts to prepare children to succeed in school.

Early childhood intervention (ECI) is a support and educational system for very young children who have been victims of, or who are at high risk for child abuse and/or neglect as well as children who have developmental delays or disabilities. Some states and regions have chosen to focus these services on children with developmental disabilities or delays, but Early Childhood Intervention is not limited to children with these disabilities.

Lewis A. Leavitt is medical director of the Waisman Center on Human Development at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Leavitt graduated from the University of Chicago School of Medicine and is the husband of medical historian Judith Walzer Leavitt.

For education in the United States, an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a plan to obtain special education services for young children aged 0–3 years within U.S. public schools. It is provided by a community agency or home school district to families of children with developmental delays or specific health conditions according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) in the U.S. The credential is awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition. To earn a CDA, applicants must demonstrate their competency in areas which support the healthy growth and development of children, both in center-based care, and in home visiting programs.

Erikson Institute is a graduate school in child development in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is named for the noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson.

Infant mental health is the study of mental health as it applies to infants, toddlers, and their families. The field investigates optimal social and emotional development of infants and their families in the first three years of life. Cognitive development, and the development of motor skills may also be considered part of the infant mental health picture. While the interest in the mental life of infants in the context of their early relationships can be traced back to the work of Anna Freud, John Bowlby, and Donald Winnicott in Great Britain, infant mental health as a movement of public health policy, empirical research, and change in clinical practice paralleled both that of the women's movement and of increased awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child abuse and neglect during the 1960s and 1970s. The vast literature that has emerged since the field's origins has been reviewed in several key texts. Basic principles of infant mental health evaluation and treatment involve consideration of at least three patients: parent(s), child, and their relationship, while keeping in mind the rapid and formative development of the brain and mind in the first years of life.

The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), is one of six Bureaus within the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located in Rockville, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel J. Meisels</span> American academic (born 1945)

Samuel J. Meisels is an American academic in the areas of early childhood assessment, child development and educational practices that support the developmental needs of young children.

The Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood-Revised is a developmentally based diagnostic manual that provides clinical criteria for categorizing mental health and developmental disorders in infants and toddlers. It is organized into a five-part axis system. The book has been translated into several languages, and its model is utilized for the assessment of children up to five years of age.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians educational policies have shaped the scholastic opportunities afforded to its members. The decision of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to take control of the schools located on the Qualla Boundary under the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1987 started a wave of tribal responsibility in education. EBCI Tribal Council began producing programs that aided its members in most all aspects of the educational process. The evolution of these programs, their financing, and their relationship with tribal members and non-members alike are in a constant state of flux dependent upon policies produced by the EBCI tribal council. The EBCI tribal council does not directory set educational policy, although some if its members do set on boards that govern the educational facilities, and in most cases the director of the educational programs do report to the tribal council throughout the year. The policies of the EBCI educational programs can be analyzed through their respective goals, objectives, and procedures.

Early childhood education in the United States relates to the teaching of children from birth up to the age of eight. The education services are delivered via preschools and kindergartens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Early Head Start National Resource Center. 1 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Technical Assistance Paper no. 9, "Supporting Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System: The Hope of Early Head Start" (PDF). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2005. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ↑ United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Study, 1996–2010: [United States] [Computer file]. ICPSR03804-v5. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-09-22. doi : 10.3886/ICPSR03804.v5
  4. ↑ "who we are". Tri-counties.org.
  5. ↑ "Early Start Services".
  6. ↑ "Early Start Services".
  7. ↑ "Services in the Early Start Program". 22 December 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Technical Assistance Paper, .. "Early Head Start Program Strategies: Socializations for Infants and Toddlers in the Early Head Start Home-based Program Option." Early Head Start National Resource Center (2001): 1-32. U.S. DEpartment of Health and Human Services. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.
  9. ↑ "Child Development Services During Home Visits And Socializations in The Early Head Start Home-based Programs Option." U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Head Start Bureau (2002): 1-19. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
  10. ↑ "Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSRE), 1996–2010: Project Overview" . Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 Love, John M. (30 November 2009). Effects of Early Head Start Prior to Kindergarten Entry: The Importance of Early Experience. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  12. 1 2 Vogel, Cheri A.; Xue Yange; Emily M. Moiduddin; Ellen Eliason Kisker; Barbara Lepidus Carlson (2010). "Early Head Start Children in Grade 5: Long-Term Follow-Up of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project Study Sample" (PDF). Office of Planning Research and Evaluation Report #2011-8. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  13. ↑ Vallotton, CD; Harewood, T.; Ayoub, C.A.; Pan, B.; Mastergeorge, A.M.; Brophy-Herb, H. (2011). "Buffering boys and boosting girls: The protective and promotive effects of Early Head Start for children's expressive language in the context of parenting stress". Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 27 (4): 696–707. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.03.001. PMC   3499624 . PMID   23166405.
  14. ↑ Administration for Children and Families. "Services and Outcomes for Early Head Start Families Enrolled During Pregnancy: Is there a Magic Window?" (PDF). Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. 1 2 Administration for Children and Families. "Preliminary Findings from the Early Head Start Prekindergarten Followup" (PDF). Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  16. ↑ Chang, Mido; Boyoung Park; Sunha Kim (2009). "Parenting classes, parenting behavior, and child cognitive development in early head start: A longitudinal model". The School Community Journal. 19 (1): 155–174.
  17. ↑ Henrich, Christopher C. (2010). "A Briefing Paper on Parental Engagement in Head Start" (PDF). NSHD Dialog Briefs.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.