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Project Description

Project goal is to assess impacts of Early Head Start programs, encourage a new generation of research for understanding the role of program and contextual variations, and create a foundation for a series of longitudinal research studies.

The Early Head Start program is for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers up to age three. It is designed to produce outcomes in four domains:
1) children’s development (including health, resiliency, social competence, and cognitive and language development);
2) family development (including parenting and relationships with children, the home environment and family functioning, family health, parent involvement, and economic self-sufficiency);
3) staff development (including professional development and relationships with parents);
and
4) community development (including enhanced child care quality, community collaboration, and integration of services to support families with young children).

Project duration: Jan 1998 - Jan 2001

Sites studied include Includes both urban and rural settings:

Russellville, Arkansas;
Venice, California;
Denver, Colorado (2 programs);
Marshalltown, Iowa;
Kansas City, Kansas;
Jackson, Michigan;
New York City, New York;
Kansas City, Missouri;
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Sumter, South Carolina;
McKenzie, Tennessee;
Logan, Utah;
Alexandria, Virginia;
Kent, Washington;
Sunnyside, Washington; and
Brattleboro, Vermont

Sample Characteristics and Sites Studied

Infants and toddlers in approximately 3,000 low-income families.
Random assignment to Early Head Start (program group) and non-parental child care (comparison group).
Number in each group not reported.

Recent Findings in Brief

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