Impact of Head Start Quality on Children's Academic Outcomes By Comparing Parental Care, Home-Based Care and Center-Based Care

Purpose:  The purpose is to examine Head Start’s impact on children’s academic outcomes by considering Head Start program quality and types of care among control group children. Characteristics of the following child care and early education experiences can impact children: caregiver(s) (parental vs. non-parental), quality of care, type of setting, amount of care, stability of care, and the start time of non-parental child care. Although Head Start evaluation studies have identified overall positive impacts on academic outcomes, few studies have examined its impact by considering the various components of child care characteristics. Using data from the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS), this study examined: (1) Whether children who attended high-quality Head Start programs had better academic outcomes than control group children who received parental, home-based, and/or center-based care (2) What are the setting characteristics that differ between children with low versus high academic outcomes?  

Methods:  The present study used HSIS data collected for the period of 2002-2006 (n = 4442, control group = 1796, HS group = 2646).  Control children were divided by types of care: parental, home-based, and center-based.  Based on overall quality composite scores (developed by HSIS), children in Head Start were divided by those who attended high and low quality Head Start programs.  At ages 5-6 years, academic outcomes were measured directly by teachers, using the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III).  Characteristics of children (age at time of enrollment, gender, ethnicity, disability status, and pre-academic skills at age 3); families (maternal age, education, marital status, family income, bilingual household, residential location, and family income); and care settings (center environment/characteristics, teacher/care giver qualification, classroom environment and activities) were compared. Several steps of ordinary regression analyses were conducted to examine the research questions.

Results: Compared to children who attended a high-quality Head Start program, children in the control group who attended center-based care had significantly lower academic outcomes. Academic scores for control group children who received parental or home-based care were not significantly different from those for children enrolled in high-quality Head Start programs. Control children in center-based care tend to have lower teacher to child ratios, teachers that provide fewer classroom literacy and math activities, centers that have fewer teacher training and mentoring opportunities, and lower parental participation in setting activities than quality Head Start programs. Black children, children living in urban areas, and children living with working mothers were more likely to attend center-based care.

Implications:  Quality was found to be an important component of Head Start’s positive impact on academic outcomes for low income children. Findings also indicate that low income children who are eligible but not able to enroll in the Head Start program and attended other center-based child care programs are at risk for lower academic outcomes. Head Start needs efficient admission criteria that can identify and admit Head Start-eligible low income children. Furthermore, the quality of non-Head Start center-based care needs to be examined, as results suggest that poor children enrolled in these centers fare worse academically compared to their peers.