Still Going Strong

Head Start Series, Brief No. 6 1
ver the past 40 years, the
Head Start program has
delivered early education
and support services to
23 million low-income preschool
children and their families. In 1995,
Head Start expanded to serve children
from birth to age 3 and pregnant
women through the Early
Head Start program. In addition to
early education, Head Start programs
must provide children and
families with access to a range of
comprehensive services, including
parenting resources, health screenings
and follow-up, and social
services.
Head Start has been widely debated
recently, as Congress discusses how
to reauthorize the program.
Although Head Start was scheduled
for reauthorization in 2003,
Congress was unable to agree on
the best way to renew the program
and no bill was passed. Now, as
Congress considers pending legislation
to reauthorize and strengthen
all aspects of the program, new data
on Head Start children, families,
and programs provide insight into
the people and services impacted by
the program. The data come from
Program Information Reports
(PIR), which are submitted to the
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services by all federal
Head Start grantees.
This policy brief describes the
characteristics of Head Start and
Early Head Start children, families,
staff, and programs during the
2003-2004 program year. This
includes children ages 3 to 5 served
by the Head Start preschool program;
children birth to age 3 and
pregnant women in the Early Head
Start program; and families served
through Migrant and Seasonal
Head Start and American Indian
and Alaskan Native Head Start
programs. In this brief, “Head
Start” is used as an inclusive term
to refer to all of these programs.
“Early Head Start” refers specifically
to programs serving infants, toddlers,
and pregnant women.
This brief is part of a series of
briefs CLASP has released that
analyze Head Start data from 2001,
2002, and 2003 to identify key
trends since the program was last
reauthorized in 1998. In this brief,
we use 2004 data and note changes
of 5 percentage points or more
since 2001. In some instances,
smaller changes are highlighted if
they are particularly noteworthy.
PIR data is available for all program
years since 2001, although
some items are recent additions to
the PIR.
Key findings in 2004 include:
¦ Head Start continued to serve
primarily poor children in
2004. Most children were
from working families with
limited education. The majority
(77 percent) of Head Start
parents did not have formal education
beyond high school and
one-third had not completed
high school or an equivalent
degree program. In 2004, 71 percent
of Head Start families
included at least one employed
parent and 17 percent had at
least one parent in school or job
training. Twenty-one percent of
families participated in TANF,
less than half the share participating
in 1997.
¦ Head Start children were
from diverse racial and ethnic
backgrounds. The Head Start
O
Still Going Strong:
Head Start Children, Families, Staff, and Programs in 2004
By Katie Hamm and Danielle Ewen
POL ICY
BRIEF
CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
H e a d S t a r t S e r i e s N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 5
B r i e f N o. 6
About the Authors
Katie Hamm is a Research
Associate and Danielle Ewen is a
Senior Policy Analyst at the Center
for Law and Social Policy.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
This is the sixth in a series of CLASP analyses of
Head Start Program Information Report data, made
possible by a grant from the A.L. Mailman Family
Foundation. All are available at www.clasp.org.
The next brief will discuss programs serving infants,
toddlers, and pregnant women in more detail.
2 POL I C Y B R I E F
population remained racially and
ethnically diverse in 2004. The
participants— children and
pregnant women—were 31
percent Hispanic, 31 percent
African American, and 27 percent
white. Other races, including
American Indian, Asian, and
Native Hawaiian or Pacific
Islander, each accounted for less
than 3 percent of participants.
Approximately 28 percent of
children came from homes where
English was not the primary
language.
¦ Head Start provided medical,
dental, and mental health
screenings for children. In
2004, 88 percent of children
received a medical screening and
23 percent of children screened
required further treatment.
Seventy-eight percent of children
received a dental exam; 27 percent
of these children required
additional treatment. Mental
health professionals were available
on-site an average of 50
hours per month—a decline of
38 hours since 2002. Thirteen
percent of children exhibited
behavior necessitating consultation
with a mental health
professional.
¦ In 2004, Head Start continued
to provide support services
to children and families. In
2004, 83 percent of families participated
in the family goalsetting
process to describe
strengths and weaknesses in the
family and identify services to
help meet goals. The most widely
accessed services in 2004 were
parenting resources, health
education, emergency or crisis
intervention, housing assistance,
adult education, and transportation
assistance.
¦ Parents were involved in
Head Start as volunteers and
employees in 2004. In 2004,
current or former Head Start
parents comprised 65 percent of
volunteers and 27 percent of
staff. A large share of programs
(82 percent) provided activities
specifically for fathers.
¦ Head Start teachers continued
to seek further education
and credentialing. In 2004, 91
percent of teachers had at least
an Associate Degree (A.A.) or a
Child Development Associate
(C.D.A.). Sixty-five percent of
teachers had an A.A. or higher
and 34 percent had a Bachelor’s
Degree (B.A.) or higher. The
proportion of teachers with
degrees increased substantially
since 2003, when 57 percent of
teachers had an A.A. or higher.
Among the 35 percent of teachers
without a degree in 2004, 43
percent were in an early childhood
education (or related field)
degree program.
¦ In 2004, Head Start teacher
salaries continued to be far
below those of kindergarten
teachers. The average Head
Start teacher salary in 2004 was
about $24,211. Teachers with a
B.A. earned an average of
$26,241. Head Start teachers
earned considerably less than
kindergarten teachers, who
earned an average of $44,000 in
2004, and preschool teachers
working in elementary and secondary
schools, who earned an
average of $36,770.
Head Start Children
During the 2004 program year,
Head Start served 10,675 pregnant
women and 1,061,399 children
between birth and age 5 for a total
enrollment of 1,072,014.1 Early
Head Start enrollment accounted
for about 8 percent of total Head
Start enrollment.
Three-quarters of Head Start children
were eligible to participate
because family income was below
100 percent of the poverty level at
the time of program enrollment.
An additional 18 percent were eligible
based on enrollment in public
assistance. Just 1 percent of children
qualified for Head Start
because of status as a foster child.
Six percent of children participating
in Head Start lived in families
earning above the federal poverty
line at the time of enrollment.
The proportion of children in each
age group remained similar to 2003
figures. Preschool children (ages 3
to 5) comprised 91 percent of children
in Head Start and infants and
toddlers (from birth to age 3)
accounted for 9 percent of children
enrolled.
Head Start served a racially and
ethnically diverse group of children
and pregnant women in 2004, in
keeping with trends from previous
years. Participants were 31 percent
Hispanic, 31 percent African
American, 27 percent white, 3 percent
American Indian, 2 percent
Asian, and 1 percent Native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Four
percent of participants were biracial
or multi-racial.
Approximately 28 percent of children
were from homes where
English was not the primary language.
Of these children, 83 percent
came from homes speaking
primarily Spanish. Children from
primarily Spanish-speaking homes
accounted for 23 percent of the
overall Head Start population. East
Head Start Series, Brief No. 6 3
Asian languages were the second
most common, but accounted for
just 4 percent of children from
homes where English was not the
primary language and 1 percent of
Head Start children overall.
Children from homes with other
primary languages each accounted
for less than 1 percent of the total
Head Start population.
The proportion of children from
homes where English was not the
primary language varied considerably
across states. California was
the only state where the majority of
Head Start children (58 percent)
came from such homes. In
Washington, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, and Oregon, over 40 percent
of Head Start children spoke a
language other than English in the
home. Programs in North Dakota,
Mississippi, and West Virginia had
the lowest proportion of children
from homes where English was not
the primary language; these children
accounted for less than 2 percent
of Head Start children in these
states.
Head Start Performance Standards
require grantees to collaborate with
each child’s parent to conduct a
developmental, sensory, and behavioral
screening within 45 days of
entry into the Head Start program.
Program staff must also provide a
referral for follow-up treatment if
needed and work with parents to
ensure that children receive appropriate
treatment.2 In 2004, as in
previous years, 88 percent of children
received a medical screening.
Twenty-three percent of the children
screened were identified as
needing further treatment; 89 percent
of these children received
additional treatment either through
Head Start or a referral.3 Among
children receiving treatment,
conditions included asthma (29
percent), overweight (24 percent),
anemia (16 percent), vision problems
(14 percent), and hearing difficulties
(10 percent). Two percent
of children were referred to mental
health services outside of Head
Start and 72 percent of those
referred received mental health
treatment.
Thirteen percent of Head Start
children had a disability in 2004,
over half of which were diagnosed
during the Head Start year. Of the
children identified with a disability,
95 percent received treatment and
related services, and 94 percent had
an Individualized Education Plan
(IEP) or Individual Family Support
Plan (IFSP). Among children identified
as having a disability, the
majority of children had a speech
or language impairment (58 percent)
or a developmental delay/
non-categorized disability (19
percent).
Most Head Start children received
dental care during the program
year. In 2004, 78 percent of Head
Start children received at least one
dental exam during the program
year. Among children receiving an
exam, 27 percent required additional
treatment and 80 percent
received this treatment. Eighty
percent of children who received
an exam received preventative
treatment.
Head Start Performance Standards
require staff to assist parents with
accessing an ongoing source of
dental care for children.4 By the
end of the enrollment year, 81
percent of children had access to
ongoing dental care, compared to
65 percent of children at enrollment.
Among children who entered
Head Start without access to an
on-going source of dental care, 46
percent accessed a source of ongoing
treatment during the Head
Start year.
Head Start Performance Standards
require grantees and delegate agencies
to determine whether each
child has access to an ongoing
Children determined to have a disability 134,331
Percentage with a disability out of all Head Start children 13%
Children who received special services, of those
determined to have a disability 95%
Most significant disability for which identified preschool-age
children received services:*
Speech or language impairments 58%
Non-categorical/developmental delay 19%
Multiple disabilities including deaf-blind 4%
Health impairment 3%
Emotional/behavioral disorder 3%
* Disabilities that accounted for 1% or less were not included in this chart.
FIGURE 1
Head Start Disability Determination and Special Services,
Program Year 2004
source of medical care within 90
days of program entry and to work
with parents to find a source of
medical care if needed.5 Ninety
percent of children had an ongoing
source for medical care by the end
of the program year in 2004, an
increase of 5 percentage points
since 2002. Of children without a
consistent source of medical treatment,
44 percent obtained access to
ongoing medical care during the
Head Start year—up from 35 percent
during the 2002 program year.
By the end of the 2004 program
year, 95 percent of children either
had all immunizations appropriate
for their age, or had all immunizations
possible at the time.6
Most Head Start children had
access to health insurance. By the
end of the end of the 2004 program
year, 91 percent of children had
health insurance. Among children
who entered Head Start without
health insurance, 43 percent
acquired insurance by the end of
the program year. The majority of
children with health insurance (64
percent) participated in the
Medicaid program. Other common
types of insurance included private
providers (14 percent), state
Children’s Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) (9 percent), and
a combination of SCHIP and
Medicaid (9 percent).
Head Start Families
Most Head Start families include
low-income parents who are working
or in school, with limited higher
education. In 2004, 44 percent of
Head Start families were two-parent
households and 56 percent
were headed by a single parent.
Among single parents, 60 percent
were employed and 17 percent
were in school or job training. In
two-parent families, 86 percent of
families had at least one employed
parent and 17 percent of families
had at least one parent in school or
job training. Employment rates
remained similar to those in 2002,
when the PIR began asking about
parental employment.
Most Head Start parents had limited
formal education. One-third of
Head Start parents had not completed
high school or an equivalent
degree. An additional 44 percent
had a high school diploma or
G.E.D. Twenty percent had some
college coursework, an A.A., or a
vocational degree. Just 3 percent
held a B.A. or higher.
Among children requiring full-time
child care who received it outside
of the Head Start program, the
proportion in formal child care settings
has decreased, while the proportion
in informal child care settings
has risen in recent years. In
2004, 58 percent of children primarily
received care in a home with a
relative or unrelated adult during
non-Head Start hours—up from 51
percent in 2002. The proportion of
children needing full-time child
care who were in formal child care
dropped from 48 percent in 2002
to 42 percent in 2004. Formal child
care arrangements in 2004 included
child care centers (25 percent),
family child care homes (11 percent),
and public pre-kindergarten
programs (6 percent).7
The number of Head Start families
receiving Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) in 2004
remained at 21 percent, as in 2002
and 2003. However, TANF participation
has dropped substantially
since 1997, when 45 percent of
Head Start families received TANF
assistance. As in 2002 and 2003,
just 10 percent of all Head Start
children received a child care subsidy
in 2004. While public assistance
rates have decreased, Head
Start families did access other
government services. Forty-five
percent of Head Start families
4 POL I C Y B R I E F
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
86%
At least one
parent
employed
60%
17%
Two-parent families Single-parent families
17%
Parent
employed
At least one
parent in school/
job training
Parent in
school/job
training
FIGURE 2
Head Start Parent Employment and School/Job Training,
Program Year 2004
participated in WIC, an increase of
5 percentage points since 2002.
Head Start Performance Standards
require grantees to work directly
with parents to develop a Family
Partnership Agreement, which
describes the family’s goals and
strengths and identifies services
that may be useful in achieving
specified goals.8 In 2004, 83 percent
of families participated in the
family goal-setting process.9
Head Start families continued to
access support services at high
rates. Nearly one-third of Head
Start families used at least two services
during the 2004 program year.
The most commonly accessed services
were parenting education (34
percent) and health education (30
percent). A substantial portion of
families also accessed emergency
intervention services to seek immediate
need for shelter, food, or
clothing (15 percent); housing
assistance (11 percent). Two percent
of families were homeless
when the child was enrolled in
Head Start, and 58 percent of these
families acquired housing by the
end of the program year.
Other services included adult education
(11 percent); and transportation
assistance (10 percent).
Services that families used less
frequently included: mental health
services (8 percent); job training (8
percent); ESL training (6 percent);
child abuse or neglect services (5
percent); child support assistance (4
percent); substance abuse treatment
or prevention (3 percent); domestic
violence services (3 percent); marriage
education (2 percent); and
assistance to families of incarcerated
individuals (1 percent).
Parents continued to be involved as
volunteers and staff members, and
in Head Start activities. In 2004,
current or former Head Start parents
comprised 65 percent of volunteers
and 27 percent of staff.
More children had fathers or father
figures involved in Head Start program
than in previous years. In
2004, 17 percent of children had a
father or father figured involved in
Head Start activities, compared to
13 percent in 2002. Eighty-two
percent of Head Start programs
reported having activities geared
towards fathers in 2004, up from 75
percent in 2002.
Head Start Programs
According to the PIR, funded
enrollment for Head Start in 2004
was 923,650, including 896,299
slots funded by the federal government
and 18,909 slots funded by
other sources.10 This figure differs
from the level of federally funded
enrollment reported in 2004 by the
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, which was
905,851.11
Head Start grantees determine how
to best administer services based on
a community assessment that examines
when and where programs
should operate. Program options
include home-based;12 centerbased,
which may be full-day (operating
six or more hours) or part-day
(operating fewer than six hours); a
combination of the two; or a locally
designed option. Grantees may also
contract with community-based
providers—for example, private
child care centers or family child
care providers—to provide services.
In 2004, the majority of Head Start
services were delivered via centerbased
programs. Ninety-one
percent of Head Start slots were in
Head Start Series, Brief No. 6 5
FIGURE 3
Primary Child Care Arrangements During Non-Head Start
Hours, Program Year 2004
Note: Chart includes non-Head Start child care arrangements for children for
whom full-year and/or full-day child care was needed to meet the needs of
parents who are working or in job training.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
2004
2003
2002
Public school
Pre-K
program
Family child
care home
Child care
center
Child's home/
home of a
relative or
unrelated adult
51%
55%
58%
30%
28%
25%
12%12%11%
6% 6%
4%
6 POL I C Y B R I E F
center classrooms. Forty-seven percent
of Head Start slots were center-
based for a full day, five days per
week; 20 percent were part-day center-
based slots offered five days per
week. Twenty-one percent were
part-day four days per week, and 3
percent of slots were full-day four
days a week. Five percent of slots
were home-based. In 2004, 19 percent
of children were in programs
offering services for eight or more
hours per day to cover the non-
Head Start part of the day for working
families, as in 2003 and 2002.
Head Start Teachers
and Staff
In 1998, Congress passed a mandate
requiring 50 percent of Head Start
teachers nationwide to have an A.A.
or higher by September 2003. The
mandate was met, and in 2004, 65
percent of teachers had an A.A. or
higher, compared to 57 percent in
2003 and 51 percent in 2002. The
proportion of teachers with a B.A.
grew from 28 percent in 2002 to 34
percent in 2004. Teachers without
degrees also pursued further education;
43 percent were in a degree
program for early childhood education
or a related field and 6 percent
were enrolled in a C.D.A. or equivalent
training program.
For the first time in 2004, the PIR
included data on the percentage of
classrooms where at least one
teacher had an A.A. or higher in
early childhood education. Among
classrooms operated directly by
Head Start, 54 percent had at least
one teacher with an A.A. or higher
in Early Childhood Education or a
related field. For classrooms operated
by a community-based child
care provider contracted to provide
Head Start services, 56 percent had
at least one teacher with such a
degree.
The average Head Start teacher
salary in 2004 was about $24,211.
Teachers with a B.A. earned an
average of $26,241. Salaries for
teachers with a Bachelor’s Degree
or Graduate Degree grew less than
1 percent between 2002 and 2004
after adjusting for inflation.
Teachers with an A.A. or C.D.A.
saw a salary increase of 1.5 percent
and 2.7 percent respectively after
taking inflation into account.
Despite widespread increases in
education levels, Head Start teachers
earned considerably less than
kindergarten teachers, who earned
an average of $44,000 in 2004, and
preschool teachers in elementary
and secondary schools, who earned
$36,770.13 Teacher turnover
remained at 15 percent; 28 percent
of teachers who left cited higher
compensation and benefits at other
jobs in the early childhood education
field. An additional 20 percent
left due to a change in job field.
Head Start child development staff
were racially and ethnically diverse.
In 2004, 36 percent were white, 29
percent were African-American and
24 percent were Hispanic. Other
racial and ethnic groups less represented
among child development
staff included: American Indian (3
percent), Asian (2 percent), Native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (1 percent),
biracial or multiracial (1 percent),
and other races or unspecified
(3 percent). Twenty-nine percent
of child development staff
were proficient in a language other
than English, a similar rate as in
2003 and 2002.14
In addition to child development
staff, a number of other staff members
work with teachers, home visitors,
and family child care providers
to deliver services to children and
families. Disability resource managers
were available an average of
about 23 hours per week in 2004.
Eighty-six percent of programs
had a Family and Community
Partnerships Manager to facilitate
services for families, and 81 percent
of programs had a Health Services
Manager to coordinate health and
dental screenings and referrals.
FIGURE 4
Family Services Received Most Often by Head Start Families,
Program Year 2004
Note: The percentages add up to more than 100% because families can access
more than one family service.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
10%
Transportation
assistance
Housing
assistance
Adult
education
Emergency/crisis
intervention
Health
education
Parenting
education
11%
11%
15%
30%
34%
Head Start teachers continued to
receive on-site mental health consultation
for working with children
with problematic behavior,
although this support was less available
than in previous years. Mental
health professionals were available
on site an average of 50 hours per
month, compared to an average of
88 hours per month in 2002.
Mental health professionals consulted
with program staff on 13
percent of children and provided an
individual mental health assessment
for 7 percent of children.
Conclusion
In 2004, Head Start continued to
serve low-income children from
diverse backgrounds with multiple
risk factors. These children and
their families received comprehensive
services to support their
healthy development. Head Start
also has worked to raise education
levels among its staff so that more
children have access to trained
teachers. Currently, however, Head
Start can only provide these needed
services to about half of eligible
children.15 As Congress considers
legislation to reauthorize the Head
Start program, the PIR data provides
important information on the
characteristics of Head Start families
and the services currently available
to meet their needs.
Endnotes
1 The PIR collects data on all children
who participate at any point,
including those who do not complete
the year; it is not simply the
number of funded slots.
2 Head Start Performance
Standards, 45 CFR 1304.20(b)(1)
& (c)(1).
3 The PIR includes all children who
were enrolled in Head Start at any
point during the program year,
including those who dropped out
of Head Start before 45 days of
enrollment, the time frame during
which Head Start programs are
required to provide medical and
dental screenings.
4 Head Start Performance
Standards, 45 CFR
1304.20(a)(1)(i).
5 Ibid.
6 These children are not on the
schedule recommended for their
age group but have been brought
up to date to the maximum extent
possible given a late start on their
immunization schedule.
7 The percentage of children in
each child care arrangement
includes those in full-day Head
Start and in part-day programs, so
the amount of time in each child
care arrangement may vary within
groups.
8 Head Start Performance
Standards, 45 CFR
1304.40(a)(1)(2).
9 CLASP’s calculations of goal-setting
participation include families
with a child enrolled at any point,
including those who drop out
before the process begins.
Performance Standards mandate
consideration of a family’s “readiness
and willingness” to participate
before beginning the process
[45 CFR 1304.40(a)(1)].
10 This number reflects slots funded
by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, as reported
in the PIR.
11 U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Administration
on Children and Families, Head
Start Bureau. Head Start Program
Fact Sheet, 2005. http:// www.
acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/
research/2005.htm.
12 Home-based services entail weekly
visits from a trained home visitor,
group socialization activities,
and access to Head Start support
services for families.
13 U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics. May
2004 National Occupational
Employment and Wage Estimates.
2004. (http://www.bls.gov.)
Wages are adjusted to reflect yearround,
full-time wages for each
occupation.
14 The PIR does not collect data
on staff proficiency in specific
languages.
15 National Women’s Law Center
calculations based on data from
the U.S. Head Start Bureau on
number of enrolled preschoolers,
and Census Bureau data on children
in poverty by single year of
age in 2004.
Head Start Series, Brief No. 6 7
FIGURE 5
Teachers with Degrees and Credentials, Program Years 2002-2004
Note: The percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding.
No degree
or credential
0
20
40
60
80
100
14%
2002 2003 2004
35%
27%
27%
31%
C.D.A.
A.A.
B.A.
Graduate
Degree
16%
9%
23%
4% 4%
25% 27% 30%
26%
4%
1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
202.906.8000 main
202.842.2885 fax
www.clasp.org
ABOUT CLASP
The Center for Law and Social
Policy (CLASP), a national
nonprofit organization founded
in 1968, conducts research, legal
and policy analysis, technical
assistance, and advocacy
related to economic security
for low-income families with
children.
CLASP's child care and early
education work focuses on
promoting policies that support
both child development and the
needs of low-income working
parents and on expanding the
availability of resources for
child care and early education
initiatives. CLASP examines the
impact of welfare reform on
child care needs; studies the
relationships between child care
subsidy systems, the Head Start
Program, pre-kindergarten
efforts, and other early
education initiatives; and
explores how these systems
can be responsive to the
developmental needs of all
children, including children
with disabilities.
Head Start Series, No. 6
POL ICY BRIEF
CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
POL ICY
BRIEF
N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 5
B r i e f N o. 6
CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY
H e a d S t a r t S e r i e s