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7.0 Families’ Experiences with Head Start
7.1 Overview
This chapter presents findings regarding the children’s Head Start attendance and their parents’ history, involvement, and satisfaction with the Head Start program.
7.2 The Children’s Involvement with Head Start
On average, parents reported that their children attended Head Start for slightly over five hours per day (M = 5.1 hours; SD = 5.2; Mdn = 4.0 hours) and 4.5 days per week (SD = 1.7; Mdn = 5.0 days). The number of days per week that children attended Head Start class did not vary by region of the country or by whether the programs were located in urban or rural areas. However, the length of the Head Start day was significantly longer for children who lived in the South than for children who attended Head Start programs in the Northeast, the West, or the Midwest, F(3, 2524) = 40.0; p < .0001.
Close to one half of the children (44.8%) arrived at school each day on a Head Start bus, 42.1% arrived by personal transportation, and 15.7% walked to school. Only 2.2% of the families brought their children to school on public transportation. How children arrived at school varied by the urbanicity of the programs. Almost three fourths of the children who lived in rural areas (70.0%) rode to school on a Head Start school bus, while only one third of children who attended urban Head Start programs did (32.2%). On average, it took children 16 minutes to travel from home to their Head Start centers (SD = 13.6; Mdn = 10.0 minutes), regardless of the means of transportation. As expected, it took children who lived in rural areas significantly longer to travel to their Head Start centers (M = 17.9 minutes, SD = 10.2) than children who lived in urban locations (M = 15.1 minutes; SD = 9.4), t(2524) = 5.25; p < .0001.
Exhibit 7-1 displays the number of days that parents reported their children were absent from Head Start class during the 1997–1998 school year. One half of the children were absent between 1-5 days over the year (50.6%) and one fifth was absent more than 10 days (20.1%). The number of days absent did not vary significantly by gender; however, the proportion of White children (29.1%) who missed more than 10 days of school was almost twice as high as the proportions of African American children (14.9%) and Hispanic children (15.1%). Children who were absent more than 10 days per school year had parents who were more depressed, t(2664) = -3.43; p = .0006, who were less satisfied with Head Start, t(2667) = 4.12; p < .0001, and who had fewer positive feelings regarding their families’ Head Start experiences, t(2667) = 4.47; p < .0001, compared to children with fewer absences. The children with 10 or more absences had significantly higher reports of overall problem behavior, t(2642) = -2.37; p = .02, as well as aggression, t(2663) = -2.34; p = .02, and hyperactive, t(2663) = -2.22; p = .03, behaviors. The most frequent reason children were absent was personal illness (82.5%). Small percentages of parents reported lack of transportation (5.1%), parental work or school conflicts (3.5%), or family illnesses (2.4%) as reasons for their children’s absences.
| Weighted Percentages | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Gender | Ethnicity | ||||
| (N = 2,688) | (n = 1,367) | (n = 1,320) | (n = 989) | (n = 649) | (n = 721) | |
| Days Absent | Boys | Girls | African American | Hispanic | White | |
| Never | 7.3 | 8.3 | 6.2 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.5 |
| 1-5 days | 50.6 | 51.1 | 49.9 | 51.6 | 56.2 | 45.6 |
| 6-10 days | 21.4 | 18.9 | 24.2 | 25.3 | 19.5 | 17.7 |
| 10 or more days | 20.1 | 21.1 | 19.1 | 14.9 | 15.1 | 29.1 |
7.3 Parents’ Involvement with Head Start
Slightly more than one half of the parents (51.5%) had experience with Head Start before enrolling their current children in the program, including having other children who attended. One fifth of the parents (22.2%) attended Head Start themselves. Two fifths of the parents (40.5%) reported that they first heard about the program from another family member or a friend, 27.9% said they knew of the program through prior experience, 11.4% were referred, 8.6% heard about the program by word-of-mouth, or saw a flyer (7.8%), and 2.1% indicated that Head Start staff recruited them through visits at their homes.1
Participation
In the spring of 1998, parents were asked about the ways that they were involved in the Head Start program throughout the past school year. Exhibit 7-2 shows that most parents were very active. Parents most frequently reported participating in home visits2 with Head Start staff members (82.9%), parent-teacher conferences (81.6%), and observing in their children’s classrooms for at least 30 minutes (77.4%). Approximately two thirds of the parents volunteered in their children’s classrooms (68.8%) and prepared food or materials for special events (66.1%). Over one half of the parents helped with fundraising activities (60.0%), attended Head Start social events (55.5%) and workshops (54.8%), and assisted with field trips (50.9%).
| Weighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Yet | 1-2 Times | 3 or More Times | |
| Volunteered in classroom | 31.1 | 27.2 | 41.6 |
| Observed classroom for 30 minutes or more | 22.6 | 35.3 | 42.1 |
| Prepared food or materials | 33.9 | 31.6 | 34.5 |
| Helped with field trips | 49.0 | 27.0 | 23.9 |
| Attended Head Start social events | 44.4 | 32.4 | 23.1 |
| Attended workshops | 45.2 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| Attended parent-teacher conferences | 18.4 | 38.4 | 43.2 |
| Had Head Start staff visit at home | 16.9 | 51.3 | 31.6 |
| Participated in Policy Council | 64.0 | 21.0 | 15.0 |
| Called another Head Start parent | 69.2 | 17.4 | 13.4 |
| Prepared newsletters, fliers, etc. | 77.3 | 13.1 | 9.7 |
| Participated in fundraising | 40.0 | 34.2 | 25.8 |
| Unweighted N = 2,688. |
Relationships between Involvement with Head Start and Family and Child Factors
A summary score measuring total involvement3 was created for each parent who responded to the questionnaire. A series of zero-order correlations were conducted to examine the relationship between involvement at Head Start and other family factors, as reported during the spring 1998 parent interview. Parents who were more involved at Head Start also participated in more weekly (r = .19; p < .0001), monthly (r = .29; p < .0001), and total activities (r = .29; p < .0001) with their children. Head Start involvement was related to child behavior outcomes as well. Small, but significant negative correlations were found between involvement at Head Start and parents’ reports of child problem behaviors (r = -.04; p = .02), including aggressive (r = -.07; p < .001) and hyperactive (r = -.04; p = .04) behaviors. A small positive correlation between involvement at Head Start and children’s positive social behaviors (r = .08; p < .0001) was also noted.
The amount of parent involvement at Head Start varied by ethnicity and, not surprisingly, by employment status. Parents of White children reported more involvement at Head Start than both parents of African American and parents of Hispanic children, F(5, 2519) = 9.21; p < .0001, while parents who worked were less involved in the program, t(2541) = 5.34; p < .0001. Interestingly, parents were more involved if they had prior exposure to the program through the enrollment of another child or grandchild, t(2541) = 2.17; p = .03.
A series of multivariate linear regression models were run to further investigate the role of parent involvement at Head Start. These models tested whether or not involvement at Head Start (independent variable) predicted parental depression, locus of control, activities with children, child behavior, emergent literacy, household rules and safety, and household income (dependent variables) in spring 1998 (T2), after controlling for the baseline level of each dependent variable at fall 1997 (T1). The findings are presented in Exhibit 7-3.
| Beta | SE | Partial R2 | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion | ||||
| Predictor | ||||
| Parental Depression (T2) | ||||
| Parental depression (T1) | 0.5556 | 0.0181 | 0.2776 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | -0.0307 | 0.0229 | 0.0005 | NS |
| Locus of Control (T2) | ||||
| Locus of control (T1) | 0.6126 | 0.0170 | 0.3471 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0254 | 0.0108 | 0.0015 | .0188 |
| Weekly Activities with Child (T2) | ||||
| Weekly activities with child (T1) | 0.3821 | 0.0218 | 0.1500 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0375 | 0.0064 | 0.0151 | < .0001 |
| Monthly Activities with Child (T2) | ||||
| Monthly activities with child (T1) | 0.4514 | 0.0190 | 0.2168 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0591 | 0.0052 | 0.0399 | < .0001 |
| Total Activities with Child (T2) | ||||
| Total activities with child (T1) | 0.4516 | 0.0212 | 0.2195 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0933 | 0.0094 | 0.0382 | < .0001 |
| Child Positive Social Skills (T2) | ||||
| Child positive social skills (T1) | 0.4469 | 0.0177 | 0.2116 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0164 | 0.0060 | 0.0024 | .0065 |
| Behavior Problem Index (T2) | ||||
| Behavior Problem Index (T1) | 0.6064 | 0.0159 | 0.3779 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | -0.0174 | 0.0108 | 0.0007 | NS |
| Aggressive Behavior (T2) | ||||
| Aggressive behavior (T1) | 0.5442 | 0.0154 | 0.3114 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | -0.0153 | 0.0053 | 0.0023 | .0044 |
| Hyperactive Behavior (T2) | ||||
| Hyperactive behavior (T1) | 0.5216 | 0.0167 | 0.2848 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | -0.0056 | 0.0047 | 0.0004 | NS |
| Household Rules (T2) | ||||
| Household rules (T1) | 0.4704 | 0.0177 | 0.2382 | .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0149 | 0.0039 | 0.0047 | < .0001 |
| Emergent Literacy (T2) | ||||
| Emergent literacy (T1) | 0.6478 | 0.0161 | 0.4065 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 0.0157 | 0.0046 | 0.0028 | .0007 |
| Household Income (T2) | ||||
| Household income (T1) | 0.6337 | 0.0173 | 0.3612 | < .0001 |
| Involvement (T2) | 3.0227 | 2.5921 | 0.0004 | NS |
| Unweighted N = 2,688. |
Even after controlling for each outcome at baseline, parent involvement at Head Start was a significant predictor of increased parental weekly, monthly, and total activities with children, as well as a significant predictor of increased positive social behavior and decreased aggressive behavior among the children. Parent involvement at Head Start also predicted increased children’s emergent literacy, the use of more household rules, and a more internal locus of control for parents. Involvement at Head Start did not significantly predict parental depression, monthly household income, or hyperactive behavior among the children.
High, Moderate, and Low Parent Involvement
In order to further examine the effects of participation at Head Start, a categorical involvement variable was created that classified parent involvement as low, moderate, or high.4 One-way analyses of variance were used to test for overall differences in means between the low, moderate, and high involvement groups of parents on various family and child outcomes. Post-hoc Scheffee tests (ps < .05) identified individual differences between each group. Significant main effects for involvement were noted for a number of child and family descriptors.
For the three overall child-oriented activity ratings, significant main effects were noted for involvement on total activities, F(2, 2363) = 82.84; p < .0001, weekly activities, F(2, 2362) = 31.38; p < .0001, and monthly activities F(2, 2686) = 101.39; p < .0001). In each case, parents with high involvement at Head Start reported more child-oriented activities than parents with moderate or low program involvement, and parents with moderate involvement reported more activities with their children than parents who were in the low-involvement category.
For child outcomes, significant main effects were found for parent involvement on positive social behavior, F(2, 2673) = 9.44; p < .0001, and emergent literacy, F(2, 2542) = 18.18; p < .0001. Post-hoc comparisons again showed that parents with high involvement rated their children higher on positive social behavior and emergent literacy than did the two categories of parents with less involvement. While there was also a significant main effect on the aggression subscale, F(2, 2682) = 6.45; p < .0001, the pattern was reversed in the post-hoc tests. Parents who reported low involvement with Head Start had children with higher ratings of aggression than parents who were categorized as highly involved in the program.
Among the family outcomes, significant main effects were noted for level of parent involvement on the number of household rules, F(2, 2477) = 31.66; p < .0001, and the number of household safety practices parents followed, F(2, 2504 ) = 27.48; p < .0001. The post-hoc comparisons showed that parents who were highly involved at Head Start used more household rules and engaged in more safety practices than parents with moderate or low involvement, while parents with moderate involvement also employed more rules than parents with lower program involvement.
In terms of the parents, significant main effects for parental involvement were noted on both locus of control, F(2, 2683) = 3.76; p = .02, and satisfaction with the Head Start program, F(2, 2686) = 14.05; p < .0001. Consistent with previous patterns, parents in the high involvement category had a more internal locus of control and greater satisfaction with the program than parents in the lower involvement categories, and moderately involved parents had higher satisfaction with the program than did parents from the low involvement category. There were no significant differences on parental depression scores, monthly household incomes, or discipline methods used by parents, across the three levels of involvement with the Head Start program.
Exhibit 7-4 presents the mean change scores for family and child outcomes among parents who had high, moderate, or low involvement in Head Start during the school year. From fall 1997 to spring 1998, parents with high involvement in Head Start had a significant decrease in their depression scores, and a significant increase in their internal locus of control and social support. They significantly increased the amount of weekly, monthly, and total activities they engaged in with their children, their monthly household incomes, and their use of household rules. Their children significantly improved their emergent literacy scale scores. Parents with moderate involvement at Head Start also significantly increased their internal locus of control, their social support, their use of household rules, their household incomes, and the amounts of monthly and total activity they engaged in with their children. In addition to having a significant increase in their emergent literacy scores, their children also showed significant gains in positive social behavior. Parents with low involvement also had significant increases in their internal locus of control and social support, their household incomes, and use of household rules. However, they reported no increases in the amount of activity with their children, no increases in their children’s positive social behavior, and no decreases in their children’s problem behavior. As with all of the other parents, their children significantly increased their emergent literacy scores from fall 1997 to spring 1998.
| Change in . | High Involvement (n = 679) |
Moderate Involvement (n = 1,249) |
Low Involvement (n = 760) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | SE | Sig | M | SE | Sig | M | SE | Sig | |
| Parental depression | -0.65 | 0.26 | * | -0.10 | 0.19 | ns | -0.26 | 0.26 | ns |
| Social support | 0.76 | 0.15 | *** | 0.51 | 0.11 | *** | 0.56 | 0.14 | *** |
| Locus of control | 0.69 | 0.12 | *** | 0.48 | 0.09 | *** | 0.45 | 0.12 | ** |
| Weekly activities with children | 0.20 | 0.07 | ** | 0.10 | 0.06 | ns | 0.04 | 0.08 | ns |
| Monthly activities with children | 0.45 | 0.06 | *** | 0.15 | 0.04 | *** | 0.07 | 0.05 | ns |
| Total activities with children | 0.68 | 0.11 | *** | 0.24 | 0.08 | ** | 0.08 | 0.12 | ns |
| Positive social behavior | 0.12 | 0.06 | ns | 0.12 | 0.05 | * | 0.11 | 0.08 | ns |
| Problem behavior index | -0.17 | 0.16 | ns | -0.18 | 0.09 | ns | 0.04 | 0.12 | ns |
| Aggressive behavior | -0.11 | 0.06 | ns | -0.08 | 0.05 | ns | 0.05 | 0.06 | ns |
| Hyperactive behavior | -0.09 | 0.05 | ns | -0.07 | 0.04 | ns | -0.07 | 0.06 | ns |
| Withdrawn behavior | 0.04 | 0.06 | ns | -0.02 | 0.05 | ns | 0.04 | 0.06 | ns |
| Emergent literacy | 1.02 | 0.05 | *** | 0.98 | 0.04 | ns | 0.95 | 0.05 | *** |
| Household rules | 0.16 | 0.05 | ** | 0.19 | 0.03 | *** | 0.13 | 0.05 | ** |
| Household income | 110.7 | 29.0 | ** | 97.3 | 22.5 | *** | 102.6 | 25.9 | *** |
| * < .05, ** < .01, *** < .001 |
Barriers to Participation
In the spring of 1998, parents were asked if there were particular barriers that prevented them from participating as much as they would have liked in activities at their children’s Head Start center. Exhibit 7-5 displays the top six barriers to participation mentioned by the parents. Work commitments (55.9%), need for child care (31.5%), and school schedules (18.9%) were the most frequently mentioned barriers to participation that parents faced. The following barriers were mentioned by less than five percent of the parents: not knowing others at Head Start (4.6%), having had previous bad experiences at the program (3.5%), feeling uncomfortable at Head Start(3.1%), language or cultural differences (3.2%), concern for safety (2.7%), lack of opportunity to participate (4.3%), or a perception that the teacher was not comfortable having parents in the classroom (1.6%).
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Reported barriers were significant predictors of the amount of involvement parents had with the program. Parents who said that their work schedules interfered with their ability to participate reported less involvement in Head Start than parents who did not mention work schedules as a barrier, t(2538) = 11.57; p > .0001. There was also less involvement among parents who mentioned transportation as a barrier, t(2538) = 4.00; p < .0001, as well as the need for child care, t(2537) = 6.61; p < .0001. However, those parents who reported their school schedules, health concerns, or lack of support from spouses or partners as barriers were not significantly less involved than parents who did not report these as barriers.
7.4 Perceptions of Head Start
Parents were asked to comment on their expectations for the Head Start school year, as well as their families’ experiences at the program. The following sections present parents’ expectations of the program, perceptions of their experiences, and ways that Head Start has helped their families and children.
Expectations
In the fall of 1997, parents were asked to identify the major ways they felt Head Start could help their children and their families during the upcoming school year. They were asked the following two questions. Responses were post-coded into categories (See Exhibit 7-6).
- What are the major ways you feel Head Start could help your child this year?
- What are the major ways you think Head Start could help your family this year?
During the spring 1998 interviews, parents were asked to think back on their children’s year in Head Start, and report the ways that the program had helped their children and their families. The following two questions were asked. Responses were post-coded into categories (See Exhibit 7-6).
- Thinking back over your child’s last year in Head Start, what are the major ways Head Start has helped your child?
- What are the major ways Head Start has helped your family? Did they help your family in any other areas besides educating your child?
Responses to both sets of questions are summarized in Exhibit 7-6.
| Weighted Percentages N = 2,543 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Expectations (Fall 1997) |
How HS Helped (Spring 1998) |
|
| Child Benefits | ||
| Academic readiness | 71.4 | 67.1 |
| Social interactions with children | 37.6 | 54.8 |
| Social interactions with adults | 9.6 | 21.5 |
| Help with speech and language | 12.2 | 14.6 |
| Child health, nutrition, immunizations | 3.5 | 8.6 |
| Child dental services | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Mental health counseling | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Help for special needs | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Safe haven from home or neighborhood | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Child care | 5.2 | 1.5 |
| Child Skills | ||
| Independence | 11.8 | 23.2 |
| Manners | 12.9 | 24.0 |
| Good habits (pick up toys, set table) | 6.7 | 17.1 |
| Family Health | ||
| Health education (nutrition or fitness) | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Medical services | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| Dental services | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Mental health counseling | 1.6 | 0.4 |
| Referrals and or Information | ||
| Social services | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Legal aid | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Public assistance | 1.3 | 0.1 |
| Medicaid | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Employment | ||
| Job skills | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Job searching skills | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Job interviewing skills | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Opportunity to work | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| Adult Education | ||
| Preparing for GED | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| Vocational or technical training | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Adult education courses | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| English literacy skills | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| Finance or budgeting | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Child Development Associate (CDA) | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| College degree | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Parenting Benefits | ||
| Communication skills | 1.4 | 6.1 |
| Discipline | 1.1 | 7.2 |
| Nutrition | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| Reading/education | 0.3 | 1.9 |
| Understanding child growth and development | 7.1 | 11.3 |
| Food or clothing | 1.5 | 3.9 |
| Holiday gifts, toys, books | 1.0 | 3.9 |
| Parent Social Benefits | ||
| Make new friends | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Increase self-confidence | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Social or emotional support | 4.1 | 11.5 |
| Family contentment | 5.2 | 8.0 |
| Volunteer Opportunities | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Housing | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Transportation | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Head Start Cannot Help | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Do Not Know How Head Start Can Help | 15.0 | 5.6 |
| Respondents were permitted to give multiple responses, resulting in total percentages over 100. |
As indicated in Exhibit 7-6, over two thirds of parents (71.4%) anticipated that Head Start would help prepare their children for school and almost two fifths (37.6%) expected that the program would provide social interactions with other children. Other topics mentioned included helping their children with speech and language (12.2%), manners (12.9%), and independence (11.8%). Interestingly, by the end of the school year, many parents reported that Head Start had helped their children in ways they had not expected. While slightly fewer parents (67.1%) indicated Head Start had helped their children be academically prepared than the 71.4% who expected this benefit from the program, more parents reported that their children had benefited from social interactions with other children (54.8% vs. 37.6% expected) as well as social interactions with adults (21.5% vs. 9.6% expected). Compared with what parents expected in the fall, by spring 1998, about twice as many parents reported that Head Start had helped their children with independence (23.2% vs. 11.8% expected), manners (24.0% vs. 12.9% expected), and developing good habits (17.1% vs. 6.7% expected).
Overall, parents were much less likely to expect benefits for their families from the program. When asked to identify the major ways they felt that Head Start could benefit their families, only two possible benefits were mentioned by more than five percent of the families: helping them understand their children’s growth and development (7.1%) and helping them with family contentment (5.2%). Almost one fifth of parents did not know that Head Start could help their families (15.0%) or believe that it could help (1.8%). However, as was the case with expectations for how the program could help their children, by spring 1998 parents reported that Head Start had helped their families in ways they had not anticipated. Unexpected benefits included help with their communication skills (6.1% vs. 1.4% expected), discipline methods (7.2% vs. 1.1% expected), and social or emotional support (11.5% vs. 5.2% expected).
Health Behavior Learned at Head Start
In a separate set of questions focusing on the benefits of Head Start, parent and child health behaviors were targeted. During the spring 1998 interview, parents were asked about whether their children’s and their own health behaviors had improved as a result of their Head Start experience. In particular, parents were asked to report about their children’s tooth brushing, washing hands before meals, washing hands after using the toilet, eating nutritious and healthful foods, and exercising. Changes in parents’ own health behaviors were examined in the areas of exercising more regularly, eating more nutritious or healthful foods, brushing teeth more regularly, using seat belts more regularly, and improving safety in the home. As expected, parents reported that both they and their children had health behavior improvements as a result of Head Start across the five health behavior items. The mean number of health behavior improvements for children was 4.0 (SD = 1.4), while the mean number of health improvements for parents was 2.2 (SD = 2.2).
Across the targeted behaviors, the highest proportions of parents indicated that their children had improved tooth brushing (84.6%), washing hands before meals (86.9%), and washing hands after using the toilet (84.7%), while slightly lower proportions reported that Head Start helped to improve their children’s exercising (67.8%) or nutritional habits (74.1%). A smaller proportion of parents indicated Head Start helped them improve their own health behaviors. With the exception of household safety (61.1%), less than half of the parents reported health improvements across any of the areas. More specifically, 46.7% showed improvements in seat belt use, 45.3% ate more nutritiously, 39.8% brushed their teeth more regularly, and 31.1% indicated exercising more regularly.
Children’s and Parents’ Experiences
In the spring of 1998, parents were asked to assess their children’s and their own experiences in Head Start. As illustrated in Exhibit 7-7, almost all of the parents had very positive feelings toward their children’s and their own experiences with Head Start. For example, over 95% reported that their children often or always felt safe and secure at Head Start (95.7%), were happy to be in the program (96.1%), felt accepted by their teachers (97.1%), and were treated with respect (97.2%). Parents indicated that teachers often or always made them feel welcomed (96.9%), supported them as parents (95.7%), and were open to new information and learning (93.5%).
| Weighted Percentages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Never | Sometimes | Often | Always | |
| Child feels safe and secure in Head Start | 0.1 | 4.2 | 13.6 | 82.0 |
| Child gets lots of individual attention | 0.3 | 7.6 | 25.4 | 64.5 |
| Child's teacher is open to new information and learning | 0.2 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 82.5 |
| Child has been happy in the program | 0.3 | 3.6 | 12.4 | 83.7 |
| Teacher is warm and affectionate towards child | 0.3 | 3.1 | 10.0 | 85.8 |
| Child is treated with respect by teachers | 0.1 | 1.9 | 6.4 | 90.8 |
| Teacher takes an interest in child | 0.0 | 2.6 | 9.3 | 87.4 |
| Child feels accepted by the teacher | 0.3 | 2.4 | 8.3 | 88.8 |
| Teacher is supportive of parent | 0.4 | 2.6 | 9.0 | 86.7 |
| Parent feels welcomed by the teacher | 0.3 | 2.5 | 6.2 | 90.8 |
| Teacher handles discipline matters easily without being harsh | 0.6 | 3.4 | 10.2 | 79.8 |
| Teacher seems happy and content | 0.6 | 4.0 | 11.6 | 82.5 |
| Assistant teacher is warm and affectionate towards child | 0.3 | 3.1 | 8.5 | 84.3 |
| Unweighted N = 2,688. |
A summary score of total experience5 was created for each parent who responded to the questionnaire. There were no significant differences in this rating of Head Start experience by ethnicity, urbanicity, region, prior experience with the program, or length of the Head Start day.
7.5 Parent Satisfaction
Parents were asked how satisfied they were with Head Start’s performance in eight different areas, including helping their children to grow and develop, preparing their children for kindergarten, and supporting their families’ culture and background. As shown in Exhibit 7-8, parents were very satisfied with Head Start in all areas. For example, over 80% of the families were very satisfied that Head Start maintained a safe program (88.3%), respected their families’ culture (88.1%), helped their children to grow and develop (86.5%), provided them services (83.4%), and prepared them for kindergarten (84.6%).
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A summary score of satisfaction6 was created for each parent who responded to the questionnaire. Parents of Hispanic children were more satisfied than parents of White children, F(5, 2523) = 2.82; p = .02.7 and parents who had less than a high school degree were more satisfied than parents who had at least some college, F(2, 2541) = 10.25; p < .0001. The region of the country was also significantly related to parent satisfaction with the program, F(3, 2541) = 7.17; p < .0001. Parents who lived in the South, West, and Midwest were more satisfied than parents who lived in the Northeast. Satisfaction also varied by employment status, t(2540) = 2.88; p < .01. Employed parents were significantly less satisfie d with the program than those parents who were not employed. Parents who reported their Head Start children as having disabilities were less satisfied than those families who did not have children with disabilities, t(2527) = 4.45; p < .0001, and parents of girls were more satisfied than parents of boys, t(2539) = 3.10; p < .0001. There were no significant differences in satisfaction scores based on marital status, previous experience with Head Start, whether the program was located in a rural or urban area, or the number of hours per day that the children attended classes. However, parents who reported their children were only absent 1-5 days in the previous Head Start school year were significantly more satisfied with the program than parents of children who were absent for 10 or more days during the year, F(3, 2526) = 5.65; p < .001. A significant positive correlation was found between satisfaction and involvement in the program, r = .11; p < .001.
7.6 Parent Reported Ways to Improve Head Start
In the spring of 1998, parents were asked the following open-ended question: If you could change anything about Head Start that you think would help it better serve children and families, what would it be? Almost one half of the parents indicated that Head Start did not need to change (36.9%) or they were already satisfied with the program (8.3%). Only four of the uggestions for improvement were reported by more than five percent of the parents: have extended hours or longer days (11.9%), focus more on academic skills (6.8%), provide transportation (6.3%), and improve the facilities such as having better playgrounds and classrooms (6.1%). Exhibit 7-9 displays the types of suggestions that parents had for improving Head Start.
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Reported by at Least 5% of Parents |
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Reported by Less Than 5% of Parents |
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7.7 Summary
Findings from this chapter contributed to a more complete understanding of Head Start families’ involvement, perceptions, and satisfaction with the Head Start program. Highlights from Chapter 7 include:
Children’s Involvement with the Program
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On average, parents reported that their children attended Head Start for slightly more than 5 hours per day and 4.5 days per week and took approximately 16 minutes to get to school. The length of day was longer for children who lived in the South.
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Almost three fourths of children who lived in rural areas rode to school each day on a Head Start bus while only one third of children who lived in urban locations rode on a Head Start bus.
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One half of the children were absent between 1-5 days per year and one fifth was absent more than 10 days. The proportion of White children who missed more than 10 days was almost twice as high as the proportion of African American or Hispanic children.
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Children who missed more than 10 days had parents who were more depressed, who were less satisfied with the program, and had fewer positive feelings regarding their families’ Head Start experiences. Children with 10 or more absences were reported to have more problem behavior, including aggressive and hyperactive behavior.
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The most frequent reason for absence was children’s illness.
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Slightly more than one half of the parents had experience with Head Start before enrolling the FACES child, including having other children or grandchildren who attended.
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One fifth of the parents had attended Head Start.
Parents’ Involvement at Head Start
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Most parents were very active in the program. The most frequently reported activities were home visits with Head Start staff members, parent-teacher conferences, and observing in their children’s classrooms for at least 30 minutes.
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Parents who were more involved at Head Start also participated in more weekly, monthly, and overall activities with their children, and reported their children had fewer problem behaviors.
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Parents of White children reported more involvement at Head Start than either parents of African American children or parents of Hispanic children.
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Parents who worked were less involved at Head Start than non-working parents, and parents with prior exposure to the program were more involved than parents with no previous experience.
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Parents with high involvement at Head Start significantly decreased their depression, increased their internal locus of control and social support, and increased their use of household rules and their monthly household income from the fall of 1997 to the spring of 1998. They also significantly increased the amount of weekly, monthly, and total activity with their children from the fall to the spring.
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Parents with moderate involvement also significantly increased their internal locus of control, their social support, their use of household rules, their household income, and the amount of monthly and total activity they engaged in wit h their children.
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Parents with low involvement showed significant increases in their internal locus of control and social support, their household incomes, and their use of household rules from fall to spring. However, they showed no increases in the amount of activity with their children, no increases in their children’s positive social behavior and no decreases in their children’s problem behavior from fall to spring.
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Work and school commitments, need for child care or transportation, health problems, or lack of support from a spouse or partner were the top six barriers to participation reported by the parents.
Expectations of Head Start and Ways that Head Start has Helped
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Over two thirds of parents anticipated that Head Start would help prepare their children for school and almost two fifths expected that the program would provide social interactions with other children.
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Interestingly, by the end of the school year, many parents reported that Head Start had helped their children in ways they had not expected.
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Far fewer parents expected benefits for their families. Almost one fifth of the parents did not know that Head Start could help their families or believed that they would.
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Only two possible benefits were mentioned by more than five percent of the families: helping them to understand their children’s growth and development and helping them with family contentment. Again, by the end of the school year, parents reported that Head Start had helped their families in ways they had not anticipated.
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Parents reported that their children showed improvement in brushing their teeth, washing their hands before meals, washing their hands after using the toilet, exercising, and eating more nutritious food as a result of their Head Start experience. Almost two thirds of the parents indicated that Head Start helped them improve safety in their homes.
Children’s and Parents’ Experiences in the Program
- Almost all of the parents had very positive feelings toward their children’s and their own experiences at Head Start. Over 95% reported that their children often or always felt safe and secure at Head Start, were happy to be in the program, felt accepted by their teachers, and were treated with respect. Parents indicated that teachers often or always made them feel welcomed, supported them as parents, and were open to new information and learning.
Parents’ Satisfaction with Head Start
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Over 80% of parents were very satisfied that Head Start maintained a safe program, respected their family’s culture, helped their children to grow and develop, provided their children services, and prepared them for kindergarten.
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Parents of Hispanic children were more satisfied with Head Start than parents of White children, and parents who had less than a high school degree were more satisfied than parents who had some college or more.
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The region of the country was also significantly related to parent satisfaction with the program. Parents who lived in the South, West, and Midwest were more satisfied than parents who lived in the Northeast.
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Employed parents were less satisfied than non-working parents. Parents who reported that their children had disabilities were also less satisfied with the program than parents who did not have children with disabilities.
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Parents who were more satisfied were also more involved.
Suggestions for Improvement
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Almost one half of the parents indicated that Head Start did not need to change or they were already satisfied with the program.
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The top four suggestions for improvement were to extend hours, focus more on academics, provide transportation, and improve the facilities like the playgrounds or classrooms.
1For additional information on recruiting, see report entitled “Reaching Out to Families: Head Start Recruitment and Enrollment Practices, 2000.(back)
2Head Start teachers are required to make at least two visits to the homes of children enrolled in center-based programs in accordance with the requirements of 45 CFR 1306.32(b)(8).(back)
3Summary parent involvement score is based on respondents’ reports of how frequently (not yet, 1-2 times, 3 or more times) they participated in each of the 12 activities displayed in Exhibit 7-2, over the past school year. Summary score ranges from 12 to 36, with higher scores representing more involvement, M = 22.1; SD = 5.2; Mdn = 21.0.(back)
4Low, moderate, and high categories were determined based on the distribution of responses in the summary parent involvement score (range 12-36). Low involvement = 1st quartile (score of 12-18; n = 760); moderate involvement = 2nd and 3rd quartiles (score of 19-25; n = 1,249); high involvement = 4th quartile (score 26-36; n = 679).(back)
5Summary experience score is based on respondents’ reports of how frequently (never, sometimes, often, or always) they felt the 13 items displayed in Exhibit 7-6 occurred at Head Start. Summary scores ranged from 13 to 52, with higher scores representing more positive experience. M = 48.9; SD = 4.9; Mdn = 51.0.(back)
6Summary satisfaction score is based on respondents’ reports of how satisfied (very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied) they were with Head Start in regard to the 8 items displayed in Exhibit 7-8. Summary score ranges from 8 to 32, with higher scores representing more satisfaction. M = 29.2; SD = 3.7; Mdn = 31.0.(back)
7One-way analysis of variance was used to test for overall differences in the mean satisfaction scores among ethnic groups. Post hoc Scheffee tests (ps < .05) identified individual differences between each group.(back)
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